Coming Home for Christmas . . .

(Decided to send out our Christmas greeting via the blog this year, in contrast to copying, printing, stuffing, addressing, stamping and then mailing at the current postage rate times 75.)

I created this post on Thursday night, but still needed to add pictures. I mentioned in the following highlights that my Grandma turned 100 in September. On Friday morning we received a phone call that Grandma passed away peacefully. So, I changed the title this morning from "Merry Christmas from Dennis and Gwen" to "Coming Home for Christmas . . . " A few years ago while visiting Grandma we were talking about having peace with God, leaving this world . . . and Grandma said, "I just want to go home." And she didn't mean back to her home that she left to enter an assisted living facility . . . she meant heaven. So Grandma is "home" for Christmas this year.

Highlights of the Jackson family in 2007:

JAN – A visit to CA to see Mike & Joni, Josh & Kari

FEB – Josh & Kari left on a 7 month traveling adventure throughout Asia and Central America; Dennis & Clint took Dad J. on a trip to England

APRIL – Evee Marie was born to Clint and Jamie on April 24; Gwen graduated with a Bachelors degree from IWU on April 28th




MAY – Dennis & Gwen had the privilege of going to Israel for 2 weeks

JUNE - Dennis took a 101-day Sabbatical through the summer months with Gwen joining him for most of that time (hiking in Glacier, Eastern Europe, and Midwest)

AUG - Julie traveled to Costa Rica to hang out with Josh and Kari for a week



SEPT – Gwen’s Grandma turned 100 years old in September, Gwen, Jamie and Evee made the trip to PA to celebrate with the family; Julie began her first semester at IUPUI and turned 21 years old!

NOV – Dennis celebrated his 50th birthday

DEC – Speaking of "Home for Christmas," everyone, except Mike & Joni :(, will be home for Christmas this year and Dennis & I will be heading "home" to PA to celebrate Grandma's homecoming on the 29th.

What's everybody doing these days?
Josh & Kari – living in Pasadena, Josh owns an ebay business and Kari is a waitress at a local restaurant
Clint, Jamie & Evee – living in Indianapolis, Clint still a Youth Pastor at Eagle Church, Jamie chose to stay home with Evee
Mike & Joni – living in San Diego – Mike is a student at Point Loma, Joni is a hair stylist
Julie- living in Indianapolis, student at IUPUI (Ind./Purdue Univ.)
Dennis & Gwen – still live in Spring Lake ministering at SLWC, love being grandparents to Evee!

MAY YOUR CHRISTMAS BE MERRY & BRIGHT

WITH THE LOVE OF JESUS

AND MAY 2008 BE A YEAR OF JOY AND PEACE