Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


Happy New Year Haikus

Tyler turned fourteen                         
Football, band, church mission trip
Busy, growing boy!

Sweet Emily-sis;
archery and trap shooting,
reading and bassoon.

Our scrappy Lauren--
busting moves in basketball;
Ready to grow up.

Poosie Hannah-Beth
competitive gymnastics,
loves school, choir and church.

We host Ryoki,
from Japan to Arkansas;
on his way again!

Wesley works and works,
white letters on a black screen:
job upgrade and raise!

The beach and a cruise:
vacation of a lifetime.
Sun-tanned and relaxed J

An alarming shift--
Shiloh band director leaves!
Now what do I do?

Month of resisting,
not sure if I should step up;
the job becomes mine!

School, football season,
Thanksgiving break pneumonia,
homebound snow and ice.

Busy and juggle,
spare time is a luxury.
So glad it’s Christmas!

(and the interpretations....)

Tyler is an offensive lineman, excels at playing his trumpet and enjoyed his experience in New Orleans on a mission trip over Spring Break.  He is currently working to build muscle and take his driving test.

Emily is a beautiful 6th grader that loves middle school.  She makes a great addition to the beginner band on bassoon, enjoys archery and reading books and has taken up team trap shooting at Shiloh.

Lauren can’t wait to be as old as Tyler and Emily, and her greatest desire is to get married and have children.  In the meantime, she plays some mad basketball and is the model student at school.

Hannah is as precocious as ever, always shocking us with her mature vocabulary and understanding.  She is doing well on a competitive gymnastics team this year and lives for church on Sundays.

We had the unique opportunity to host for a week a boy from Japan named Ryoki.  We exhausted him with bowling, bumper cars, movies, Easter traditions and pizza buffet.  We are thrilled that he is coming back again over Spring Break this year!

Emily says all her daddy does all day is type white letters on a black screen.  For his hard work, he was awarded with a coveted job upgrade and raise.  We are so proud of how well he types his letters!

Our family got to take a “vacation of a lifetime” this year…one week at Gulf Shores, Alabama with Mammaw and Aunt Lizzie followed by one week on a Carnival Cruise to Honduras, Belize and Mexico with Grandma and Granddad. 

I came back rested and ready to work, and was met with the news that the head director was leaving.  I was torn, but didn’t want to take on the program out of selfishness if it wasn’t meant for me.

The search was on for a new director while I worked diligently to keep the program running and ready for football season.  Time passed while the right candidate remained elusive and I became enamored.  Right before school started, I was given the job and a wonderful assistant was hired to team-teach with me.


Life has been busy and full trying to manage home, school, jobs, activities and family.  A December ice storm and me getting pneumonia added to the holiday craziness.  We are blessed beyond measure…and thrilled for a little break!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Hope you are enjoying the season!
The Tollett Family