Welcome to Craig & Susie's Q!
This will be under construction for quite some time, so feel free to visit again.
Thank you for your willingness to check in on us...
:)
***
Our 2004 Christmas Newsletter text below:
Greetings and salutations from yet another zip code, city and state! (Will we ever stay in one place for long?) This time around, we are hailing from the former capital of the Confederacy - Richmond, VA. As with most people, our past year was filled with highs and lows, yet through it all we have emerged all the stronger:
Last year, we came to the realization that we needed to make a move... again. This occurred due to multiple factors, namely finances, family and faith. Craig decided to take a break from his seminary studies; as of now, he is a part-time commuter student who takes online coursework or classes from the Richmond extension of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary when available.
So… last Christmas we made the move to Fredericksburg to be near family. Craig transferred from the Raleigh, NC, Sherwin Williams to the store in Fredericksburg. (Since Penny was still subletting her townhouse from her semester abroad at Oxford, we moved right in.) This made for an easy commute for Craig, as it was only two miles from work. Susie had to commute one hour south because she was hired on to work in the overseas operations department at the International Mission Board (IMB). As many of you may recall, this is the Southern Baptist mission-sending agency with whom we served previously. Susie has been there not even a year, and has already been promoted, with a raise. Whoo-hoo! Craig is still looking to find something full-time in Richmond. Please Pray!!!
We moved into an apartment of our own in July, which is located across the street from the IMB. No commute for Susie! It’s a nice old Civil-War era house that was divided into 8 apartments, 4 to a side. We don’t have a washer or dryer, or worst of all, (gulp) a dishwasher, so Craig has had to get dishpan hands more than once, to his lament! Where’s Mom???!!!
As you all know, this past November, we lost Beryl Kellum, Craig’s aunt. My heart broke when we heard the news, not only because she was family, but because she made such a real difference in our lives. Psalms 27:1 reminds us, God is an ever-present help in times of trouble: notice, He didn’t say we weren’t going to have any trouble because He was with us. Live long enough
and troubles will find their way into our lives. However, because He IS with us, we can endure and come to the realization that Joy, unlike happiness, can occur at all times, be they triumphant, tragic, or somewhere in between. Joy does not depend upon feelings, companionship or wealth. Because there was a Noel, a first Christmas night, we can have Joy forever, thanks to our kinsman-redeemer Emmanuel (God with us), Jesus Christ.
2004 has also brought us new loved ones: little Hannah and Landon became our newest niece and nephew. We also gained another sister-in-law when David (Shirley’s son) married Lindsey this fall. Another nice “addition to the family” has been Aune (Ah-nay) or “Mrs. Sturdy” who is the not-so-sturdy little 89-yr-old lady who lives two doors down from Dad and Shirley Anderson. Dad became her care-giver after her son passed away this year – she says that Dad’s a “good boy,” walking down the street whenever she has a need and to check on her each day. We told her to have Dad draw a picture to put on the fridge or make a deformed ash-tray out of clay, so to officiate their relationship. Of course, we also joke around and Shirley & I call Aune “the other woman.” J
The rest of the east coast family has been doing well this past year: Jeff has not been called back to Iraq and both he and Melissa have started new jobs this year. Penny also started a new job with the opening of the new high school in the county. She was hand-picked to go but she misses her friends, despite the compliment. Toni still coordinates and teaches all after-school programs and bible-studies for several hundred kids at Mission Arlington in TX, as well as handles office administration at the main location.
Papa & Mama Twiggs and the rest of the west coast family has been doing well this past year, with the exception of several hand surgeries and treatments for Papa Twiggs. He’s not racing horses this winter so he can recuperate. Still, because he’s in Bend we will have more time with loved ones when we fly to Oregon this year for Christmas.
…which brings us to wishing you safe travels & wonderful times with your loved ones…
As we remember the most precious gift of all – we wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
This will be under construction for quite some time, so feel free to visit again.
Thank you for your willingness to check in on us...
:)
***
Our 2004 Christmas Newsletter text below:
Greetings and salutations from yet another zip code, city and state! (Will we ever stay in one place for long?) This time around, we are hailing from the former capital of the Confederacy - Richmond, VA. As with most people, our past year was filled with highs and lows, yet through it all we have emerged all the stronger:
Last year, we came to the realization that we needed to make a move... again. This occurred due to multiple factors, namely finances, family and faith. Craig decided to take a break from his seminary studies; as of now, he is a part-time commuter student who takes online coursework or classes from the Richmond extension of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary when available.
So… last Christmas we made the move to Fredericksburg to be near family. Craig transferred from the Raleigh, NC, Sherwin Williams to the store in Fredericksburg. (Since Penny was still subletting her townhouse from her semester abroad at Oxford, we moved right in.) This made for an easy commute for Craig, as it was only two miles from work. Susie had to commute one hour south because she was hired on to work in the overseas operations department at the International Mission Board (IMB). As many of you may recall, this is the Southern Baptist mission-sending agency with whom we served previously. Susie has been there not even a year, and has already been promoted, with a raise. Whoo-hoo! Craig is still looking to find something full-time in Richmond. Please Pray!!!
We moved into an apartment of our own in July, which is located across the street from the IMB. No commute for Susie! It’s a nice old Civil-War era house that was divided into 8 apartments, 4 to a side. We don’t have a washer or dryer, or worst of all, (gulp) a dishwasher, so Craig has had to get dishpan hands more than once, to his lament! Where’s Mom???!!!
As you all know, this past November, we lost Beryl Kellum, Craig’s aunt. My heart broke when we heard the news, not only because she was family, but because she made such a real difference in our lives. Psalms 27:1 reminds us, God is an ever-present help in times of trouble: notice, He didn’t say we weren’t going to have any trouble because He was with us. Live long enough
and troubles will find their way into our lives. However, because He IS with us, we can endure and come to the realization that Joy, unlike happiness, can occur at all times, be they triumphant, tragic, or somewhere in between. Joy does not depend upon feelings, companionship or wealth. Because there was a Noel, a first Christmas night, we can have Joy forever, thanks to our kinsman-redeemer Emmanuel (God with us), Jesus Christ.
2004 has also brought us new loved ones: little Hannah and Landon became our newest niece and nephew. We also gained another sister-in-law when David (Shirley’s son) married Lindsey this fall. Another nice “addition to the family” has been Aune (Ah-nay) or “Mrs. Sturdy” who is the not-so-sturdy little 89-yr-old lady who lives two doors down from Dad and Shirley Anderson. Dad became her care-giver after her son passed away this year – she says that Dad’s a “good boy,” walking down the street whenever she has a need and to check on her each day. We told her to have Dad draw a picture to put on the fridge or make a deformed ash-tray out of clay, so to officiate their relationship. Of course, we also joke around and Shirley & I call Aune “the other woman.” J
The rest of the east coast family has been doing well this past year: Jeff has not been called back to Iraq and both he and Melissa have started new jobs this year. Penny also started a new job with the opening of the new high school in the county. She was hand-picked to go but she misses her friends, despite the compliment. Toni still coordinates and teaches all after-school programs and bible-studies for several hundred kids at Mission Arlington in TX, as well as handles office administration at the main location.
Papa & Mama Twiggs and the rest of the west coast family has been doing well this past year, with the exception of several hand surgeries and treatments for Papa Twiggs. He’s not racing horses this winter so he can recuperate. Still, because he’s in Bend we will have more time with loved ones when we fly to Oregon this year for Christmas.
…which brings us to wishing you safe travels & wonderful times with your loved ones…
As we remember the most precious gift of all – we wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
posted by Craig and Susie at 12:49 PM
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