Our Annual Christmas Letter Update
Merry Christmas! I am not sure I was organized enough to do cards or letters last year, so I decided this year it was worth the effort! We did do some Christmas cards, but we tend to send out a pretty small amount and save where we can! If you did receive a card, this electronic letter is the same-though it does have more/different photos!
*If you got a card but NO letter, it's because I see you often enough that I figure we've already talked about it all! :)
In July 2018 we completed the build on our home addition, adding 1,700 square feet to and renovating/rearranging part of my parents’ existing farmhouse. The final product is a pretty large home set up for dual living on the acreage we have outside Lebanon, Oregon. It has been nothing short of amazing most of the time! There are always growing pains, but having my mom and dad right here to help us with the kids and for us to all help with household and property maintenance has been a lifesaver in a very busy season of life. The home affords much privacy as well though as it is essentially 2 homes connected with a short hall and a door we keep shut most of the time! We love our home so much, and you can watch the build start to finish (if you haven’t already) in an album I did on Facebook to document the progress.
The boys are doing wonderfully, and honestly, having a teen and almost teen I have to say that this is my FAVORITE season so far of parenting. I love watching the young men they are becoming, grounded in faith and uniquely creative in so many ways. Homework can be a struggle, and life is very busy, but I love it!
Barrett and I celebrated 8 years of marriage this past August with a quiet weekend in Southern Oregon. The past fall he and I visited Dublin, Ireland and Northern Ireland (UK), and then Barcelona, Granada and Malaga, Spain (with an overnight in Amsterdam) in late Winter, so we were a bit traveled out! Is that even possible?? Well, maybe for the wallet!
Isaiah is in 6th grade now. He loves playing soccer and will play basketball and baseball for the first time this school year. He has been playing piano for a year and a half now, and we love listening to his skill improve. At a recent recital he performed songs from “The Greatest Showman” and did phenomenally. My cousin has also been teaching Isaiah horseback riding which he enjoys a lot. Isaiah also has taken an interest in drawing. Both boys sing in the school’s middle school choir.
Matthew is 14, and an 8th grader! Where does the time even go?? He plays soccer, basketball, and baseball as well as sings. This past fall Matt enjoyed a school trip to Washington, DC and loved soaking up all the US history, which is a passion of his. He is saving toward his next school trip, an optional mission to Honduras possibly. Matt never seems to have much down time, but when he does, he loves to cook and bake and has taught himself how to make things such as pie crust from scratch! He wants to learn how to make macarons as well. Yum!
Barrett is still with Veritas, and enjoys the flexibility of working from home with minimal travel. He has been learning new skills at work in the past year as well. In the past 6 months, Barrett has lost 35 lbs (he would never brag on himself so I must! We did WW together, and I am down 20 😊). He runs and strength trains almost daily now. Barrett also helps assist coaching of the boys’ soccer and baseball teams. A few months ago he took over managing a condominium Gramma owns, and he will manage their home as a rental soon too (more on that later).
Last November I left my full-time position at Corvallis Clinic in Pediatrics and transitioned to relief/”on call”. I took an RN job an hour south of where we live at a large hospital on a post-surgical floor, thinking this would be a good move for when I began school again. Long story short, I loathed that position. Luckily, I had never completely left the clinic, and after just a few short months, I was welcomed back on float team, based mainly in Urology (which was okay, but not great) and then back to my “home” in Pediatrics. I have been back almost a year again (and almost 3 years with the clinic), and I am here to stay until I finish school. That’s my biggest news. I work half-time as an RN now, because I am in graduate school to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. I am 12 months into a 27-month Master’s in Nursing program). It is not that difficult overall, but is time-consuming with sometimes as many as 30-40 hrs a week spent in class or doing assignments or studying! I will graduate May 2021. My end goal is to work with children and specialize further (down the road) on adolescent mental health, but I am open to where I land, and may get an even better idea of my passions after I begin clinical hours soon. I also do volunteer speaking engagements at two local, public high schools regarding teen health, and run a small business with a company called Trades of Hope where I sell artisan goods that empower women globally. It’s a full life that I am very thankful for that allows me to combine my interests and talents.
In the next month or so we will be moving Barrett’s grandparents onto our property as well to have them even closer. The modular home has already been placed, but needs electric, plumbing, etc hooked up. Barrett has overseen and done some of the prep himself! I was in charge of all interior design for the home, and can’t wait to get in and paint and decorate! We will have 4 generations here at Bond Road, which I think is a really special thing. We are a very close-knit group. Our little family (B, boys and I) love to camp and travel, so we hope for more in the future. We have a very big Christmas surprise soon for the boys…but it’s a secret!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and an amazing 2020!
