a Christmas card and a letter

At the beginning of December, we received our first Christmas card this year in the mail! It was just what I needed to get my act together this year and send one of our own. While I got on the ball with the card, not so much on the letter but so much has changed in our lives this year that I wanted to share those memories somewhere so here it is... this is the letter I wanted to send with it...

Dear Family and Friends,

If there was one word to describe 2013 for our family, that word would be change. SO much has changed in our lives in just a short 12 months that, looking back, we were in a completely different place in our lives this time last year. Change used to be a lot harder for me than it is now but that is probably because, with every change, I've grown and witnessed just how wonderful change can really be and this year is truly evidence of that. Rewinding back to March to the first change in our lives... Nic graduated with his Master's Degree 3 months early from Western Governor's University in Business with an emphasis on Health Administration. I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of him for that! He continues to work incredibly hard to support our family and his employer recognized his efforts by promoting him recently to Operations Manager of the Medical Practice Division. He has continued to do wonderful and brilliant things for them. 

In March, we added the newest member to our family, an adorable lop eared bunny named Rue. She fills our home with lots of laughs with her quirky character! Shortly following Nic's big change, I graduated from ISU in May with my Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. That very same graduation weekend, I was called to interview at the local school district. I remember hoping and praying during the interview that even the slightest glimmer of desire would shine through in the midst of the most nerves I've ever experienced to show them how much I truly wanted my own classroom full of little ones to teach. In August, that dream came true for me. Third grade to be exact! 

To add to the craziness, we moved out of the little apartment we lived in since we got married and bought our first home! We had a whirlwind of a weekend quickly moving in before my first week of school. I can't even begin to tell you how incredible it is to have a dishwasher and a garage!! It is a total dream not to have to scrape my windshield on these snowy mornings anymore. Shortly after moving into our new home, the car I've had since I was 16 finally died on us. With the hope of an ever growing family in the future, we are now the proud owners of a Toyota Rav 4 SUV. 

We truly have so much to be thankful for this year and know that those blessings begin with our family and friends. We hope you had a very Merry Christmas and are wishing you the happiest of New Years to come. Can't wait to see what 2014 has in store. :)

xoxo, the Williamson's