Merry Christmas From The Gaines Family

This is the letter we are sending out this year with the Christmas cards:

It's a drizzly, cold December afternoon in Burlington, Washington as I sit down to write this Christmas letter. Please excuse this impersonal way of letting a lot of friends and family know some of the things that have happened in our lives this year.

A year ago, we were talking with the elders of the Skagit Valley Church of Christ about the possibility of working together in our ministry for the Lord. We traveled from Florida to Washington in January to meet in person and decide if we wanted to work together. An invitation to move to Burlington came a few days later, and we accepted. Since Jared was graduating from high school in Pensacola at the end of May, we told the folks in Burlington that we could not move until after that time. Our last months in Florida were hectic as we wrapped up sixteen years' work with the Leonard Street church, sold our house, and got everything packed and ready to move. The cross country trip was a lot of fun. We saw beautiful mountain scenery, especially in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and here in Washington. We have settled in well and enjoy the new work and living in northwestern Washington...just a few miles from the Cascade Mountains to the east and the northern part of Puget Sound to the west. We're still adjusting to the weather, but all-in-all, really enjoy the laid-back lifestyle out here.

Jared was with us during the summer, but went back east to start college at Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee in August. He has just finished his first semester and will be with us over the Christmas holidays. We don't know if Jared has been homesick or not, but we have surely missed seeing his cheerful smile around here. Trish's mom, Hazel Holden, is now living with her oldest son, Danny, near Beaumont, Texas. It has been hard for Trish not getting to see her mother, but she has really enjoyed being much closer to her children, David and Angie, and (especially) Angie's four children - Aminah, Gabriel, Elyjah, and Zoe. They have been up to visit several times since we've been out here. Everything has plusses and minuses - one bad thing about moving out west is that John doesn't get to see his grand-daughter, Abby (and of course her dad and mom - Daniel and Tiffany). Cell phones and e-mail make long-distance communication a lot easier though, and that has made that separation bearable.

Enough rambling. Let us close by wishing you the best Christmas and New Year possible. Our address, emails, and phone numbers are listed. We always enjoy hearing from you. With Love, John and Trish