Another year has past and it went by so quickly. The parents worked and the kids went to school as usual. A lot of details were entailed in those two basic classification of activities but God was exceedingly gracious in the way He guided us and took care of us through the whole year of 2014. In spite of minor challenges and complications here and there, at work, at school, or at home, life was peaceful - as usual - because the Lord is good and He is good all the time!
Miriam said goodbye to Rolling Hills Middle School and embarked into high school at Oak Ridge this year. Unlike her siblings, she bravely joined the marching band. As a member o f the drum-line she played the heaviest instrument - the mallets. It is worth mentioning here that she is probably one of the smallest students in band. She did a great job and we are so proud of her determination, persistence and of course, musical skills! At present she is training to play the snare drums next year. Academically, she is also doing great in Spanish, Biology, Algebra, Life Fitness, and Language Arts. Hooray for Miriam!!!
Brahms started his second year of college life - majoring in Anthropology heading towards a double major in International Agricultural Development. He moved from the dorm to live in a nearby apartment with two of his college (Christian) group friends - Pavel and Daniel. They have a landlady named Mrs. Lee. I have heard a lot about Mrs. Lee and it is all good. Brahms' involvement in the college group of University Covenant Church is balancing his college life. To break the monotony of thinking only about papers to write, tests to take and grades, he plays bass and banjo during the group's weekly meetings and spends time with people outside of his classroom. He continues to work as a student assistant at the Dining Commons - they call it the DC - and learning a lot about work, work politics, and life itself. He tells me I should not send him loaves of bread. Last Christmas he gave me a beautiful red silk scarf. I like it a lot.
Shannon started her last year in college last year and is scheduled to graduate early - in March to be specific. Around Thanksgiving, she applied and got a job offer from Epic Systems. According to plan, she will start working there as a computer programmer. In the meantime, she has to complete and pass all the remaining classes that she has to take during the next quarter. Hard to believe how things are happening so quickly. It seems as though it as only last year when we brought her to UC-Irvine to start college. Time flies! I am so happy for her and yet the thought of her going even farther away is not easy. But we know that God will always be with her - protecting her as He always did. Last Christmas she gave me a beautiful set of coffee mugs. They are the right size and weight for drinking tea. She seems to understand me more as she grows older and wiser.
