December 2013
Dear Friends,
As I sit here writing this letter I am struck by the two words reflection and anticipation – reflection on another year passing and anticipation of a year yet to come. And it is often only in the reflection that we see just how many of the things that we anticipated actually came to pass, and possibly in ways that we couldn’t have begun to anticipate.
Anne turns 13 in January and has kept us busy this year with tumbling and cheerleading. In addition to cheering for the Jr. Comets, the squad I coach in the late summer and early fall, she is also now a Greenville Junior High Bluejay Cheerleader. This means lots of time at practices, basketball games, and cheer competitions (and lots of running her around for Mom and Dad). Her squad qualified for state competition their first time out, so we will be traveling to Springfield the first weekend of January and celebrating Anne’s birthday with the state cheer competition! She is also doing very well in her 7th grade year and becoming more and more grown up every second. I keep telling her to stop, but she just won’t listen!
Ty turned 10 in October and is in 4th grade where he is thriving. As always, he keeps us laughing and shaking our heads at his silliness. Between knowing every possible fact about anything he can get his hands on, from Star Wars to Greek Mythology, building with his Legos, and playing outside with his neighborhood friends, he is always busy. He played baseball again this summer and that seems to be his sport of choice, although if we would let him he would be on the computer, his DS or the Wii all that time.
The highlight of my year was completing the Goofy Challenge at Disney World in January, 39.3 miles across two days. It was the hardest, most exhilarating experience of my life. In addition to the rigors of training, being a wife, a mother, a taxi driver, and a concert-goer (Mike gave me the gift of a ticket to every country show in St. Louis this summer), my third year of coaching the Jr. comets Cheerleaders was a good one. I so enjoy spending time with these girls! I continue to blog and recently moved my blog to a new location, http://princesschrisy.com. You can sign up there to get notification e-mails for each post, or like Daughter of the King on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/princesschrisy1). I also continue to preach a couple of times a month at a six-church Presbyterian Parish in the area and I thoroughly enjoy doing that.
Mike continues his work of 9 years at Carlisle Syntec and is doing well there. But as you know, he would always rather be hunting or fishing and he got to do plenty of fishing with his dad and my dad this past year. He has worked hard this year to perfect his meat smoking technique, and the kids, my parents, and Jackie (our neighbor girl who is otherwise known as our third child) would tell you that he has the touch! Pulled pork and super thick pork steaks are the favorites.
I suppose the biggest news of the year is that December 20 marks the end of 13 years (plus 1-1/2 previously) as Church Administrator of the Greenville Free Methodist Church. While we don’t quite know what is next for our family, we do know that God is up to something and is moving us on to a new chapter in His story for us. We ask that you would be praying with us that we would hear His leading.
As we reflect on 2013, it was a year marked by accomplishments, joyful family times, moments of God moving, and even sadness at the end of a chapter in God’s story for us. Yet as we look to 2014, we are anticipating the good things that God has planned for us. We hope you have had a good year and have seen the ways that God is at work in your lives and that you are also anticipating great things in the coming year. To God be the Glory!
Mike, Chrisy, Anne and Ty Ennen
