Christmas Letter 2014

I can't believe I'm sitting down to write this and I have not blogged one single time since last year's Christmas letter. So disappointing;) Particularly because I have so much to say, lol! I have to admit that I have had our Christmas cards since December 1, and have not mailed any yet because at the bottom of the card, it directs you to check out our blog. #ugh

I used to send these Christmas letters instead of a card each year. Then, the invention of the blog made it easier to post online (mostly because I could write as much as I want...which will not come as a surprise to any of my co-workers who are always trying to edit my writing down, haha). The fact that I haven't written anything since last Christmas means you may want to get comfy and settle in before taking this on. I thought about breaking it up into smaller blog entries, but since they'd all be dated today anyways...what's the point?

Last year ended with a trip to Florida to visit Lee's mom and dad. The weather wasn't amazing but it was better than Cape and we were able to make an ocean visit to finish out the year when we took a detour to Miami to see a Dolphins game. We got back to Missouri just in time to start the new year from home.

January through May was pretty non-eventful around here. For those of you who think we do nothing but travel, you'll be shocked to know, we went nowhere at all for the first 5 months of the year. Pretty tough...since travel is such a huge source of energy for us...but it's the way it worked out. Trust me, I tried to make up for it the rest of the year;) So in our non-travel months, a few important milestones took place. Nicolas got his first round of braces off; I got braces (Invisalign) for the first time in my life to correct a bite problem that was causing trouble; I also had to move from readers to bifocals (having had perfect vision my whole life, this was a real eye opener for me...getting old stinks); and Nicolas finished the 5th grade.

So I almost forgot a tiny trip for Nicolas' birthday (you all know if I don't get a plane, I don't count it as travel!). We did end up scoring some tickets to the NCAA Elite Eight game in Indy. Got to see KY vs Michigan - and we ended up at the same hotel as the Michigan team. Pretty exciting stuff...


He also got to celebrate his birthday with a few friends at SkyZone because school was out ON his actual birthday;)


Once school was out, I was ready to get my travel on! The first week of June, Nicolas and I, along with his friend Brayden, flew down to Miami. I finally found the car I wanted and that's where it was, so we just decided to make a trip out of it. We flew in on Saturday...I went Monday for a test drive...signed the papers Tuesday and Lee flew down Tuesday night to finish out the week with us and drive home with us. We got home just in time for Nicolas to enjoy some rec baseball...where he made the All-Star team for 2014...played lots of golf...and was able to spend lots of time with friends this summer.


Then the first week of July, Lee, Nicolas and I flew down to Playa del Carmen, Mexico for a week to visit Lee's sister and brother-in-law. We had a great week! Nicolas experienced his first scuba dive and we also had our first experience in one of the little boutique hotels in Playa before checking in to our all-inclusive resort to finish up the trip.

We no more than got home and we sent Nicolas off for his very first camp experience. He was gone Monday-Friday to Xtreme camp at Blue Mountain through La Croix. It was an amazing week for him and he came home ready to pack up and go back, having already picked which cabin and bed he wanted next year, haha! While he was away, Lee and I were miserable, going to a Cardinal game, eating lots of sushi and even spent a few days at Lake of the Ozarks with friends. Just miserable. While he was at camp, we also celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. Wow...time flies.


As the summer came to a close and we got ready for 6th grade to start,

Nicolas' golf game was only getting better and better. He played as much as he possibly could. With me. With Lee. With friends. Whoever would go. This year, he beat Lee for the first time, in an 18-hole round of golf. When we were reminiscing about our year and talking about the highlights that should make the Christmas letter, Lee says, "Nicolas beat me in golf for the first time." Nicolas replies, "nuh-uh! I beat you all the time!" Ummm...yeah, this is what happens when you "let" kids win. They can't truly celebrate when they legitimately win, haha!


