Our Christmas Letter 2002

I thought I'd post our family Christmas newsletter from almost 11 years ago. I found it today as I searched my document files. 

December 14, 2002

Greetings from the Faddis Family! - Stan, Linda, Daniel, Heather, Holly and Meagan.

It has probably been a long time since you heard from us (in writing, anyway). Linda assigned me (Stan) the task of composing this letter so here it goes…Things are pretty active around here now that the kids are growing up and trying their wings. We have four drivers in the family and it seems like all four of our cars are hardly ever in the driveway. 

Daniel (18) graduated from high school last June. He went to Hawaii for his Senior trip and had a good time. He brought home a little surprise in the form of a… tattoo. It is two Japanese symbols that supposedly mean “honor” and “courage” but Stan did some research and found it really means… “bone” and “head”. Daniel also did something else which Stan believes is much like his decision to get the tattoo- he joined the Navy. He is on the delayed entry program and does not have to report for boot camp until August 2003. He will be in the Master of Arms program which will prepare him for his chosen career as a police officer. We are very proud of him and although we are a little worried about it, we support him 100%.

Heather (17) is a senior at Valley Christian High (sounds like a teen book series, doesn’t it?) She is doing well and is working part time at a ceramics store called Petroglyph and baby-sits. She is getting ready to try out for a play- The Wizard of Oz. Heath has been looking into the college scene but does not know where she will end up. She has also thought about doing a YWAM trip after graduation which would be very appropriate since she wants to be a missionary. Heather got her driver’s license in September and she is making the most of it. Between school, work, church activities and friends she spends much of her time away from home. Linda and I usually see her in the mornings and evenings but that is about all! We suppose she will also go on a Senior trip upon graduation but know we won’t have to worry about her coming home with a tattoo- at least we do not THINK we have to worry.

Holly (15) is a sophomore. Linda is home schooling her still and she attends the Pioneer Family Academy at our church (The Home Church) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What can I say about Holly? Her life consists of friends, school, friends, sleeping, friends, computer, friends, telephone and friends but not necessarily in that order (school probably should go toward the end of the list). And the computer and telephone should have been listed more than once. She is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get her driver’s permit. We have not decided when that will happen but probably not as quickly as she hopes. Holly earns money (sometimes lots of it) by babysitting. At last count she had 876 clients and she worked 2,374 days last year (well, that may be an exaggeration). She has not settled on a career but has considered a variety of things including firefighter, monkey trainer and country music star. She already has a good start on the music thing because has a cowboy hat. 

Meagan (12) is in the seventh grade. She is also home schooled and attends PFA. She has some very good friends who come over to visit and sometimes spend the night. Meagan is a good student (when she wants to be) and is very smart. She can do trigonometry calculations in her head and has figured out that there is a flaw in Einstein’s theory of relativity (just kidding but, if there was a flaw she would find it). Meagan has also adopted two orphans named Norma Jean and Maggie Brown. They were orphaned when their mothers, Heather and Holly, left them alone in their cage. I guess I should explain that Norma and Maggie are guinea pigs. And actually their “mothers” did not leave them but Meg spends the most time with the “kids”. Meagan’s other interests include watching movies on DVD and playing PlayStation 2 games. She has seen the Princess Diaries 2,057,381 times and Oceans Eleven only 59,396 times because we have only had it for 3 months. 

Linda and Stan are just getting older. We look with a bit of sadness on the kids growing up so fast but also look forward to being able to relax and spend more time together. Both are aware of the old adage: “Be careful what you wish for.” Linda is busy with home school and teaching at PFA. She has a class of sixth graders who are quite a handful. She enjoys it though. Linda made a huge batch of Christmas candy and gave it as gifts to the teachers and staff at PFA.  Needless to say, it was hit and now there are requests for the recipes. Stan now works in Adult Probation and writes reports on defendants who are going to Court for sentencing. He has met some very interesting people to say the least. He is also has a “side job” teaching vocational training to Juvenile Hall staff and Probation Officers. The extra money helps pay for all the cars, the telephone bill and guinea pig accessories. 

In October the family finally found time to journey up to Lake Shasta for a houseboat trip. We were joined by Greg and Shawn Strannigan and one of their daughters, Candyce. We have known the “Strans” for over twenty years and it was great to spend time with them. The weather was beautiful and the trip was very relaxing. We highly recommend such vacations to our friends. 

Well, there is not much else to report. We want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. We are very grateful for the many blessings that God the Father bestows upon us and especially the gift of eternal life. We hope you are doing well.  We would love to hear from you. 

The Faddis Family

Life for us has changed so much since I wrote the above letter. - bad, some good. Daniel is gone from us. Heather is the mother of four. Holly has a son and a child on the way. Both of them are married. Meagan is 22, living with new roommates and working full time. Linda and I are retired which is good so because it allows us to spend as much time as we can with our grandchildren. Our Lord Jesus is helping us to dwell on the good things in our lives.