My Favorite Time of Year is Here

I cannot believe it has been over two months since I last posted! My life has been more hectic than I ever remember. Teaching just takes up so much of my time and energy, which is why I am thrilled to be off for the next two weeks! I became a new "aunt" again today! My dear friend, Brooke, had her baby boy, Grady, early this morning! I can't wait to meet the little guy! Tonight, Tim's family flies in to DFW. Val and her friend Cami are going to stay at our house tonight, while Steve and Karin drive to Cleburne to see Karin's family. On Christmas Eve, the whole Kerby clan (Steve, Karin, Val, Matt, Ian, and Matt's girlfriend, Hope) will be coming to stay at our house. We cannot wait! Both of our families will be together for Christmas for the first time and I am super excited to have everything at my house.

My sister flew in from Los Angeles last Thursday night and it was great to get to spend some time with her! She left yesterday to pick up her husband, Todd, from the airport and the two of them were on their way to visit his family in Wichita Falls. They will be back on Christmas Eve, along with my brother, for all of the festivities!

Yesterday was a momentous occasion for me. I spent the past two months rehearsing for our Candlelight Christmas program at church. Even though I went to rehearsals, I wasn't sure that I could actually sing in front of the church due to my anxiety. Of course, I stood on the end of the risers in case I needed to exit, but thankfully, that did not happen! I sang with everyone during the morning service and during our evening performance and to top it off, I sang on praise team yesterday for the first time since I left Virginia!! Some of you may not understand, but these are HUGE accomplishments for me and I owe it all to God working in my life!

As many of you know, Tim was laid off in October and has been looking for a job. Thankfully, the company he works for has allowed him to work there at about half the pay until he finds something. He has applied for a 911 dispatcher position and has been through a couple of rounds of the interview process. He will interview again in January and we pray that they will offer him the job. This would allow him to work and also pursue the Texas certification for paramedic/firefighter. Please keep him in your prayers!

Below are some pictures I have taken of our house with our decorations up. We had our entire class from church (about 50 people) over for dessert as part of a Progressive Dinner and ornament exchange. It was a blast! Merry Christmas to all of you!