In September, Lee and I actually took a trip to celebrate our anniversary. We just couldn't fathom being out of the country the first time Nicolas was at camp, so we put it off. My mom and dad came and stayed with Nicolas, while we headed back to Cancun. We had an amazing time, as usual. After 19 years, we are still best friends and we actually like to hang out together. We so look forward to being out of the country because you are actually away from it all. Technology is beginning to catch up with us though. We are now able to FaceTime and see Nicolas every single day we are gone...which means, you know who, is also checking in at Beef's regularly. #stalker

October had no plans in store, but something popped up rather suddenly. After Xtreme Camp, Nicolas came home telling us he wanted to go on a mission trip. Thinking he wasn't really old enough, I pretty much just shut it down. The first few weeks in August, there was something in the bulletin at church about a trip to New Life Children's Home in Guatemala...and he would point out that he wanted to go. Each time, I simply told him he was too young and we'd go in the future. Well right at the deadline to go on the trip (literally the day before), I found out that there were two 11 year olds going on the trip and that they had room for us to go. It was a 24 hour whirlwind - Lee and I had to struggle with whether or not he was ready - with "who are we to decide if God can use him on a mission trip?" - with how do we pull off getting him out of school for a week - with how do we pull off me getting off work after I would just be getting back from Mexico??? And in the end, you guessed it, God worked out all the details. Everything came together as if we were planning to be going all along.

I can't even begin to tell you about that trip in this little (OK, so I realize it's not so little) blog post...but it was truly one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. Watching Nicolas in Guatemala - in a country that speaks next to ZERO English - jump right in and play with and develop relationships with the kids living there - well it's just beyond words. I was proud and humbled at the same time. I was grateful and broken-hearted. I was made aware of some horrible tragic things that these kids have gone through and watching the difference NLCH was making in their lives. It changed me. I left a little bit of myself there when I left. And I believe Nicolas did too. We are already planning our return in October 2015 and this time we are taking Lee with us! I can't wait to see what God can do through our family if we just allow him to use us...

Nicolas and I got back just in time for the big thing going on with my job this year - La Croix launched a second campus! Not just any second campus - a second campus in the town I grew up. That's right - a La Croix campus in Benton, MO! The launch went great and we're about 6 weeks in and the impact it is making on that small community is already evident. It's awesome!

This year, Lee's parents finally went from snowbirding in Florida to actually moving down there permanently. So, for Thanksgiving, we headed down to visit and see their new place. Thanksgiving with 60 degree weather and flip flops is really my style. As if you didn't know that already;)We'll spend Christmas Eve with my family in Benton, after attending worship at the Benton campus of La Croix!

Last but not least - we have started the build out on a second Beef'O'Brady's location. It will be in Perryville, MO and will likely open sometime in February-March 2015.

Life is busy...but it's so good. God continually amazes us with blessings we often forget to count. But the ones we are continually grateful for are good health, an amazing family, awesome jobs, loyal friends and a community we love being a part of.

We hope that you find all these things and more in 2015!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Hillman House to yours!

Love,
Angel

(This is where I would normally promise to blog more frequently next year...but let's just say...if it happens...we'll all be surprised together!)

2013 Christmas "Letter"

Well, for those of you who live each year in anticipation of my Christmas Letter...I hope you made your way to this page. If you made your way to this page and have never seen one of my Christmas letters before...well aren't you just in for a treat??!

I realize the highlight of the letter for most is simply seeing where the Hillmans went this year...but believe it or not...there were some other big things going on around here worth sharing...so pour yourself a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and read awhile;)

It's been a great year at the Hillman House...we continue to be blessed with health and happiness (which equates to fun travels for us). We had a couple of big changes. My job at La Croix Church took on a rather drastic change. After 8 years, I moved out of the Worship Arts department where I was primarily producing the weekends into a role more geared towards my training/experience: Business Manager. At the end of this year, it will morph even more, as I will transition into the Director of Operations and Communication. More or less, that means I oversee and am responsible for several teams of folks: Accounting/Finance /IT /Facilities /HR /Communication. Pretty cool how I have that fancy Business and Accounting degree...thought I left it all behind when I quit and went to work at the church...and then - full circle - came right back around to working within my professional training and experience AT the church. Isn't God a hoot??? Even crazier...I'm loving it!

Then, there's that little side business we've got going on...Beef'O'Brady's. OK...not so much a 'side' business...although some day, that's the dream. As of now, it's a more than full-time gig for Lee and takes up quite a few hours of my week, as well. The good news is, it's doing great! (and it took up just as many hours of our time when it was struggling, lol) Lee has worked so hard at developing relationships with folks and establishing an amazing clientele, while working closely with local pharmaceutical reps to create a catering side to the business. He's really in his sweet spot when he's in front of people - I couldn't be more proud of him!


