I am getting a late start on my New Years letter this year, because of the bump I mentioned in the title. We had a wonderful Christmas season this year. We got out of school on the 18th. The night before we celebrated Christmas as a family. On the 19th, we went to my brother's house to celebrate Christmas with his family.
Brad and his wife had a precious new baby on the 20th of November so I was looking forward to seeing my newest nephew again. We celebrated Christmas the day we arrived. The next day my oldest nephew had a Christmas program at his church. We all went to go see him perform in "Camel Lot". All the 100s of children did a great job. The next morning we headed back to Abilene for a couple of days. On the 23rd we drove to Lake Buchanan to celebrate Christmas with Nathan's family. The next day there was a blizzard in Abilene. We missed it all. My two younger sons really disliked the fact that they were missing all the white stuff. Three days later when we came home it was still on the ground though. Missing snow in Abilene was soon overlooked when on the 28th we started our next trip for Colorado. There was snow along the way this side of Lubbock, but Daniel was distraught when he heard on the 29th that it was snowing again in Abilene. His comment was, "There better be snow in Colorado". We assured him there would be plenty in the mountains.
We spent one night with our great friends the Abla's in Dalhart, Texas. They had not gotten any snow yet this season.
On the 29th, we continued our journey to Conifer, Colorado. We chose to take the scenic route, so there was plenty of snow. Wilkerson Pass looked like a winter wonderland. We finally made it to Nathan's brother's house in Conifer. He lives 30 miles southwest of Denver. We had a wonderful visit with Nathan's brother, his wife, and their two children. They have the only niece in the family. On the 30th, Nathan went to work with his brother. They were putting up some dry wall. When they got back we loaded up and went to the sledding mountainside. Our boys, niece, and nephew were having some great runs down the hillside. Nathan and I decided it was our turn. Nathan gave me a push and off I went. It was a great ride. Wind in my face, fast, and a bit scary. We were told that if you made it all the way to the creek it was a good run. I made it all the way to the creek. My brother in law was shouting at me "Belinda that was a great ride, you did great!" He came over to me and asked if I was o.k? Do you remember the title of this blog entry? Yes, I hit several bumps. The first one was o.k., but the 2nd one I think it was, gave me quite a jerk. I found out today (a week to the day later) that I actually fractured my T-12 vertebrae. I have had a good day today. No muscle spasms to speak of, but I still have some tightness and pain in my back.
This year has been a good one in the Nease household, but it has been an unusual year, especially the last six months. In March, Nathan mentioned to me that he wanted to look into applying to a new school that was coming to Abilene. I asked him if this was what people referred to as a mid-life crisis. He told me, no, of course. The new school is a T-STEM school. Which stands for Texas - Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math. With his Engineering degree he thought this would be a great fit for him. It is also incorporates the Project-Based Learning model. He use to always do projects with his students, but those had faded out of his curriculum to make sure he covered everything he needed to. His students were taking classes that were preparing them for an AP test and he wanted them to do well on the test. This new school will be different from what students are currently experiencing in Abilene. Nathan taught at Cooper High School for 23 years. He would have been happy to remain at CHS or have a chance to try this new way of teaching. He was hired and is having a great time. It has been a whole lot of work starting a new school, writing his own curriculum, and working with the public to ensure their support of this new school. If you want to learn more about the school look at this website. http://www.newtechfoundation.org Daniel is also attending this school and loving it. Nathan was also awarded the first Elite Educator this year. You may still be able to see him on the bigcountryhomepage.com
Nathan's new position meant he would have to go to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a week of training. We decided to make this trip into a family vacation. You can read about this trip in an older post. One thing I did not mention in the older post is that when we went to Graceland our guys comment about it was, "Elvis was not home". On our way home we spent a day and night in Chicago. Some of David's great photography can be viewed in the movie he made at the end of this post.
When we got back from our trip, I went to an annual doctor's appointment and again it was suggested I have a hysterectomy. It is something the doctor and I have been talking about for several years. We decided that it would be better to get it done now rather than waiting for an emergency. On July 29th, I had this procedure done. I was almost ready to start school when it started. The first day I only went for half a day. The next day I made it the whole day. I have a new boss at Abilene High School so we sat on some comfy new couches and got to know each other. This surgery though was almost like a domino effect on my life. I had several more test over the next few months. Two days before Thanksgiving I was told I needed to have my gall bladder removed. The surgeon we saw though said if he was me he would not have it removed. I had not been having any pain in that area so he did not see it as a necessary procedure. I have been rejoicing ever since, but asking the LORD to make it plain to us before the end of the year if I should have it removed since I had met my deductible. Well that does not matter anymore, because in the next few days or so I will meet my deductible again this year. Nathan and I have decided that I should have a MRI to make sure we are just dealing with a fracture in the T-12 and not anything else.
David is doing great. Economics about ate his lunch this past semester. He was so happy when December 18th, hit and he knew he would never have to step foot in that classroom again. He has been accepted at the University of North Texas in Denton. He would like to major in Photography and minor in Jazz Bass. He is still the bass player for Revolution. Check the group out on www.youtube.com Old Joe Clark and New Country
Derek has rented his own place just about 3 blocks from us. We still do not see him very often. He was able to be with us over the holidays. One of the main reasons we went to Colorado is because one of Derek's good friends was getting married on New Year's Eve. Derek was one of his groomsmen and he also sang during the ceremony.
We grieved the loss of a sweet friend this year. Linda Dent went home to be with her savior. Another friend lost her son this year.
Nathan and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary in Dallas, TX this year. We ate at a nice restaurant in the Las Colinas area. We went to Tyler for a quick weekend trip. It was a lot of fun to get away October 31st weekend. On another trip we went on this summer Nathan and I met Brent Musburger in our hotel elevator. His comment to Nathan was, "I don't have to guess who you are rooting for this weekend." Of course he had his burnt orange shirt on. As a family we went to Shallowater to go through a Corn Maze. It was a lot of fun.
Our family rejoiced as two of our friends accepted Jesus as their personal savior this year. Daniel and Lyndsay made the most important decision they will make in their lives. Where they will spend eternity?
Several of our friends married this year: Marissa and Andrew, Jasa & Adam, Wes and Suz, Tim M, Johnathan B. We also have had friends have babies: Sarah and Chris welcomed their third baby into their lives; Aylin and Luke also welcomed Number 3 as well as Anissa and Mark. All of these ladies had still births last year so we are very thankful that God has blessed them with a precious new life to hold and cherish. Also Lucy has a new baby brother.
We are proud of the Abilene High eagles for winning state in Football this year. I even dressed up to show my spirit at two of the pep rally's this year.
We are praying for our new President, Tiger Woods, men and women fighting for our freedom, and for many friends and family.
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