SHACKELFORD FAMILY CHRISTMAS LETTER 2014
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!
2014 has been a very eventful year for the Shacks so we wanted to update you and perhaps give an explanation as to why our address on your Christmas card now says "Illinois"! :)
2014 started out as a year to finally enjoy the fruits of our labor on our whirlwind of home renovations completed in 2013 and finally get settled into our home in Melbourne. God had other plans, as He usually does. :) We enjoyed a beautiful first Christmas with our blessed family of four and as always fell head first into planning and preparation for Elizabeth's birthday Feb 1. Each year, her party planning and ideas become more grand and complex! 2014 was the year of FROZEN!
2014 has been a very eventful year for the Shacks so we wanted to update you and perhaps give an explanation as to why our address on your Christmas card now says "Illinois"! :)
2014 started out as a year to finally enjoy the fruits of our labor on our whirlwind of home renovations completed in 2013 and finally get settled into our home in Melbourne. God had other plans, as He usually does. :) We enjoyed a beautiful first Christmas with our blessed family of four and as always fell head first into planning and preparation for Elizabeth's birthday Feb 1. Each year, her party planning and ideas become more grand and complex! 2014 was the year of FROZEN!
In April, we celebrated Madison's first Easter and Elizabeth and Madison got to participate in the church Easter Egg hunt
Then in May, our life got a little more complicated. :)
Keith was presented an opportunity through a business colleague to apply for a position with United Airlines in Chicago, Illinois. This was a move that would bring us closer to family and the opportunity to raise our girls in the Midwest, which were strong desires of ours. He applied in May and we did not hear anything back until the end of July! In the meantime...
We traveled to Indiana to celebrate Madison's First Birthday on July 1st with our family and friends at the Smith Family Farm. Her theme was "Baby, You're a Firework"!
About 2 weeks after returning to Florida from our vacation in Indiana, Keith received a call from United to schedule an interview! He flew to Chicago the next week, interviewed for the job and expected a call in 2 weeks. 2 DAYS later, he was offered the job and given a start date 2 weeks from the time he accepted the position, which was a few days before Elizabeth was scheduled to begin 2nd grade in Melbourne, FL! We made the decision that a quick move to allow Elizabeth to start 2nd grade in her new school was the best choice for our family, so August was a whirlwind of exploring Chicago suburbs, viewing rental homes and apartments, preparing our home for sale, and requirements to register Elizabeth in her new school all while residing in Melbourne,FL! We could not have accomplished all that we needed to accomplish without the help of many family and friends in Florida, Indiana, and Illinois and we are humbled and thankful for all that you have done to make this a successful and (somewhat) smooth transition across the country! :)
The FROZEN theme continued well into the year as the girls (well, Lizzie really) :) chose FROZEN themed costumes for Halloween. Elizabeth chose Elsa (of course) and Madison was dressed as her favorite FROZEN character- Marshmallow, the Snow Monster!
We have had a busy and blessed Fall settling into our rental home, exploring our new community, and driving the short distance to Indiana to spend time with our families. One of our favorite things to do this Fall was to pick up Keith from the Geneva Train Station! We would park a few blocks away and walk the beautiful streets of downtown Geneva, enjoying the breathtaking views of Fall!
Keith is settling into his new job and has been hard at work on his first big project which sent him to Hong Kong for 5 weeks! We were blessed to have him home for the first Thanksgiving spent in Indiana in 10 years and our first time ever attending the annual Probst/Smith/Engelhardt/Hacker/ and now...SHACKELFORD Purdue vs. IU Old Oaken Bucket game! We will not discuss the final score...
Our first Winter back in the Midwest has been a record-breaking chilly one and as we are slowly, but surely building and re-building our Winter wardrobes (also with lots of help from family and friends) :), we are thankful to have a little piece of comfort that is rarely found (and seldom used if found) in Florida, a wood-burning fireplace to warm our toes after playing in the snow!
As always, we hope that you are all enjoying your Christmas season and taking moments within the shopping, planning, and parties to reflect on Jesus, who has blessed our family immeasurably and is the reason for this season.
Merry Christmas!
Love and God bless,
Keith, Betsy, Elizabeth, and Madison Shackelford
