Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas to all! We hope that you and yours are doing well. We are in the midst of finals after a very long, challenging semester, but the end is in sight and we are getting into gear for the holidays. As the year before, 2007 has held many challenges, opportunities for growth, and changes.

Gabriela turned four years old in March. We had a princess party for her, which is the epitomy of her age and interests. She loves to dress up and dance around, makes tents out of blankets and pillows and rocks her babies to sleep. In addition to her pre-school, she would stay at the YWCA’s drop in daycare, which she enjoys immensely when she needs to go. She took swim lessons at the end of the summer and became good friends with another girl that happens to live just upstairs from us. She did not put her face in the water until after her lessons were over, but did succeed the last day we went swimming on campus before the semester started. She is back in the same pre-school this year, but for four mornings each week. She is doing well and learned to write her name this summer, and has mastered counting and knows most of her letters. She really enjoys pre-school and is a super happy little girl that loves to talk your ear off and make you “dinner.”

Maria was able to get a “girls get away weekend” in Louisville just before spring with her best friend. That was the half-way mark between them. It was wonderful, and hopefully they can repeat it in the future. Maria also reached the milestone birthday of 30! It was celebrated in Ohio with friends and family (and a parade this year to boot J). In July, Maria was able to leave her retail job to start a new, more professional job which she is enjoying. She is teaching community classes on how to calm crying babies and is responsible for the entire program and the marketing, promotion, etc. It’s right up her alley, offers the flexibility that is needed with our crazy schedules and is fun.

Fares has continued studying straight through, and is one semester away from graduating!! He has been teaching introductory Spanish classes the last semester and a half, and is doing great at it. The extra time studying is being spent earning credits in Spanish so he is eligible to teach Spanish in the “outside” world. He continues to have a crazy schedule, and even participated in a Spanish drama this fall! His biggest accomplishment this semester was passing his comprehensive exams at the end of October. Way to go!

Our family was able to take a nice vacation this summer. We met up with Maria’s cousins in Virginia Beach and had a good week out there. It was fun to play in the waves and sand. There were 20 adults and 12 children all camping out for four days. It was definitely an interesting week. The rest of our summer (in between studying and working) was spent with friends in Indianapolis or our close friends from ISU that had to return to Korea in August.

As the end of the year is upon us, we are earnestly looking to the future. We do not know what is in store for us yet, so we request prayers: for patience, faith, and guidance. Our ideal is to find a full time community college position within two hours of Maria’s parents. But, we have to be open to all options and see what God has planned. We have also said good-bye to Maria’s grandfather this Thanksgiving, and know of others that are also suffering loss this season.

We promise to keep everyone updated on our plans, once we know what they are! In the meantime, give us a call, drop by, or look for us online! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!!!

Love,

Fares, Maria, Gabriela and Neguinho (still in Ohio and loving it)