Is it really December?

Oh my! I can't believe it has been over 2 months since I posted. Life has absolutely been crazy. We went straight from having softball about 2 nights a week to having Christmas parties and other seasonal activities several nights a week. Hopefully after New Years things will settle down. I have to run cook (I don't get to do that too often anymore), but I wanted to post our Christmas letter (one of the drafts anyways) for those of you we do not have addresses for. I usually do a letter b/c we have so many family members that we do not see and they are always asking what has been going on in our lives. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Letter:

Dear family and friends,
It is hard to believe Christmas is already upon us! This year has flown by. God has been so good and has blessed us in so many ways this year – as always! This year started off as a hectic one. Rando was in the process of interviewing and waiting for background checks, and I was working diligently on my Masters. Last Christmas was so busy that we were unable to send out Christmas cards much less letters.
In mid-January we were thrilled that Rando had been offered a job at Hebron as Associate Pastor of Recreation. This brought a mixture of feelings. We love our students at Walker and miss seeing them weekly, but Hebron is family to us! I am blessed to be able to worship and sit with my grandparents, sister, and my best friend and her family every Sunday morning. Many lifelong friendships have been rekindled! This has truly been a blessing!
Rando loves his job! He enjoys working with a variety of people in the church and community. He also loves the friendships and working relationships he has with the pastors and staff. It is truly a fun and rewarding place to serve! Of course with Rando being a recreation pastor we have gotten ourselves involved in the leagues. Rando played in the men’s softball league while I played in the women’s. We will not discuss how those seasons went, but by the time we got to coed softball we were back in shape (well, kind of)! Rando also just wrapped up playing flag football. He stays busy organizing adult softball and basketball leagues while assisting with the youth leagues. It has been enjoyable for both of us as we get to serve our Lord through one of our passions – sports!
Again this year we enjoyed many sporting events. We ended last year by splurging at the last second (40 min. before game time) on Chick-fil-A Bowl tickets! What a night! We had fun cheering on the Gym Dawgs for Valentine’s Day. We enjoyed learning more about hockey at Thrashers’ games, and of course we spent many spring and summer nights at Turner Field. This fall we have enjoyed Bulldog Football. Rando got to go to Vanderbilt and THE Georgia/FLORIDA GAME! Yes, I am a little jealous, but he deserves it. Not to mention one of us has to stay home and work. Chip (Rando’s boss and good friend) was so nice to take us both to the UGA/W. Carolina Game. We had a great time and even got to visit Adam’s dorm. For Thanksgiving, Rando took his parents and Aunt Debbie to the Falcons/Colts game – or should we just say the Colts game! They had a great time!
This summer was exciting for many reasons! Rando spoke at the college/career retreat in Ft. Walton, and we were able to spend time with some incredible young adults. While we were there we visited with our great friend from college, Josh Vess. A few weeks later I finished my Masters! What a relief! We then spent a relaxing week in the mountains at a beautiful cabin known as The Blessing! The name says it all! We are so grateful for our friends who opened this home to us for much needed refreshment!
Our family is doing great! Noodle, our 4 legged baby, is as sweet as ever. She even loves sporting her UGA jersey and her flashy red toe nails (thanks to our new groomer)! Rando’s parents are serving on staff at Oakwood, Rando’s home church, and they continue to see lives changed. They stay busy leading ministries at the main campus and several satellite campuses! My parents are busy serving at Hebron as God continues to amaze us! Just the other week we saw over 10,000 people come onto the HBC campus over a 3 night period for a wonderful family event – Christmas on the Corner (the live nativity and marshmallow roasting were our favorites)! This year dad rode his bicycle to Jacksonville, Fl for the UGA game, and mom has been busy as an Assistant Principal at Riverside Elementary. Dana graduated college in May and is spending this Christmas season helping make sure boys and girls across Gwinnett County have a wonderful Christmas. God is using her mightily! Adam is a sophomore at UGA and is serving on the BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministries) leadership team. He also loves cheering on the DAWGS! Our grandparents are also doing well. I was blessed to get to see my grandmother in Florida for Thanksgiving and her birthday. We are so grateful for such godly families who love and encourage us daily!
This coming year promises to be a busy one! Please be in prayer for Rando as he prepares to travel to China in April! We love you all and are so grateful for your friendship and prayers! You have all touched our lives in a special way! We hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Rando and Amanda