A Week of Reunions

The more we travel and the more places we live around the world, the more wonderful friends the Lord puts in our path.  It is difficult to be separated from so many incredible people, but during the week of Christmas we were abundantly blessed to get to spend some time with several of our very dear friends.  Reconnecting with old friends made Christmas extra special for us this year!

First off we had a two-day visit with Pete, Emily, and their 2 rambunctious boys, Matias and Titan.  They are one of my favorite families ever, and I was so glad for the time to play with the kids and relive some of our Okinawa days.

Steward and Prikazskys together again!

The result of Titan attempting to absorb spaghetti through his face...

Patrick stole my job as storyteller 

On Christmas Eve we had a bit of time with Chris, Ruthie, and their brand new baby Nancy!  It's still hard to believe that Chris, whom I've known since before time began, is now a daddy.  Seeing Patrick and Chris together with Nancy might have been one of the most heart-warming things I've seen in a long time!

I love this!

Shane and Melia are some of our closest friends from South Carolina, and though we only lived there for a year, it feels as though they've been part of our lives forever.  We had one evening to reconnect with them, and our hearts were so refreshed as we shared what God has been doing in our lives and hearing how the Lord has been stirring their hearts as well.

It's not often that God brings such dear friends into our lives, and the fact that he has blessed us so abundantly with friends from so many places has overwhelmed me at times.  I was yet again reminded of God's goodness and his amazing love for us as he provides us with people to pour out love and encouragement into our lives.

For Christmas we were also blessed to get to spend time with my family, who had traveled from Canada and New York to spend the week with us.  We had a full house, but it was a sweet time of reunion for us all.  We especially enjoyed loving on my niece Asha and little sister Anika.  They are as goofy as ever and certainly kept us all entertained!

Valentine reunion

Christmas dinner