Merry Christmas!

Merry, merry Christmas to friends and family, both near and far! 

2013 was a whirlwind year for us and it's fun to take a few minutes to look back at it. We decided to do another anagram puzzle this year, and as promised, here is the answer key (including explanations):

• Bishop - The new year brought with it a new church congregation (ward) for our area. Marc was called as Bishop and tasked with organizing and leading, along with his two wonderful councilors. The new ward is made up of geographical regions that previous made up portions of three different wards. Being Bishop (and Bishop's family) has been a huge responsibility, and has given us opportunities to learn and grow in ways we had never imagined. It's been an amazing experience and we look forward to the many adventures yet to come!
• New Friends - Along with the new ward came an abundance of new friends. That has been our favorite part of the change in congregation boundaries. It has brought us closer to existing friends, and blessed us with the opportunity to connect with so many other good people. I cannot imagine not having these new friends in our lives!
• Temple Trips - This has been the year of the temple for our family. We were able, for the first time, to all attend the temple together. Our new ward youth group has had several enriching temple trips. And, M was able to attend every week for a month over Summer break. 
• Parties - Parties and more parties garnished our entire year! It's been a fun way to connect and strengthen friendships. We enjoyed backyard parties with our church youth group, parties at the lake on July 4th and Memorial Day, church dances and Homecoming, a sushi party, birthday celebrations, a Halloween party, 5k races, cross country meets and other sporting events (which are basically huge outdoor parties), BBQ's, dinner parties, etc.
• Teenagers - It's official. With J turning 13 we now have two teenagers under our roof. This is very likely a factor in the increased partying we've engaged in this past year ;)
• Musicians - M, J and even Marc continue to play and progress on the piano. Our home is rarely quiet thanks to their musical skills. M has been composing some pretty impressive pieces, and is also teaching piano lessons. J has also bee learning about composition and improvisation. Marc has far less time to practice these days, but likes to sit down and play when he can.
• Running - M and her dad are the runners in our family. They both run nearly daily, and like to participate in 5k races together. M runs on her school's Cross Country team, and runs distance for both Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field.
• Basketball - Jacob continues to love basketball, and is currently playing for both his church team and a local recreation league. He also attended a basketball camp over Summer break.
• Artist - M is an artist. She just is! She has so much creative talent and loves to draw and paint, as well as use her digital tablet to create amazing works of art.
• Academics - Both M and J work hard in school and both have numerous academic achievements. They finished off last school year with straight A's and J was awarded a week-long paid Summer science internship. M was recently inducted into the National Math Honor Society.
• Especially for Youth - M attended her first EFY at a university in Virginia last Summer. It was a week of incredible, life changing experiences revolving around her faith.
• Lakes and Rivers - One of our favorite families hobbies continues to be river rafting/tubing and spending time at the lake. Our Summer was so packed with with activities for the kids and travel for Marc, that we didn't really go away for vacation. Instead, we took lots of short trips to enjoy the lakes and rivers in our region.
• Scout Camp - J attended his first Boy Scout camp and had a blast! Yes, he learned a few things too :)
• Church Girls' Camp - This was M's 4th year of church girls' camp, which meant that she enjoyed high adventures and a more rustic experience. She loved the spelunking, rafting, campfires, sleeping outdoors, spiritual experiences and time with friends.
• Italy and Spain - Marc traveled a fair amount for work this year, especially over Summer break. The highlight of his travel was the two weeks he spent in Italy and Spain.

This year, in spite of the craziness, we chose to: Love the Journey!

We hope that you all found joy in your journey this past year as well. Friends and family are among our very greatest blessings. We wish you all a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year!!