Clockwise from top left: Amy and Noah; Drew and Noah helping cousins Jasmine and Jason watch the Disney parade, with Amy photobombing in the middle; Koa on his last good walk to the park; Drew and Amy showcasing their culinary and pop culture skills; family at the MUNY to see "Into the Woods"; Noah facing the future with firm feline foundation.
Here’s our 2015 in a numeric nutshell, Twelve Days of Christmas style...
12
- years of Denise being blessed as a Scout Leader, to witness the development
of many fine young men. With Noah’s tenure almost complete, will Denise
continue? Hmm...
11.5
- years for Noah of public school. On top of rigorous academics: soccer,
French Club, tennis, debate, and of course, winter drum line team. Noah is
applying to college, interested in majoring in engineering of the computer
science and/or electrical variety.
10
- a full decade of the best dog ever, Koa. In Hawaiian, it means “strong and
brave” but anyone who met Koa knew him better as playful and friendly. As
a Whippet and Border Collie mix, he ran the fastest circles and was the best Frisbee
dog we’ve ever known. Rest in peace, Koa.
9
- days in southern California. It’s not the actual activities we’ll remember so
much as visiting with relatives and friends. Actually, we’ll remember the
14 hours at Disneyland because lots of relatives went, and of course, it’s
Disneyland!
8
- guys in Noah’s Dungeons and Dragons group. A new hobby, Noah enjoys his role
as Dungeon Master with his fertile imagination, and hosting most of the
gatherings. Our house may be just a tad quieter next year after he leaves
for college.
7
- musical performances for Sherman in a fortnight to celebrate Advent and
Christmas, with three different groups. His resolution for next year?
Look at a monthly calendar view before confirming gigs.
6
- days for Noah and Sherman at the triennial national youth gathering with
their church youth group in Detroit. It was Noah’s second trip, filled with
community service, education, worship and fellowship. A new adventure this time
around: Sherman directed the teen praise band (for the Kansas-Missouri
area), and Noah joined in on percussion.
5
- the number of person-hours logged in designing, baking and building the
"Game of Thrones”-themed “Red Wedding” cake for Sherman’s birthday. Cake
created by Amy, sword rendered by Drew...
4
- … Drew, who on the Fourth of July,
proposed to Amy! We’re all ecstatic about this news, and marvelous
pro-active people that they are, they’re planning on tying the knot the summer
of 2017, after Amy completes a one-year internship program. Amy and Drew
will graduate in May 2016, and Drew will start working full-time at a mining
company (where he’s interned for the past three summers) while Amy completes
her studies.
3
- number of terms Denise just completed as the President of the St. Louis
chapter of National Association of Professional Organizers. Similar to her
Scout leadership role, Denise volunteers many hours to this organization (no
pun intended), helping advance the vision of helping people overcome
challenges, and gets as much in return as she gives.
2
- the number of "fine feline cats” (Patches and Cuddles) in our household, who fill the Koa
void. By the way, that’s Denise’s
preferred wording, because their cat awesomeness is so great it requires the
extra emphasis.
1
- as in The One who we celebrate this time of year. The last of Sherman’s
musical gigs was as accompanist for the Sunday School Christmas program.
Normally Sherman runs the sound board, but with the passing of dear friend Mary
(who played piano for these programs going back when Amy was little), there was
cascading change of leadership for the program. We weren’t sure if it would
come together for the big day, even though all the pieces were there. But the
most important thing about the program comes during practice and absorbing the
Word. And through all of that practice it was our faith in Christ that did
gather our efforts to make everything click on the big day, with everyone reflecting
the Christmas message embedded in their hearts and minds…
Here’s to health,
happiness and humor in 2016!
Sherman, Denise, Noah, Amy and Drew