And, last but not least, back on the home front Nicolas is growing up so fast! This year, he 'graduated' from Alma Schrader Elementary,

started Middle School (which I was far more worried about than he was...go figure),

got braces on, got braces off, is on the 'A' honor roll, played tackle football for the first time, and the list goes on and on. This year, Nicolas decided he did not want to play travel (competitive) baseball. Although it was quite a shock, we were 100% supportive. What seemed like it was going to be a really odd summer (so different from the last 3) turned out to be probably the best summer of our lives! Instead of travel ball, he played rec ball. This was a great family lesson - considering we have to be three of the most competitive people you know - to see that a sport can actually be just 'for fun'. It took some getting used to...but by the time it was over, we were loving it.


In addition, because we weren't traveling every weekend with baseball, we got to play TONS of golf as a family and with friends.

We discovered quite quickly...Nicolas is going to be a really good golfer! But enough of that...let me get to what you really want to know...the travel log since your last update (last year's Christmas card).

We spent last Christmas in Florida with Lee's family - they 'snowbird' down there. While we were there, we caught a couple of football games and then headed back to Missouri in time to celebrate New Year's Eve with some of our closest friends - kids and all. It was a great start to what turned out to be an even better year!

In February, we took our first little getaway to Las Vegas with the Cooks. The trip had multiple purposes for all involved, but for us, it counted as my birthday trip;) Nicolas stayed here with my mom at the house, so he didn't miss school. (We could never travel so much without my mom and dad - they are awesome!!! They actually WANT us to travel so they get to hang out with Nicolas;)

March didn't bring any major travels, but Nicolas did turn 10. He and Lee did make it to a couple of STL Blues games...one game, they were right up on the glass.

April was a good month. The boys headed south for a BIG trip! They had tickets to the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta!!! Unfortunately, they did not get to see Duke play, since they only made it to the final five;( But it was still a big deal. They went to bracket town, the final four and the final game. Nicolas got to meet Coach Rick Patino and Christian Laettner...so he was pretty pumped!
Since they were already in Georgia, they made a trip to Augusta, played a round of golf and saw a practice round of the Masters...what?! I know, right?!!!
But never fear, Momma didn't stay home alone and be all sad. As soon as I found out the boys were taking a trip, I went to making plans for a little getaway of my own;) While they were traveling all over the Georgian map, I was experiencing a little R&R in my hometown of Cancun (OK, maybe a stretch...but I really never feel any more at home than I do when I'm in Mexico...jus' sayin') with a couple of my girlfriends.

In May, we stayed close to home...just playing a lot of golf.
June took us back to Orlando for the annual Beef's retreat. Nicolas took a friend and the four of us spent a lot of time on the golf course, at the pool and even took a day trip to the beach to meet up with some other Cape friends!

In July, Lee got to go to Wrigley Field for a game...and he and Nicolas got to sit in the green seats at a Cardinals game...thanks to our friends, the Sillimans.

August and September, we simply played lots of golf and even played in some tournaments. Lee and Nicolas played in a tournament at Dalhousie where Nicolas (the youngest player there) actually won the prize for closest to the pin!

In October, I was given the opportunity to participate in a Communication Coaching Network at Granger Community Church, just outside of South Bend, Indiana. So, October was my first trip to South Bend. Shortly after my return, Lee and I took our delayed anniversary trip (17 years!!!) to Cancun and enjoyed a great stay at the Live Aqua. As always, it was amazing!

November's only travels were work related. I had a staff retreat and then went back to South Bend for my 2nd coaching visit.

And bam. Here we are in December. My, my, how quickly time flies. I just got back from my 3rd and final coaching trip to South Bend (what an AMAZING experience - I'm so sad it's over;( and we have 10 days left until Christmas.

It's been a little crazy around here...with the ice and snow. But we still managed to pack 700,000+ meals last weekend with Feed My Starving Children and have our first ever employee Christmas party at Beef's. Over the next week, we will have our youth group Christmas party, take each of our managers and their spouses to dinner to spend some time with them outside of the store, my La Croix staff Christmas party, AND my book club (my besties) Christmas get together.

Next weekend, Lee and Nicolas will likely head to Memphis for the SEMO game, while I head to the Fox in STL to see 'Elf'. (I, clearly, am the winner.) After that, we'll celebrate Christmas with my family, go to Christmas Eve services at La Croix, then hop on a plane to Orlando, where we'll wrap up 2013.

Wow. I'm tired just thinking about the next week, haha! I should sleep good on the plane.

