Christmas Letter 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

As I look back on 2009, I rejoice is seeing how faithful God has been to us. John’s carpentry job petered out early in the year. He tried selling security systems, but has returned to handiwork and lawncare. There has not been much call for either of those recently, but we hope both will pick up in the coming year. In the meantime, God has provided for all of our needs and many of our wants.

One fun adventure we had in the Spring was a trip to our Nation’s Capitol. We stayed with John’s brother Bob and his wife Sandi. We went during what we hoped would be the height of the Cherry Blossom Festival, but the weather was cold and rainy. Instead of walking around to see the monuments, we drove by them and went to various Smithsonian Museums instead. Everyone’s favorite was The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport. It is part of the Air and Space Museum and has many planes in a large hangar. The boys espescially enjoyed seeing the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and the Space Shuttle.

In August, we were invited to a wedding in Roanoke, VA. While John was game to try driving up and back in the same day, I was less enthusiastic. I asked various cyber-friends if anyone had some floor space in the area and we ended up staying with a dear Christian family about 30 minutes south of Roanoke. We made new friends and had a blast at the wedding. Afterwards, we drove home on the Blue Ridge Parkway, passing the place where John asked me to marry him many years ago.

Another highlight of our year was also courtesy of Bob and Sandi. They used some of their timeshare points to provide us with a suite to stay in at Myrtle Beach. We went in early December and had a wonderful time. Even though, once again, the weather was cold and rainy, we found plenty of fun things to do including swimming in the indoor pool, floating in the heated lazy river, and playing on the PS3 in the Game Room.

The children continue to grow at alarming rates. Sarah is 14 and taller than her mother! She is 5’10 ½” and I think she is hoping to reach 6 feet before she is done. Trey will be 13 next month and is anxious to pass mom in height. He, like all the boys, loves all things Lego and all things Star Wars. Many hours are devoted to building Star Wars scenes out of Legos in our house! Bobby just turned 11 and his favorite interests are Batman and bicycles. William, soon to be 9, loves playing computer games and goes through withdrawal if he doesn’t get a daily fix. Jeffrey turned 7 in August and he and Sarah had a great pool party at Beth May’s house. Rebekah will be 3 in February. Words cannot convey the delight she brings to our lives.

I continue to enjoy homeschooling the children. I also was able to worship God more through music this year when I auditioned for and made the new Fountain Inn Chorale. Our Christmas Concert included works by Shubert, Byrd, and Lauridsen. I am looking forward to rehearsals resuming in the Spring. I also sang once with the Palmetto Hills Presbyterian Church choir when they were in need of an additional soprano and hope to do so again.

Our prayers for you in the coming year are that God would reveal Himself to you in new and awesome ways and that He would draw you closer to Himself.

Merry Christmas!

John, Marty, Sarah, Trey, Bobby, William, Jeffrey, and Rebekah Moir