Luke 2:11, “… for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Dear Friends and Family,

Wishing you peace and joy this special season of hope! We pray you have a wonderful holiday and blessed New Year.  The “Millhouse” has been busy this year.  As I write this letter, John is in South Korea working to keep our country safe.  He will be home soon, as we are traveling to Ohio to visit both the Bakers and the Millhouses.

Jay and Hanna are busy with school and extracurricular activities.  Jay has signed up to play baseball and will try out for the Little League Majors this year.  He is a superb student and is enjoying the fifth grade.  He still loves to draw and is into cartooning right now.  >Hanna is working hard in first grade and is making strides in reading however she would rather solve math problems any day.  In gymnastics, she has moved up to the intermediate level and is learning a lot of new things.  She is very strong and limber, unlike her mother.

I am still working towards a Masters in Elementary Education.  I just finished up fall semester and have three more to complete with six classes and my internship next fall.  Fortunately, we were able to extend here until December 2004 so I can graduate.  Besides going to school, I volunteer in Jay and Hanna’s classes as a mom and student.  I have learned so much, and yes I still want to teach.  I especially enjoy the upper elementary grades.

As I wrote, John is on Temporary Duty in South Korea.  His job has been, let’s say, interesting.  He is up for promotion to Lt. Col. this summer, and we should know our next assignment by then too.  Other than work, he umpired for Little League last spring and is directing the children’s bell choir at church.  He still rings bells with the adult choir, something I had to give up because of class conflicts.

We also have a new addition to our hectic lives, our puppy Spencer.  He is a black and silver Miniature Schnauzer.  He is adorable and loves to wrestle with Sherman our five-year old silver and gray Mini Schnauzer.

A couple of special highlights this year was spending time in Cape Hatteras, NC with John’s family, and taking a Disney Cruise with our parents.  We had a great time on the cruise!  We highly recommend it!

Love,

John, Audra, Jay & Hanna