It’s been far too long since I’ve posted. We drove the 860 or so miles to Alabama for Christmas with Kristy’s family and then made it back safely, arriving home just in time for dinner on New Year’s Eve. The kids had a blast with their cousins (though Jonas and Wesley were on-again-off-again best friends and mortal enemies). Jonas received a massive train table (Kristy posted a picture of it a few days ago), which now resides in our basement–he really does love all things train-related (he’s been sleeping wearing an engineer’s hat the past two nights).

Not all has been well, though. Brenna and I both came down with a nasty stomach bug while at Kristy’s parents’ house, and Brenna threw up more again this morning (here’s to hoping it’s just an isolated thing). I was rear-ended yesterday, though no one was hurt and the damage to the car was minimal.

I suppose the real news is that two different families are very interested in renting our house in Georgia. One has negotiated the price down somewhat, while the other has two large Labradors (the rental agency wanted to know if it was all right to ask for a pet addendum to the contract and then charge an additional security deposit). Currently both applicants are moving through the credit and background checks with the rental agency, after which we’ll be able to choose who gets the house. We’re excited for this up-coming blessing; we’ve been praying for renters for many months now.

Finally, it’s only two weeks until my one-year mark here with Kaplan Professional Education (which, as of Monday, became the Kaplan University School of Continuing and Professional Education). I suppose that means I’m technically now an employee of a university. It’s a good feeling to keep plugging along with the work here, and I’m looking forward to continuing my journey here in La Crosse. Well, most of the time I am–I rather dislike it here on the really cold days.