Friday, December 14, 2007

Happy New Year


Another year has passed and more memories have been deposited in the Gifford Family memory bank. 2007 has been quite a year for the Gifford clan as we have grown closer to God and to each other.



Happenings

Kendra had the opportunity to spend a week at DisneyWorld in Florida with her Aunt Jill. They had a great time together and a memory that she will have for the rest of her life.


In February Rose and I got away to Hilton Head South Carolina for a week. It was a great time to rest, to reconnect, and to celebrate our 20th anniversary a little bit early.


This summer Dave had many opportunities to hike and climb with friends from church and his friend Scott as they led people on a series of meditative hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park.


Dave, Calvin, and 3 other guys from church spent a long weekend in a cabin just outside of Telluride. It was a beautiful setting. We did some hiking, soaked in the only geyser in Colorado, visited Mesa Verde, and even got in a little fishing.


In July we all went to the Black Hills for 2 days and then headed to Primgahr Iowa for Rose's parents 50th anniversary celebration. The kids got to perform a talent in front of the church family. Paige sang Old Rugged Cross, Kendra recited all the books of the bible, and Calvin amazed the audience with his card trick abilities. The men and young men in the group even dazzled the crowd with some dancing performed to the music of the Bee Gee's.


Dave

The Fall has been very busy for Dave as he has been engrossed in an effort to change the culture at the church we attend. We want to build a church that is built on getting people connected in LifeGroups. We are well on our way with over 70 groups formed to this point and over 700 people actively involved meeting with others on a regular basis.


Rose
Rose is still working hard at Thornton High School and very busy orgnaizing events for the FCCLA program there. She still teaches kindergarteners every Sunday, and has even done some teaching of some parenting classes at the church.


Paige
Paige is not in 3rd grade and growing up fast. She loves playing with her friends, playing guitar (she did her first recital recently!) and asking when our family is going to do its next "family fun night". Paige loves to organize people (even if they don't want to be organized) and keep the mood in the house light. She seems to have a real knack for this.


Kendra

Kendra is in 5th grade and anxiously getting ready for middle school. She has her moments now, when she seems very much like a middle school girl, so I guess she will fit right in. She continues to excel in school and still doesn't like to go hiking or camping. (how did she end up in Colorado?)


Calvin

Calvin is now in 8th grade and just months now from entering High School. (Where did the time go?) His voice is changing and he has lots of friends at school and church. Calvin loves Christian music, playing basketball and even took some golf lessons this year. (Maybe he and I can hit the links together)


New Patio

Our big project for the year was transforming our backyard into more usable space. We had a 20 by 20 slab of concrete layed and bought all new patio furniture to complete the project. We even bought a fire pit! (Next year though we have to do the AC in the house.)


Dakota

But lastly but certainly not leastly, the biggest event in our year may have been on May 25 when we brought home a new addition to our family. At only 16 weeks young we brought home a beautiful 36 pound Golden Retriever. What a gift and blessing from God he has been to us. His name is Dakota, but don't let the mass of fir and bones fool you. (He is 75 pounds now!) He is a true sweetheart of a dog. He loves to play, but he also loves to please anyone who will give him attention. We are all learning the art of dog ownership. We can't run enough with him to please him, so he is a great weight control device too. He is always ready to go farther and faster than we are.


God has blessed our family in many ways this year. We try to thank him everyday for what he has given us in life itself, in the gift of each other, but mostly, the gift of God's son, Jesus. Our hope is that you have the hope found him as well. May 2008 be a year that brings us all closer to God through Jesus.


Happy 2008 from the Giffords!

No comments: