This is my absolute favorite month of the year. Thanksgiving, soon to be here, is my absolute favorite day of the year. I love fall but November the most! Yes!!
Football season is done, and Monk has now started basketball practice. Their team did really well, took 5th place in the end of the season tournament. Michael actually caught a two-point conversion on a tackle eligible play. That was the highlight of his year. He is a natural tight end, but he weighs too much to play the position according to league rules. However, they do allow for the heavier "patch players" (as they are called) to catch 2-point conversions, so he was very excited to be able to do that. He is also quite the musician; he is working on the tuba and the drums and really enjoys them both.
Ivy's soccer season is over too. Their team did well, and we look forward to the spring semester when it is upon us. She wants to play volleyball over the winter months. We'll see if she's able to fit it in with all of her extra-curricular activities with her friends, etc.
Jami continues to read voraciously and has actually done a fair amount of writing. She loves to read/write in the science fiction genre; some of the stuff she encounters can be downright weird. She is so creative and thought-provoking. I never fail to benefit from the conversations I have with her. And to make sure that she is reading biblically faithful and spiritually stimulating books, I have her read a book of my choice between each of her choice of books. So far, she's read a missionary biography, a book on apologetics, one on basic Bible doctrine and one on church history. She retains a lot of what she reads so we're able to have some pretty good discussions on these issues. Lots of fun for a Dad who is also her pastor!
Dennae recently landed a job as a nanny for a family with 8 children. Her responsibilities are varied and challenging. She takes care of children from infancy on up, so she is always doing something new. She continues to home school as well. She and Noel spend a lot of time together. And of course, Brett is always in the picture. They are developing a very godly and spiritually sharpening friendship. We are proud of both of them.
Noel continues to work hard at selling real estate in a very difficult market. Pray that her spirits would stay high; there are lots of setbacks. But she's doing a great job.
We don't make a big deal out of Halloween as a family, but the kids did dress up in goofy costumes this year and took their younger cousins out "trick or treating" in the neighborhood. Michael was Indiana Jones, Ivy and her friends were pumpkins, Jami was a vampire (yikes!) and Dennae and Brett were a boy and a girl respectively. You'll be able to see what I mean from the pictures.
Also, I went hunting with a great friend, Jeff McKinney. I shot a very big buck with a very nice rack. Nothing world record but most undoubtedly the biggest one I'll probably ever shoot in my life. Now, to get Noel to disguise the meat so the kids don't think they're eating a dead deer!
Hope you are all doing well for Christ's sake. Don't forget to look at the pictures at the bottom.
MJD,Sr.
