Dear Family and Friends,
This is my very first Christmas letter! I always enjoy everyone’s updates, so I decided that it was time to try my own. 2008 has been a busy year (as every year is when you have 6 children!) filled with wonderful events as well as some sadness that comes with life.
We began our year with the Anderson clan at our house for our Christmas after Christmas. We thoroughly enjoyed having both of my siblings and their families here, as well as my Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad stayed for an extended period, visiting friends throughout Florida. Wyatt began crawling, Mary turned 15, and Truett began his 3rd year of baseball.
February was relatively uneventful (it is one of the few months we have no birthdays!) with a day trip to Disney the only thing of note. Our Christmas gift was Florida seasonal passes to Disney, so that offered more opportunities for visits to our (well, MY) favorite place on earth.
At the end of February, I reunited with my 2 best friends from college, Valerie (Tanner) Gaines and Deborah (Jankowski) Donaldson for a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. It is always a precious time with these friends who can pick up as if a day hasn’t passed (even though we are 9 children and 20 years beyond our college days).
In March we added another Teenager to our house as Bradlee celebrated her 13th birthday with an elegant dinner party for her friends. We pulled it off with help from my sister-in-law, Amy, who cooked a wonderful menu that Bradlee planned herself.
We celebrated Easter at our home church, Community Bible Church of Ocala. We have been a part of this church plant since 2005 and prayerfully hired a pastor who started serving in Ocala in June. Pastor Matt McGuire and his wife, Christy, have been a huge blessing to our little church family.
Spring brought Whitney’s 12th birthday and a camping trip to Fort Wilderness at Disney World.
Mary rode in the Special Olympics equestrian event for our county, finishing first in her English Equitation class and 5th in her trail class (due to a very uncooperative pony!). She qualified for the State games as well but did not participate.
All 3 girls danced in the ballet “Jacob’s Ladder” in May, completing their 5th year with Dance Divine and Light of Joy Ballet company. Mom and Dad came to watch, and Bradlee & Whitney went home with them for a 2-week visit. We met back up with Mom & Dad in Gatlinburg and had a relaxing vacation with them and my niece, Sarah. We also celebrated Wyatt’s first birthday on June 7, with him taking his first steps just a few days before.
Summer was quiet with no baseball or ballet, and my personal highlight was 10 weeks of horseback riding lessons taken at Mary’s school. It had been a long time since I had been riding on a regular basis, and I recruited my friend Deirdre to enjoy the adventure with me. It was so much fun. In August, the kids and I traveled to Virginia to celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday with all of her family, and everyone but Ben was able to come. While we all missed him, it was a great time. School began in full swing at the beginning of August, with Mary beginning high school, Bradlee in 8th, Whitney in 7th, and Truett in 4th. Homeschooling continues to go well as we enjoy our time together.
Mary competed at a horse show in September for exceptional students, riding independently and placed well. Emmett celebrated his 3rd birthday with a day at Hollywood Studios in Disney World. He continues to make us smile daily with his antics.
We also took an opportunity to enjoy the flexibility of our homeschool schedule; travel time with Daddy to Georgia and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where we met up again with Mom & Dad while Ben attended a Christian School conference.
In October, I celebrated a milestone of my own, turning the grand age of 40. My fine plan was to be at Disney World on my birthday…and that is exactly where we were. We had a wonderful time with several extra magical moments throughout the day. It was our year to stay in Florida for Thanksgiving, so we headed to the Roberts Farm in Polk City and enjoyed Jerry & Karen’s hospitality, riding 4-wheelers, and playing paint ball.
As we end this year, with tears we are closing the doors of our company here in Ocala. Abundant Funds Ministries will now exist as a division of Signature Fundraising, based out of Lancaster, California. We are excited about the new opportunities that will allow Ben, his brother, and our sales staff to continue with the jobs they love, but equally saddened by the loss of jobs for our local employees, several of whom have been with us for over 10 years and are like family to us. We will miss the regular contact with them and pray for great new opportunities for them in the future. The Christian Collection fundraising program for Christian schools that we have developed with great care and precision over the last 18 years, will continue under the Signature umbrella, and we are so blessed that God has brought this company into our path. They are likeminded with us in our business as well as spiritual philosophy, and we will look forward to the coming changes and opportunities.
With all joys seem to come sadness, and while we have been blessed with healthy children and parents this year, I have also lost an aunt and an uncle. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, please take time to hold your family close. If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please take the time to reflect on this season as one of great blessing and great sacrifice. Truly the greatest gift ever given was wrapped in swaddling clothes. Marvel at the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Thank you all for your prayers for our family as we have difficult decisions this year. And thank you for the wonderful blessing of your friendship with us. For those of you who are far away, we always delight in visits from you as you pass through our beautiful state, and for those of you who live close, we are thankful for the regular contact that we are able to have with you. Have a wonderful, blessed Christmas.
In Christ,
Paige
(& on behalf of Ben, Mary, Bradlee, Whitney, Truett, Emmett & Wyatt)