Sarah (with Barrett, Matthew, and Isaiah)
*If you got a card but NO letter, it's because I see you often enough that I figure we've already talked about it all! :)
In July 2018 we completed the build on our home addition, adding 1,700 square feet to and renovating/rearranging part of my parents’ existing farmhouse. The final product is a pretty large home set up for dual living on the acreage we have outside Lebanon, Oregon. It has been nothing short of amazing most of the time! There are always growing pains, but having my mom and dad right here to help us with the kids and for us to all help with household and property maintenance has been a lifesaver in a very busy season of life. The home affords much privacy as well though as it is essentially 2 homes connected with a short hall and a door we keep shut most of the time! We love our home so much, and you can watch the build start to finish (if you haven’t already) in an album I did on Facebook to document the progress.
The boys are doing wonderfully, and honestly, having a teen and almost teen I have to say that this is my FAVORITE season so far of parenting. I love watching the young men they are becoming, grounded in faith and uniquely creative in so many ways. Homework can be a struggle, and life is very busy, but I love it!
Barrett and I celebrated 8 years of marriage this past August with a quiet weekend in Southern Oregon. The past fall he and I visited Dublin, Ireland and Northern Ireland (UK), and then Barcelona, Granada and Malaga, Spain (with an overnight in Amsterdam) in late Winter, so we were a bit traveled out! Is that even possible?? Well, maybe for the wallet!
 |
| La Boqueria -Food Market, Barcelona |
 |
| wandering the Gothic Quarter-Barcelona |
 |
| rooftop view of some of Gaudi's sculptures |
 |
| Trolleymore Park |
 |
| Giant's Causeway, Wild Atlantic Coast, Northern Ireland, UK |
Isaiah is in 6th grade now. He loves playing soccer and will play basketball and baseball for the first time this school year. He has been playing piano for a year and a half now, and we love listening to his skill improve. At a recent recital he performed songs from “The Greatest Showman” and did phenomenally. My cousin has also been teaching Isaiah horseback riding which he enjoys a lot. Isaiah also has taken an interest in drawing. Both boys sing in the school’s middle school choir.
Matthew is 14, and an 8th grader! Where does the time even go?? He plays soccer, basketball, and baseball as well as sings. This past fall Matt enjoyed a school trip to Washington, DC and loved soaking up all the US history, which is a passion of his. He is saving toward his next school trip, an optional mission to Honduras possibly. Matt never seems to have much down time, but when he does, he loves to cook and bake and has taught himself how to make things such as pie crust from scratch! He wants to learn how to make macarons as well. Yum!
Barrett is still with Veritas, and enjoys the flexibility of working from home with minimal travel. He has been learning new skills at work in the past year as well. In the past 6 months, Barrett has lost 35 lbs (he would never brag on himself so I must! We did WW together, and I am down 20 😊). He runs and strength trains almost daily now. Barrett also helps assist coaching of the boys’ soccer and baseball teams. A few months ago he took over managing a condominium Gramma owns, and he will manage their home as a rental soon too (more on that later).
Last November I left my full-time position at Corvallis Clinic in Pediatrics and transitioned to relief/”on call”. I took an RN job an hour south of where we live at a large hospital on a post-surgical floor, thinking this would be a good move for when I began school again. Long story short, I loathed that position. Luckily, I had never completely left the clinic, and after just a few short months, I was welcomed back on float team, based mainly in Urology (which was okay, but not great) and then back to my “home” in Pediatrics. I have been back almost a year again (and almost 3 years with the clinic), and I am here to stay until I finish school. That’s my biggest news. I work half-time as an RN now, because I am in graduate school to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. I am 12 months into a 27-month Master’s in Nursing program). It is not that difficult overall, but is time-consuming with sometimes as many as 30-40 hrs a week spent in class or doing assignments or studying! I will graduate May 2021. My end goal is to work with children and specialize further (down the road) on adolescent mental health, but I am open to where I land, and may get an even better idea of my passions after I begin clinical hours soon. I also do volunteer speaking engagements at two local, public high schools regarding teen health, and run a small business with a company called Trades of Hope where I sell artisan goods that empower women globally. It’s a full life that I am very thankful for that allows me to combine my interests and talents.
In the next month or so we will be moving Barrett’s grandparents onto our property as well to have them even closer. The modular home has already been placed, but needs electric, plumbing, etc hooked up. Barrett has overseen and done some of the prep himself! I was in charge of all interior design for the home, and can’t wait to get in and paint and decorate! We will have 4 generations here at Bond Road, which I think is a really special thing. We are a very close-knit group. Our little family (B, boys and I) love to camp and travel, so we hope for more in the future. We have a very big Christmas surprise soon for the boys…but it’s a secret!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and an amazing 2020!
Sarah (with Barrett, Matthew, and Isaiah)
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