Going to Carolina in My Mind

Christmas Letter 2014 or 2015

So after 10 years, the goal was to mail out Christmas cards…

The cards were made, signed addressed and waiting for this letter, then the flu – chicken and pig type, strep throat, bronchitis and sinus infections passed through our entire family in the days after our first big Christmas together!!! 

Now…Happy New Year!!!  Happy Valentine’s Day!!!  Happy Everything in 2015!!!

So in just a few lines – what have we been up to for the past 10 years????

David continues to work for Chemtreat in the central or some would say southern part of Florida – in reality, we still live outside of Tampa. He is thinking about retirement, but we just aren’t sure what that looks like yet.  Several weeks out of each year for the past 8 years, David travels to Uganda or Kenya with mission teams helping to set up clean water systems and working with Water Missions International out of Charleston and Kelly Green Global out of Tampa.   It continues to amaze us both at how God has used his vocation in the mission field. 

I have finally and officially retired from teaching and education.  My time is now spent between Florida and SC and Maryland.  Mama moved into Covenant Place, an assisted living facility in my hometown of Sumter, two years ago this month.  That was a tough decision for all of us. After 6 good months there, we almost lost her due to a “med error”.  As a result of that "error", as they call it, she is now in a full care nursing home in Sumter.  This has been a trying and difficult time for all of our family.  It means lots of trips back and forth from FL to SC.  Time in between is filled with David’s office work, riding a new bike, beach time, reading, sewing, taking care of two houses, hosting a ladies study group that has been together since 2008, and being a fulltime KaKa – what the kids call me.  Now that’s my favorite activity!

Kaiti and Robert have moved from Pensacola, to Corpus Christi, to Pensacola, to Jacksonville, NC and now to Pax River, Maryland.  Collin was born in 2008, Legare was born in 2011 and Adley, July of this past year.  Being grandparents has to be THE BEST and MOST FUN job in the world!!! Robert has been deployed 3 times since 2008, and just graduated from Test Pilot School.  He is currently working at the Test Pilot School, and his masters in engineering at John's Hopkins.  After completing her Masters in Education, Kaiti has been able to be a stay at home mom since 2010 – SHE has the best job!!!  She also works from home for an online curriculum firm out of DC.  

Kelly moved to Charleston  - “back home” as she says several years ago.  She worked at Wild Dunes and then at Trident Technical College.  Her job there was as an admin assistant to one of David’s closest friends at the Citadel.  What a small world to reconnect with him in this way.  In the course of this job, Kelly met Marshall.  They began dating, got engaged and were married this past May.  The HUGE bonus of their marriage is that we welcomed Marshall’s two little boys, Bryson,8, and Cameron,4, into our family.  Now we have FIVE grandchildren.  Marshall is assistant dean at the Trident Berkley campus, Kelly is now a fulltime nursing student, 

We now have a home in Florida and a home in the Lowcountry of SC.  This does make driving back and forth a little easier. It's a fun and wonderful place for al of us to get together and make wonderful family memories.   Our hearts and so many of our family and friends are still there, so the plan is to eventually be there full-time. 

To sum it all up – if you can do that in a few words…we are blessed beyond measure from God by the richness of family, friends, community, good health, 38 years of marriage, sweet times and memories, We pray blessings on your families and long for the time when we can see you again.