Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Christmas Letter 2009




Dear Friends and Family,
I thought that I would write a little note this year. I know that for most of us that it was a year filled with joys and sorrows. We for the most part are doing pretty well. Last year, at this time, Rusty was laid off from his job as a drafter. In some ways it was a blessing b/c he was having to work in Grand Junction and be gone during the week. It also gave him time to finish the remodel on our bathroom before our holiday guests arrived. He was unemployed until around May and started working for a ranch locally where he worked up until the middle of November. He enjoyed it immensely and has manged to accumulate two horses, another dog, and various tack. He rediscovered his love for horses and working outdoors. Unfortunately, it has come to an end and we are back to wondering what to do next.
I am still working for the Center for Mental Health in Montrose. In April, I finished all my hours and obtained my license in counseling. After all the hoops and paperwork, I am very proud of myself for finally getting it. Thankfully, it came at just the right time b/c I got a sizeable raise. So by the grace of God, we have stayed above water financially and have become very aware of how to be thankful for the little things like food, shelter, and friends.
Blake is now six years old and started kindergarten this year. He loves riding the school bus and informed me that he "knew that he was going to have fun but he was learning a lot too." He has started wanting to know how to spell everything and tries to figure out that letters are in words. It is fun to watch his mind grasp all of these new things.
We are happy to announce that we are going to have a new addition come to our family the end of April. We are around five months pregnant and very excited about having a little one in our home. So far, the baby looks healthy and has a good strong heart beat. We are, however, in a quandary about where we are going to fit baby stuff due to the fact that we are at max capacity in our home currently but we will fugure something out. We are just so thankful for this new life that all the stresses pale in comparison.
Even with the ups and downs, we got to take a few trip this year. In April, we got to take my grandmother to California to celebrate with my aunt and uncle their 30th wedding anniversary. In August, Rusty and Blake got to experience their first major league baseball game at Coors field and watch the Rockies win. In September, Rusty and I joined my mom and sister in Steamboat Springs to enjoy the fall colors and just get away. We also got to take a couple of trips to Durango for a family reunion and a friend's wedding over the summer.
We hope that you all have a wonderful holiday and a year full of blessings. We hope to see you soon.
Love,
Rusty, Laura, Blake, and Baby Ickes


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