Like many people do, I like to take this day to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. I haven't posted a lot in the past few days, but that doesn't mean that I haven't thought about posting. Lord willing, I hope to do a series of posts under this same title. So far I have 6 posts in mind. These will focus on reviewing the past year and looking forward to 2011. I will talk about New Year's resolutions in general, my personal resolutions in general, as well as some family resolutions.
This post will focus on 2010, almost like a Wentz Christmas card, if you know what I mean. :)
There was a lot that happened in 2010. Some of these are more like one-time events, some are spread out over weeks and months. Here are some highlights:
1. Stephanie's job was moved to Athens in mid-January. This was a long time coming. UGA bought the Toccoa tv station in Oct 2008 and gradually moved operations to Athens. When her job was moved to the basement of the Grady College of Journalism, it meant she (we) had to commute an hour each way. This became a challenge, especially when dropping off and picking up Katelyn from daycare and getting to Justin's sporting events. Stephanie's parents helped out a lot on picking up Katelyn during those months.
2. Stephanie and I had a teenager in the house on Feb 23, 2010. Justin turned 13 and was finally allowed a facebook account. I'm pretty sure that of all the things he enjoyed about his birthday this was his favorite.
3. Justin made the tennis team for Stephens County in February. Having never really played tennis much, he really enjoyed playing for the school. He perfected a serve that causes the ball to have english (spin) after it lands that he's proud of.
4. We put our house up for sale in April. After much thought, prayers, and a whole lot of Saturday work to get the house ready to sell (going back to the fall of 2009), we put our house on the market.
5. In April, I went to T4G. I went with my good friends Paul and Ross to Louisville, KY for Together for the Gospel (T4G). This actually happened the day that Stephanie and I signed the contract for our house to be put on the market. I've read many of the books of the speakers and they have taught a great deal to me in the Lord. There were more than 7000 of us there to worship. It's not that I love the main speakers so much, it's that they are serving the same God I serve and are faithful to preaching His word, pointing away from themselves and toward Him. The messages and fellowship were great and they gave away a ton of books. Each time we came back to our seats there were more books waiting for us. There were many highlights of the trip included some interesting conversations with gas station attendants. One of my favorite was meeting John Piper. I'll never forget it.
6. Katelyn graduated from the pre-k program at Precious Minutes. We were very proud of her as she wore her cap and gown and walked across the stage. She's growing up very quickly. Her mommy cried, even though she said she wouldn't.
7. Summer vacation camping trips. This year we went camping at different times throughout the year. We really enjoy our camper. The kids enjoy the open space and we even enjoy being cramped in our little camper, playing games and spending "quality" time together. We included our dog Daisy in the trips at the end of the season. We were able to get a used Jet-ski in the fall of 2009 and enjoyed playing on the water with it this year.
8. We bought a home in Jefferson at the end of June. We thought that we were going to move to Athens early on, but we kept being led to the Jefferson area. There was a lot factoring into that decision: good schools, close to churches, within 25 minutes of Athens, good housing market, close to I-85, and still within 50 minutes of both sets of parents. We moved over July 4th weekend, with enough time to get settled in before school started in August. This also allowed Katelyn to get used to the Jefferson Recreation Department's day camp, where she goes after school until we pick her up. Jefferson has been great, while it's growing it still has that small town feel.
9. Justin changed schools from Stephens County to Jefferson City. This was one of the things that was heavy on our mind. Justin has really enjoyed changing schools. He has made some new friends and is doing really great, just as he did in Stephens County. When we walked into the school on orientation night, there were a few cute girls from FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) that flocked to him and got him signed up for their club. That probably helped the transition.
10. Justin made the Jefferson Middle School football team. Having not made the team in Stephens County on a team that went 1-6 the year before, he made the team on the Jefferson Middle School that went 9-0 the year before. He had a great year at wide receiver and they finished 5-2.
11. Katelyn started kindergarten. At Jefferson Elementary, they are required to wear uniforms, which I really like. Their shirts are red, blue, or white polo shirts, and khaki or blue pants/skirts/shorts. While there have been a few notes home, mainly for talking (imagine that), she has done extremely well. She's reading words now and has even read two books to us.
12. Katelyn lost her first tooth in August. While we had been working on it for a while, it eventually came out while she was eating an apple by herself. I was outside talking to a neighbor and she came out with tooth in hand, smiling from ear to ear.
13. Katelyn started dance at Broadway Arts Center. She had been in a daycare dance program, but this one is a professional dance studio. That's her up front and to the left.
14. Our 'little flock' small group. Throughout the year we had a small group that met on Wednesday nights and Sunday evenings while we were visiting churches on Sunday mornings in areas that we might potentially move. Our family along with two other families, totaling 12 in all, went though two books of the bible verse-by-verse together and had numerous other studies and fellowships. This was a sweet time for us. Our beloved Pastor Ross accepted a position with Grace Community Church in Wisconsin. The Layne family remained open to a call to go wherever the Lord would send them. When a call came from Wisconsin, they were a little pessimistic at first. The church continued to pursue Ross and they even flew him up for the weekend to preach and spend time with the church family, having narrowed down their search to 4 potential pastors. The calling became more clear as time went on and they offered him the position. We helped their family move, with tears in our eyes. This picture was from our last fellowship at Pizza Hut during the last part of their move. His daughter Ariail was in Wisconsin in school staying with her Grandma at this time. We miss their whole family.
15. Justin made the basketball team at Jefferson Middle. Having not played basketball in any organized fashion before, Justin tried out for and made the basketball team. He has learned a lot about the game and continues to do well.
16. Our church exploration. This year we've had the opportunity to visit many, many churches as we were seeking the Lord's guidance on a new church home. These visits started in Athens, where we were initially looking to move, but moved toward Jefferson and the surrounding areas later on. Before we visited the churches, I did lots of research on them and met most of the pastors for lunch or coffee. First, let me say that there a ton of churches out there and many them are not good. That being said, there are a good many churches out there that are very good. Each of the churches that we visited were a little different. Some were more traditional with an organ and a choir. Others were more contemporary with drums and a guitar. To some we wore dress pants and button-down shirts, while to others we wore jeans or shorts and a polo shirt. We were given a good look into the landscape of churches and it really helped drive home that musical style and dress really matter very little in looking for a church home.
17. Our new church home. After lots of prayer and visits we decided to join New Branch Community Church, www.newbranchchurch.org. New Branch has around 100 official members and around 150-200 attending. They are very clear on the Gospel, and having the main thing remain the main thing. They are very sound in preaching and their children's and youth program is excellent. Justin was able to go with the youth to Panama City Beach and an inter-Atlanta apartment mission project in the summer and a camping retreat titled "Fixate" in the fall. Stephanie was able to go to a women's retreat in the fall as well. We are most of the way through the membership process, the only thing remaining is an informal interview with the Elders of the church. Which is one of the things I enjoy at New Branch, because membership really matters.
I told you that a lot happened in 2010.
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