Merry Christmas! I decided in an attempt to be more “green” I would post my holiday letter here to save on paper. This way there are fewer letters getting thrown away. J
2011 has really been a wonderfully busy year full of so many amazing experiences! Jack and I have been extremely blessed this year. Time seems to be flying by so fast, it’s hard to believe we will be celebrating Jack’s fourth Christmas! Of course, all he has asked Santa for is underwear, socks and of course, a Cars puzzle.
This year was all about new beginnings for us. In April I joined a travel agency (Mouse World Travel) that specializes in my favorite subject- Disney! I got to take part in Disney’s (online) College of Knowledge and earned my ears so I could officially begin selling Disney vacations. Of course we can book travel pretty much anywhere, and I have been fortunate enough to get a few loyal clients. Thankfully I have plenty of family and friends who like to travel! Booking vacations is a nice side job that allows me to make a few extra dollars off of my favorite hobby, which I in turn spend on my own trips! As a bonus I have made so many new friends, the ladies I “work” with are truly spectacular!
In May I started my new job with Argosy in the housekeeping department as a Housekeeping Coordinator. It has given me my first taste of leadership and in a department as diverse as ours, it can sometimes be overwhelming. It has been a wonderful experience though and I have learned so much from my outstanding team! I have never seen such a large group of hard workers, and my experience in this job has left me with a whole new appreciation for the job that they do. The casino business continues to flourish despite economic hard times, and we are opening a new property adjacent to the Kansas Speedway in the beginning of 2012.
Jack turned three in April and got to celebrate the event a couple of times. Being my son, he is in love with all things Disney, but especially Cars and Toy Story. That boy lives and breathes anything Cars right now, and is already planning his fourth birthday as a Cars celebration. Like I said, he is my son! He spent the summer going to the pool whenever possible, and must really be part fish. If he had it his way, we would go swimming all year long. In August, Jack started preschool at Willow Woods Learning Center. He loves the school and his teachers and has made several new friends. He has mastered spelling his first and last names, and is working on learning how to write his letters. I think his favorite part of school though is all the pretty girls, he has added at least one to his (long) list of “girlfriends”. He also enjoyed performing at “Back to School” night and going on his very first field trip to the pumpkin patch. I know he misses spending time at my aunt’s daycare, but he still gets to see them relatively frequently, though not as often as he would like.
2011 also gave us several great adventures! In April I traveled to Louisiana to be a part of my good friend Lindsay’s wedding. It was great to see so many old friends and reconnect while celebrating the happy event. They are currently living in Italy and I foresee an visit to them in the near future! In May, Katie graduated from Trinity University. We all went down to see her graduate and had a wonderful visit with our Texas relatives before heading off on Katie’s graduation cruise to the Caribbean. Jack got his first trip to the beach and loved playing in the ocean. It was so enjoyable that I knew we would have to do it again, so in October Jack and I headed out on our annual Mommy and Jack adventure, this time sailing on Disney Cruise Line’s Wonder to the Mexican Riviera. We even got to celebrate Halloween on the ship with a special trick or treat event. Jack was appropriately dressed as a pirate. After our seven day Mexican adventure (which you can read about here as well!) we spent a fantastic day at the Disneyland Resort. It was hard to leave the warmth of California to come home to November in Missouri, but we’ve luckily had very mild weather thus far *knocks on wood* so it wasn’t quite as difficult as usual!
Overall, 2011 has been good to us. I hope all of our friends and family around the world have had a wonderful year as well, and I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. May 2012 bring each of you new joys and adventures of your own!
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| Jennifer and Joe with Katie and Jack after Katie's graduation |
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| JC and me at Lindsay and John's wedding |
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| Mommy at Jack in Cabo San Lucas |
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| Jack wiped out after a long day at the beach and pool in Puerto Vallerta |
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Jack's first day of school |
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| Jack's birthday present |
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Jack blowing out the candles and making a wish |
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| Jack's enjoying the attention while everyone sings Happy Birthday |
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| Lounging in the ocean off the coast of Half Moon Cay |
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| Our home for seven days, the Disney Wonder |
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| Happy Halloween for Captain Jack! |
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| Mommy and Jack in Nassau |
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