And that about wraps it up, folks. I hope that you and yours have a Merry Christmas and happy, healthy and prosperous new year with rich, rich relationships...and if you haven't yet figured out that Jesus loves you an awful lot...I hope you figure that out in 2014 too!

Love,
Angel

PS  - I wanted to say that I anticipate blogging more frequently in 2014. But Lee pointed out that I say that every time I blog...and I still seem to only get around to it once a year or so. So, I'm not going to say it. I'm just going to say, I really do enjoy blogging when I take the time to do it. So, if you are interested in reading, should I write, go ahead and subscribe to the blog or save it under your favorites. Whatever. THEN...if I get inspired...you won't miss out. It'll be like a neat surprise one random day...

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

Sooo...perhaps you've heard. I'm walking 39.3 miles on June 2-3, 2012 in Chicago - Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

Well, it's true and I am well aware that many of you think I'm completely crazy. Why would anyone put themselves through that?

Well, as grueling as it may seem...it's nothing compared to radiation, chemo and mastectomies...which is what my dear friends have gone thru with this dreaded disease.

And quite frankly, I'm just tired of it. I want it to stop.

My walking 39.3 miles in two days isn't going to make it go away. But my hope is that by raising awareness and the funds necessary to walk that week (each participant must raise $1,800), that one more treatment may be discovered...one more woman may be able to get a mammogram before it's too late...one more patient can have access to a wig...

Because every single statistic is someone's best friend. Please help support me by clicking the link below and donating towards my fundraising campaign!

http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/Chicago?px=5608155&pg=personal&fr_id=2171

From New Orleans to Cozumel and back in 4 short days!

