Christmas Letter 2017

Happy Holidays!

We hope this letter finds you enjoying the blessings of this season…We’ve been making a conscious effort to pause amidst the chaos to take in our everyday miracles. It is so easy to get caught up in the hectic schedule and demands of Christmas preparations, but we don’t want to miss the whole point of the celebration- the gift of God’s great and abiding love for us! In 2017, faith has been a focal point for our family as we have felt truly “led” into the next chapter of our lives together.

Shortly after Jamie wrote our Christmas letter last year, I was out in Orchard Park, NY for a group long run at Chestnut Ridge Park. My running group frequently meets there for hill training, and I’ve always loved those scenic, wooded miles. I made a wrong turn, on my way home to Tonawanda, and found myself on Powers Road, taking in the beautiful snow covered trees and country-like setting. I was a bit awe-struck when I saw a “For Sale” sign and slowed down to take in a charming old yellow cape on a corner lot…It looked strangely familiar. I realized that we had looked at it over a month ago on Zillow and bookmarked it as an example of the kind of “fixer-upper” we wanted to purchase someday. There just happened to be an open house going on that weekend, and I persuaded Jamie to drive back with me to visit. It wasn’t the right timing; we had planned on waiting until the following year to look for our next home and consider a relocation. But, something about this old house spoke to us. The pieces just fell into place, as if it was meant to be, and in early May 2017 we found ourselves moving to Orchard Park, NY! 

We finished out the school year commuting to Ken-Ton, daily, with Eli, so he could finish his Pre-K 3 program at St. Amelia’s. May and June were rough…Long days for our little guy, rising early enough to get us all on the road and drop off Eli at school before we had to be at work, and then traveling the 40-45 minutes home again, after school. But, once again, it seemed that a new path forward was being cleared for us. Also in May, the K-5 general music teacher at Ellicott Elementary in Orchard Park announced her retirement and I was able to apply for the position. After a frenzy of preparations and several interviews, I was hired for the job in August and started this school year in my new position, just 5 minutes from our new home. Although it was hard to leave my friends, students, and colleagues in Ken-Ton after 14 years, I truly felt called to pursue this opportunity. It has been a big transition, but I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be, teaching in my own town, close to Eli’s school, and working with a really supportive and passionate team of educators. They have made me feel so welcome and I truly enjoy my days at work. 

Eli is attending St. John Vianney for Pre-K and has started Suzuki violin lessons here in town. He also takes a hip-hop/tap combo dance class for 3-5 year old boys. He continues to amaze us, daily, with his joy, curiosity and engaging conversation. He always looks forward to opportunities to play with other children, but he can entertain himself for hours creating storylines for his cars and trucks and acting them out! He loves music and sings constantly, and is starting to sound out words in print and write his name and a few other words. It is such a blessing to witness his growth and exploration of the world. We had a great time, this summer, exploring the wooded paths near our home, the play grounds at Chestnut Ridge and Green Lake, and playing on the new swing set in our side yard. We also took Eli to NYC for the first time in July to visit our friends, the MacDonald family. He still talks about the subway and the taxi cabs there! He loves to travel and see new things and is full of questions about everything!

Jamie continues to commute to Lindbergh Elementary in Ken-Ton each day and just finished a very successful musical production with his students. The daily drive is tough in the snow, but he has a great principal and a wonderful team of teachers there. He continues to collaborate with Buffalo State College and frequently welcomes student observers from their music ed. program in his classroom. When he isn’t at work, the house keeps him busy…It is more of a project than either of us realized! But, he continues to express his happiness in working on, planning for and dreaming about our future in this house and in our new community. He engages Eli in the work, whenever he can, and I love to watch and listen to the two of them together. Although the house isn’t much to look at yet, we’ve never felt more “at home.” We know we are where we belong.

If there was a missing piece, it was a church community…We left St. Joseph’s University Church when we moved from Tonawanda. We knew we wouldn’t find a Catholic church like that one again, but we also knew we couldn’t make the drive twice a week once Eli was old enough to attend the Christian education classes. We visited several churches near our new home over the summer, but just hadn’t found the right fit. Then, a friend of a friend invited us to attend a service at the Hamburg Wesleyan Church with his family. Not knowing anything about the Wesleyan denomination, we were a little hesitant, but we decided to give it a try. The church is very close to home and very far from the style of worship we were familiar with. It was a complete game-changer for us. Jamie and I both listened to the sermon with tears in our eyes. It was as if the pastor knew we were there…At the end of church, Jamie looked at me and said, “Well, that just rocked my world!” Needless to say, we’ve been attending every weekend since! The children’s programs at the church are fabulous and Eli actually asks during the week, “When do we get to go to church?” We’ve made several friends there and gotten involved in some small groups that are really feeding us, spiritually. As for that friend of a friend who reached out to us…We are so grateful! He and his family, the Gobles (as some of you know), are a beautiful example for us and we are enjoying getting to know them all better. 

So life is full and good! We just found out that we will have a new niece next year at this time! My sister, Kelley, and her husband, Rick, are having a little girl in June! Eli is excited to spend the holiday with his cousins on both sides of the family and has many questions about the new baby growing in “Sissy’s” tummy! We are so thankful for our extended family and the time we get to spend with our loved ones. 

In the interest of saving trees and money, we’ve decided to start switching our annual letter over to this digital format. I’ll post a link on our Facebook pages, but if you want to stay on our “mailing” list, please enter your email address to subscribe to our updates. If you enter your email, you will be notified each December when we post our Christmas letter and pictures. We wish you all the best as we head into 2018. Each and every one of you has shared in our journey and touched our lives in meaningful ways. We count you among our blessings.

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. 

The Lord be with all of you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Heather, Jamie and Eli