| Our Christmas Letter for 2008 |
| December 2008
Merry Christmas to All, Once again the year has come and gone in a flash. It seems the older the children get the faster the time flies. Each year I contemplate if I want to write this letter, but then I hear from many who tell me they look forward to it. For those who are not looking forward to the letter, just THROW IT AWAY! For those of you who wait in anticipation to hear what has happened in our lives, HERE IT IS�� The year started off with us continuing to live in Maryland. Marlin received orders for Alaska, but they were rescinded at the last minute, and we were told we would not be going anywhere until May 2009. This was hard news for me to swallow for so many reasons. Due to the Army base realignment, no new families moved into the housing around us as they vacated. When we moved here in January 2006, I told Marlin, �You watch; we are going to be the last family on this street before we move.� Well, guess what? We are the last family on the street! Thank goodness for church, or the kids would have no playmates. We went canoeing again this year. It is one of those family moments that I would not give up for anything. This year my Mom was able to share this experience with us. Cheyenne made sure she was extra careful; as she did not want to be responsible for tipping Grandma in the water. We also had the opportunity to take another family vacation this summer. We started by heading to South Carolina for the annual visit to our Aunt and Uncle�s lake house. We zipped around the lake tubing and swimming by the dock. The kids also had the opportunity to try water skiing. Well, everyone except Cheyenne that is. She was the one that ended up in the emergency room on vacation this year. She had a severe case of swimmer�s ear and had to be seen in the ER twice in three days. At least, it happened towards the end of our vacation! The plan was to go to Virginia Beach after leaving SC, but we decided that was not a smart idea because of the forecasted hurricane activity. No doubt, we would have been stuck in a hotel room for days! So, we decided to head in the opposite direction and landed in the Smokey Mountains. No chance of a hurricane there! Our first stop along the way was America�s largest home, the Biltmore, in NC. The house officially opened in 1895 and consisted of four floors and a basement. The basement has a bowling alley, swimming pool, and a gym. The kids found that quite interesting. After finishing our tour of the house and grounds, we continued to head west. We spent a night in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We enjoyed a day at Dollywood and for the most part had the park to ourselves. That is one of the benefits of homeschooling. While everyone else is heading back to school, we are heading on our vacation. We then traveled a little further west and spent three nights in Gatlinburg. What an awesome time. We really fell in love with the area. The people there were so sweet and nice. Cheyenne kept asking Daddy if there was an Army base close by. I have a feeling we will be visiting that area again in the future. Eventually, all good things must come to an end. So, we headed to Maryland and got back into our daily routines. As for the kids, this is what has been going on in their lives�. Cheyenne turned 13 in August, what a milestone for her. She is getting so tall. She will probably be taller than me by next year. She hasn�t lost her passion for reading and usually reads an average of six books a month in addition to her school reading. She is currently working on her Girl Scout Silver Award and should have it completed by mid-January. She is very excited about that. This past summer, she also participated as a camp guide at Girl Scout camp for a week. She loved it and cannot wait to go to camp next year. She is also very active with Children�s Church and helps lead worship with her friend Julie. Trey is an avid reader like his sister. He loves to read the Hardy Boys. He is doing well in school and likes animal science the best. In September, Trey advanced to Adventure Rangers which is a scouting program at our church. He is currently working on the steps needed to earn his Gold Medal of Achievement (GMA) which is equivalent to the Boy Scout Eagle award. He is a big help in Children�s Church and usually helps run sound and has even been asked on occasion to be a group leader. He looks forward to being a preschool leader for Vacation Bible School in the future. Trey was also the only one on vacation besides his Grandma and Daddy to get up on water skies at our Aunt and Uncle�s place. Tyrin, well he doesn�t like to read as much as the other two. When he does read it is usually about a talking animal of some sort, like Ralph or Humphrey, and takes a very long time to complete. I have to keep him focused to complete his reading assignments for school, but he excels in everything else. He loves math and history. We all take a sign language class on post, and Tyrin really has picked it up. I usually look to him when our teacher signs because he knows what she is saying. It is amazing. Tyrin is also an Adventure Ranger and is working towards his GMA as well. I would also have to say that Tyrin is more of a risk taker than his brother and sister. He is always the first to try something new and is fearless when skateboarding. Marlin has been busy with work. He still gets up around 4:30 am and comes home around 6 pm. He recently hit his 18th year with the Army and has only two more years until he can retire. I do not believe he will, but time will tell. He is a great soldier if I must say so myself. I am a little biased after all! Besides he looks pretty good in that uniform. As for myself, I keep busy with the kids. I have a very hard time just sitting still. I always like to be doing something. It drives Marlin crazy. We are still homeschooling the children and find that each year it seems to get a little easier. I love the idea of learning with my kids and making each lesson fun and exciting. I am still involved in church, Girl Scouts, and the Homeschool co-op. I like to scrapbook when I have a spare moment. I am also very fond of cooking and baking. I am always trying new recipes out on the family. It is a far cry from Hamburger Helper we used to eat when we were first married. We had to save the best news for last�..WE ARE MOVING!!! Yes, Marlin just received orders for Fort Drum, NY. You ask, �Where is that?� Well, it is 87 miles north of Syracuse in what I like to call the East Coast Alaska. I know you say, �Burrrr� and so do we. However, it is no different then us wanting to go to Alaska. The only real difference is we don�t have to adjust to the time change or darkness during the day. We have exactly two months to get things in order and move. Marlin is to report to Fort Drum the beginning of February. We are saddened to say good-bye to our church family, but we always knew this day would come. I cannot be sad about leaving this lonely street I call home or to the deer that walk poised and righteous past my door on a daily basis. Leave the deer flies that bite in the summer, the mold growing in the house, the smell of natural gas from the street, the many other allergies found here, or the draft that creeps in though the floor moulding and outlets....noooo, I am not sad to leave all that either! The new year will bring many new adventures for our family and new tales to tell. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us. So until next year, I pray that God will bless you and keep you safe. I pray that you and your family have a Blessed Christmas and a Joyful New Year. God Bless, The Shupps Marlin, Chel, Cheyenne, Trey, and Tyrin |