Christmas Letter 2011

Well, it wouldn't be the Hillman's Christmas Letter if it didn't start with...
Wow...what a great year! Every year gets a little better than the last, and 2011 was no exception.
After wrapping up 2010 with a trip to the Holy Lands, I wasn't expecting to do any worldly travels in 2011. But, all that quickly changed in January when we had a guest speaker at La Croix. More about that in a moment.
In February, it happened. I hit the big 4-0-. It wasn't as tough as I thought it would be...probably because Nicolas is still so young, I just don't feel that old. I have this habit of always feeling like I'm the same age as everyone I hang out with...and Nicolas' friend's moms aren't that old...so there you go:-) To celebrate my 40th, Lee and I went to Cancun with Bill and Susan Leming. For the first time ever, we stayed at a place that I seriously could not wait to go back to. It was incredible!
Now backtrack to that January encounter I alluded to earlier. We (La Croix) had the privilege of hosting Christine Caine, a world renowned speaker...and I got the honor, along with five guests of my choice, of taking her out to dinner after church! Chris is from Sydney, Australia, and by the end of the night, over sushi and great conversation, she had invited all of us to Sydney in March to attend a conference she was heavily involved with. She promised if we came, she'd have us picked up from the airport, escorted to our hotel and would get us special backstage passes and access to the speaker's room at the event.
Well, I think everyone was a little honored and taken aback by the invite, but for the most part, no one thought much more about it. I, on the other hand, was working on my travel arrangements the next day!!! In the end, there were four of us who got to go on the trip together - me, Kim Proffer, Danea Johnson and Ruth Ann Orr...and WOW...what an amazing time!
We loved Australia...loved getting to see that part of the world...loved the beach (of course!)...but most of all, LOVED the way that God met each one of us there and the way he used the four of us to speak truth into each other's lives.
While I was in Australia, Lee and Nicolas were in Florida visiting as many Spring training games as they could make happen in a week. In one week's time, they saw the Astros, Braves, Cardinals, Pirates, Red Sox and Yankees!!! Nicolas caught a bunch of baseballs, got autographs, met players...needless to say, I think they were missing me. Really bad.
April and May came, but were busy. I had a couple of conferences for work, so had quick trips to Atlanta and Chicago, followed by a mission trip with the Jr High students to West Virginia in June.
In July, I had the opportunity to go to a conference in Phoenix and become a certified trainer for Leading from Your Strenths. Lee and Nicolas were able to go along...so we flew out a day early so we could check out the Grand Canyon before my conference started. Neither Nicolas nor I were very excited about going and looking at 'rocks' all day, but I am SO glad we did. It was unbelievable...and as is typical for me...I felt so close to God sitting in the middle of such an amazing creation.
Nicolas loved it too...it's hard not to just stare out over the canyons in complete awe. We decided while we were there to rent bikes and ride around the South Rim of the canyon. Nicolas hasn't spent alot of time on a bike, and I was questioning our common sense as he wobbled some in front of me...but he got the hang of it quickly and we rode 7 miles...while stopping to take pics along the way. The rest of the week, I was in "class", while the boys played lots of golf and hung out by the pool.
In August, Nicolas started 3rd grade...yes, time is totally flying!!! And throughout the entire year, he is involved in some sport. He's quite the little athlete. I know he's 8, and I'm his mom, so I'm supposed to say this...but he's pretty good at whatever he does...and is SO much fun to watch! Plus, we spend so much time at his sporting events with other parents, that we've really made great friends that have become an integral part of our lives.
The sports calendar looks something like this...January starts finishing up the indoor soccer season. Before this ends, we start baskeball. As basketball is winding down, outdoor spring soccer starts. As the regular season ends, we start getting ready for all-star soccer and also baseball. Baseball lasts all summer long, while we intermingle golf as often as we can fit it in. When baseball ends, fall soccer starts, which gets overlapped with flag football. After that ends, we do all-star soccer again, followed by...you guessed it...indoor soccer. And thus the cycle repeats:-)
So back to finishing up the year...in October, Lee and I went back to the same resort in Cancun for a quick getaway, with the Lemings again. Once again, the resort was great...but this time, the weather was not very cooperative. In any case, we had a great time and met some new friends from Louisville, KY...such a small world!
While we were heading back from Cancun, the Cardinals were kicking off the World Series...which turned out to be a phenomenal thing for Beef'O'Brady's! Overall, Beef's has just finally hit it's groove this year. Lee is back at the store full-time (and then some:-) after going back to AT&T in 2010. We've learned that it just doesn't work when neither of us are there. No one is going to care about it like we do. No one will treat the customers the way we do. No one has their life savings on the line like we do...thus, Beef's needs us. And with Lee's undivided attention again, we've really turned a corner. January thru May, he had to focus on righting the ship. But since May, we've seen an increase in sales of more than 25% over 2010. He's worked really hard at rebuilding our regular clientele and re-establishing our catering business, and it's finally catching up. What a huge blessing!!!
November brought Thanksgiving, and the Hillmans headed to Florida to hang out with Lee's entire family, who all made their way to where his parents are 'snowbirding' for the better part of the year. It was an extremely fast trip, but was so nice to be wearing shorts and flip flops on Thanksgiving, it was totally worth it!
In fact it was so nice, (and since my mom and dad are on a cruise over Christmas!) that we will be going back tomorrow evening for Christmas Day and to stay the week. I can't tell you what all we will be doing...because it could ruin some Christmas surprises for a little 8 year old...but I'll keep you posted!
Speaking of keeping you posted...you may notice if you glance back through the posts, the last one was last year's Christmas letter:-( I always make all of these promises that I'll write more, then I spend all of my 'writing' time writing somewhere besides my own blog. But THIS YEAR, I'm going to make a New Year's Resolution to post on my own blog atleast twice per month. This really shouldn't be that difficult to do...I just have to make it a priority. So feel free to keep me accountable:-)

Well, we've got a big day tomorrow. Four Christmas Eve services, a soccer game, an the first leg of our trip to Florida. God has been good to us for yet another year. We are overwhelmed with great friends and an amazing family and we wish for each of you the same and a happy and prosperous new year!
Love,
Angel, Lee and Nicolas Hillman

Christmas Letter 2010

2010 has been an amazing year at The Hillman House!

God continues to pour out his blessings on us in so many ways - but most importantly, through good health and great relationships.

As you know, we are truly passionate about travel, and are so fortunate to be able to do so. Nicolas is following in our footsteps...to an extent. He absolutely loves to travel, but if we are in Cape, he is a true homebody. It's so weird for Lee and I - since we both like to 'go' ALL the time. But, Nicolas keeps us a little grounded...although it is sometimes maddening for us:-)

So, we started off the year with a quick trip to Vegas in January with friends (Nicolas stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Jamerson for that one). It wasn't for my birthday, it was for Lee Schlitt's, but as I'm typing this, I can't remember doing anything special for my birthday...so we'll call this trip my birthday trip.

February came and went pretty quickly, and with it went Nicolas' first 2 teeth. As I'm typing this, he is wiggling his top front tooth. He's almost 8 and still hasn't lost any of his top teeth. I think he was the only 2nd grader who's school photo didn't have big gaps in his smile:-) He's lost 4 teeth, but all on the bottom.

