Merry Christmas from the Shacks!
So it has been 3 years since we have written a Christmas letter and we thought we should give you all an update of what is going on in our lives and (if you have lots of time) a year in review including some of our favorite pictures.
First the updates:
Elizabeth turned 3 in February and this has been a really fun age! She loves everything “girl”. She requests to wear a “dress that twirls” every day, her favorite color is pink, she loves shoes (although she did not get that from Mommy), and adores all the Disney princesses! This was a big year for Elizabeth as she started preschool in the Fall. She is enrolled in preschool at the Journey Early Learning Center which is associated with Centerpointe Community Church. She goes to school on Tues, Wed, and Thursday and absolutely loves it! If it were up to her she would go to preschool every day. She enjoys time with friends, art projects, yummy snacks, and learning about Jesus.
Keith is blessed with a great job as Reliability Engineer for Live TV/Jet Blue. This is his 5th year with the company and he likes the challenges and troubleshooting each day brings. Keith’s love for basketball led him to an opportunity this summer to play in a league with some colleagues and friends and he continues to play on Saturday mornings with a group of guys from our church H2O Orlando. Twice a month, Keith continues to serve in the H2O Worship Band. He loves playing electric and sometimes acoustic guitar and finding new ways to incorporate popular guitar sounds into Sunday morning worship. His spare time is spent troubleshooting and repairing electronics such as guitar equipment and a 40 inch flat screen TV, which now has a home in our family room!
Betsy has recently started working 4 days a week as a nanny for two different families in their homes. On Mondays, Elizabeth “helps” her care for two children… Amber (2 yrs) and John (8 months). Tues, Wed, and Thursday Betsy cares for Savannah (9 months) while Elizabeth is in preschool and until she is picked up in the evening. Betsy feels extremely blessed to have these opportunities to serve our friends and their families. In October, Betsy felt led to make the decision to leave her position as vocalist in the H2O Worship Band. It was a difficult decision, but has allowed her to focus her time and energy on her leadership position in the H2O Orlando Children’s Ministry, SPLASH. Her spare time is spent working to maintain her credentials as Registered Dietitian by completing continuing education requirements and developing and preparing new and (usually) healthy recipes for her family and friends.
…And let’s not forget Mikey!
Mikey spends his days… well, we’re not really sure! But we think he spends his days enjoying the peace and quiet during the times when we are all off doing our own things and happily greets us every time we walk through the door! He is looking forward to the big “car ride” that we will take soon to visit family at Christmas!
We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and take time each day to reflect on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Love and God bless,
The Shacks,
Keith, Betsy, Elizabeth and Mikey
When we traveled home to Florida, Elizabeth’s Aunt Amy and cousin Ellen came back with us to share in a belated birthday surprise for Elizabeth. She was “invited” to Cinderella’s Royal Table in Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom! She was delighted to meet her very own “Fairy Godmother” at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique who transformed her into a beautiful princess! At Cinderella’s Royal Table she had the chance to meet Cinderella herself along with many other Disney princesses who came to greet her at our table! We all had a wonderful day celebrating our precious princess.
This summer we had the chance to travel to the Midwest to spend more precious time with family and join in the celebration of Daniel and Brandi’s wedding at their reception in Louisville,KY and we had fun celebrating Keith’s birthday while we were there with all of his family in Evansville, IN.
Keith’s parents visited Orlando in November and we had fun 5 day vacation at Walt Disney World then came home and celebrated Thanksgiving together with 2 turkeys equaling 25 lbs total! We will be eating turkey for many months to come!
This Christmas we are planning to spend 10 days in Indiana celebrating with our families in Greensburg and Evansville. We are looking forward to winter weather and great memories!
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