Christmas Newsletter

I always enjoy reading Christmas letters that families send out to update their friends and relatives, so I thought I'd write one for the blog.

Dear Friends, Family, and Internet,

I know I never write you letters, but those of you who read my blog know that I have an affinity for writing notes to random inanimate objects such as my house and car, so I figure I might as well write a letter to a real-live person(s). So here is my life update, in alphabetical order.

Career
I'm still working at Campbell, but I am now a "Mentor Teacher" in a partnership with MU. I love my job, but it's hard to explain exactly what I do, so I'm going to pretend like you aren't asking that in your head right now. I also love all the people I work with. (I'm adding that in case any of them read this.) The highlight of my school year was creating this video for our students. Okay, it might not actually be the highlight, but if I don't publicize myself in my own Christmas newsletter, when will I?

House
This year marks 3 years of home ownership. I finally crossed the threshold into adulthood when I re-financed this year. Luckily for dad, I have not had many hair-brained renovation ideas lately, so it's been fairly quiet around the house. I did however procure a new chair from Momma's basement to spice up my living room, and I finally got the shelves in my kitchen lined. (Every accomplishment should be mentioned in a good Christmas letter.) My goal for 2013 is to get the exterior painted, so I'm slowly trying to commit to a paint color.

Kody
Big Kody Dog is doing quite well. He is currently lying at my feet watching a Hallmark movie. He is still a bit of a pain, but he keeps me safe and entertained. The highlight of his year has been harassing the meter reader and getting a new, deluxe water bowl. (The key to a worthwhile newsletter is making things seem like a bigger deal than they actually are.)

Life
I traveled to 2 new locations this year: New Orleans & Seattle. In NOLA, I consumed gallons of seafood, and in Seattle, I drank a latte from the original Starbucks. I also made it down to Springfield multiple times to see friends from college.
When I'm not traveling, I enjoy teaching the 2-year-old Sunday School class at my church. I've been doing so for 5 years, and I'm proud to say that I have not changed my repertoire of children's songs in all that time.
My friends pressured me into chopping my hair off this year. I donated almost 20 inches to Locks of Love, so the past month has been spent trying to re-learn how to fix my own hair. It's been a learning experience, and sometimes I awkwardly reach out and touch strangers with long hair in envy.

Love
I am sure most of you skipped straight to this paragraph to find out if I'm in a relationship yet. The answer is no. I'm still single, and no, I don't know why, but thank you for asking the inevitable follow-up question. I know many of you were expecting an invitation for a 12/12/12 wedding, and I'm sorry that instead you received an extremely glittery Christmas card that caused you to pull out your vacuums. Fingers crossed for 11/12/13.

I can't end a Christmas letter without recounting God's faithfulness to me throughout the year. "He has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!" -Psalm 126:3 Seriously, I am constantly amazed at His goodness.

Well that's my 365 days (wait, was it a leap year?) summed up into a newsletter. Next year, I'll try to get fancy and print it on snowflake paper. I can't wait to read all of your letters.

Warmest Regards,
Jenny