In March, Nicolas turned 7, and for his birthday, we took a 4-day cruise to Cozumel. The first 3 days were awesome (first time on a cruise that I did not get sick!) - the last day the weather was REALLY bad and people were literally throwing up all over the place. Lee was sick the entire time (sinus infection, etc, not motion sick), so Nicolas and I hung out and played lots of mini golf. Nicolas discovered Carnival Kids Camp and loved it, so I had lots of time to just hang out on the deck reading. Lee saw more of the inside of a cruise ship room than anyone should ever have to see, but that's the breaks:-(

In April, I was able to go on a mission trip to Rio Bravo, Mexico. What an amazing week - I got to meet and hang out with lots of really neat people, but the coolest part was definitely the deepening relationships that I developed with the team that went from La Croix.

April also provided what turned out to be a short-term career change. Lee decided sometime after the first of the year, that he didn't like managing Beef's - he liked shaking hands, kissing babies and hanging out with people, but he didn't like telling people what to do. (He's way too nice:-) So, in April, with 2 managers in place at Beef'O'Brady's, Lee went back to AT&T.

Fast forward 8 months, we learned the hard way, that nobody loves our business as much as we do. It's just a completely different atmosphere when one of us is in the restaurant every day, particularly Lee. So, in November, Lee went back to Beef's full-time (and is improving daily on the "telling people what to do" part of his job...and loving the relational part more than ever).

All that being said, in May, my entire immediate family (Mom, Dad, brother, sister-in-law and nephews) invited us to go on a family vacation to Orlando, Florida. Because Lee had just gone back to AT&T, he was unable to go, but Nicolas and I flew down over Memorial Day weekend and joined them. It was beautiful and it was neat to have the opportunity to go on vacation with my family (although, by the end of the LONG drive back in a 15 passenger van...well, I'll leave it at that:-).

In June, I went on another mission trip, this time to Milwaukee with our Jr High Youth. What a great group of kids! We had a phenomenal trip...if you want to read more about that, you can check out the blog I did for that at www.423lacroix.blogspot.com .

Lee's birthday was in July, so we took a quick weekend trip to Tunica with friends and got ready for our 'travel drought':-) Nothing for the month of August or September. However, Nicolas was playing soccer and made the All-Star team again, so that, along with flag football, kept us plenty busy. His All-Star team played in 3 tournaments this fall, and took 1st place in all three! (Nicolas is, no doubt, just as competitive as Lee and I are, so it was a good month at our house:-)

So, October came and with it, Lee's 6 month anniversary back at AT&T hit, so he was finally able to take some vacation time...and he couldn't wait to go somewhere...anywhere. We planned a very last minute trip, and because of flight time options at that point, decided to go to Jamaica. We stopped there once years ago on a cruise, but we had never been to Jamaica...we're kind of Mexico people. But, since we could get there before noon, we went with it.

Jamaica was OK - but it wasn't Mexico. 'Duh?', you say. But, really, we thought that being in the Carribean on the ocean would be about the same anywhere. But there were a couple of distinct differences. The first was that there were no chips, salsa, pico or guacamole. I know, I know. Should have been obvious, but we failed to realize what an important part of vacation food is. The second big difference is that Jamaicans like to 'take it easy', they are 'easy going' and 'laid back'. What this, more or less, translates to is that they are very lazy and give really bad service. In other words, the Hillmans will most likely not go to Jamaica ever again. Of course, we've said that about cruises and we keep going back for more...

I do want to point out again, though...this was the first time we ever even considered Jamaica and for some reason went with it. The SAME exact week we were there, a hurricane hit in Cancun and Cozumel. Had we gone to Mexico, like always, it would have been a miserable week. Coincidence??? I think not...

November proved to be a great month! It started with Lee, Nicolas and I going to Lambeau Field to see Green Bay play the Cowboys (they killed them, BTW), which was followed by the highlight of my year (which would probably not be true for Lee, as it was 10 days of single parenting on his end:-)...I was able to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands! I went to Jordan and Israel (Tiberias, Bethlehem, Jerusalem) - what an unbelievable and unforgettable experience! I blogged during that trip, so if you want to read more about, just look back at November entries on this blog.

Then, here we are in December. Last weekend, I was signed up for my first ever 1/2 marathon...but if you read about the Holy Lands trip at all, you will know that I ended up coming home in a wheelchair. So, the 1/2 marathon wasn't quite in the cards for me at this time. My ankle is doing much better, however, and the whole point of the race was to complete it in honor of turning 40 (this coming February), so I have all next year to still meet that goal.

Christmas is just around the corner...and Lee's parents are officially 'snow birds' (I'm so jealous!)...they get to head south for the winter. They went to Florida in October, came home for Thanksgiving, left again the following week, and will be back some time in April. Thus, Lee, Nicolas and I will be heading south for Christmas. We will spend Christmas Eve in Cape (so I can sing with Chris Nall one last time:-(, hang out with my family that evening, and head out the next. After today's little show of snow and freezing winds, Florida can't get here quick enough!

Well, that's about all I've got for now. If you like the Christmas letter, you can get more details on what's going on with us throughout the year right here on the blog. I always promise to write lots, but then I don't...so I'll just say...if you subscribe to receive the updates, you will definitely get more details than if you wait for this letter again next year:-)

We wish each of you a great Christmas and a healthy, prosperous 2011!!!

Love,
Angel

I'm home...and Ariel and Fabio don't have a lot in common...

Well, you've all been ever so patient...and I'm sure you've just been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see how my trip ended.
First, let me say that Ariel...well...not Fabio. Very nice. Very helpful. But not Fabio.
I did not take a picture of him but several of the people on the trip snapped photos of us...so I'm sure I'll run across one at some point that I can post for you.

So, let's back up to Jerusalem...
The 45 people I'm traveling with are leaving on the big tour bus for the airport (see back of the bus video for a bird's eye view of what that is like...) at 8pm, so my new friend, Nurse Ariel, is picking me up at 7:30pm in the lobby of the hotel. He is supposed to show up in a taxi...which happened to be a Mercedes. The beginning.
Since I have my own personal assistant at this time (which I rather enjoy, I must say), I decide to take the opportunity to get some McDonald's (not something we can do easily on a tour bus, but definitely something I was craving after 2 weeks of falafels). Turns out that the whole theory of McDonald's being the same no matter where you get it...well, it's not so true.
Ariel explained to me before I ordered that it was a "Kosher" McDonald's. ??? I'm looking at him like he's crazy. I'm American. I like pickles just like the next guy...what in the world does that have to do with my cheeseburger?
"So, yes...I'll have a double cheeseburger and a large diet coke, please." (BIG smile here...I'm already tasting the food...my mouth is literally watering)
"No double cheeseburger, sorry."
"OKaaaaay...how about a cheeseburger and a large diet coke?"
"No cheeseburger," McD boy says, as he looks at Ariel with a disgusted look.
"It's Kosher," he whispers to me...
"What does that mean?" I'm getting rather annoyed at this point.
"It means we don't mix dairy and meat."
"Who is this WE you speak of???"
"Orthodox Jews, it is custom." says Ariel.
"Oh Ariel. I'm SO very sorry. This is a sad, sad travesty...you mean to tell me you've never experienced the beauty of a melted slice of cheese on your burger??? Seriously, this brings tears to my eyes! Get this boy a slice of cheese!!!"
He is not amused.
I ate a burger - no cheese - and I'm not sure it was beef.

Later, we meet up with my group, who is all waiting in line after line, while I am being whisked around in a wheelchair. Now, at first I felt really bad about this. It is, after all, a sprained ankle. Again, I'd like to reiterate that if I had crutches, I would have been fine moving along with everyone else. But since the insurance insisted otherwise, I decided to sit back and enjoy my royal treatment.
At this point, the rest of the group has come up with a nickname for me..."Queen April"...queen, for obvious reasons, I was totally being treated like royalty...April, because I swear Carolyn called me April for more than half the trip. At some point, I decided to not respond to the name, and finally I snapped..."I refuse to talk to you if you keep calling me April," I said. Well, apparently, the rest of the bus found this rather amusing, because for the last two days of the trip, I was very lovingly referred to as Queen April:-)

So, that's about all I've got for tonight. I was back at work today and did not have my foot elevated at all...so it's rather swollen at this point. Time to lay down and prop it up.

But, at the request of several of you, I've decided to go ahead and keep posting stories about the trip...since I didn't even come close to sharing everything while I was there.

So - don't get confused. I'm back. But if you want to hear 'the rest of the story', keep checking in...tomorrow...I'll tell you of the trials of traveling first class...oh woe is me.
Love,
Angel