Christmas Letter 2017
Dear Friends and Family-
In 2017 Heidi and I went from “having a baby” to “being parents”. We are totally nailing it. Lily has about .010 batting average for using the toilet, can count to five if two & four are not required, and her favorite thing to carry around is Dexter’s dirty diaper. Though Dexter is only 9 weeks old he already smells like an old man and is incredibly sweaty. Like I said, totally nailing it. I will also say that the advice that having a second child changes thing is correct. Having Lily was a game changer, having Dexter is like flipping the game board over. We’re in it now, we are real adults.
I made a rather poor decision this year. I bought a boat, a big boat, a boat that was far away. It took a week to bring back home and was an epic trip, I will forever think about it fondly. It was during that trip that Heidi told me she was pregnant with Dex. Two small children + a big boat + a complete lack of fix it skills = a boat for sale. So, if anyone wants a great deal on a boat and the ability to make your own poor decision, hit me up!
This year I also finished my commitment to the Navy and left active duty. I had a blast for the last 10 years, but I was also ready for the next chapter. I immediately joined the Navy Reserves and will continue to be a helicopter flight instructor, though part-time. Well kind of. A month after I left I took long-term orders until next summer filling a job that didn’t have a person to fill it. So, I really delayed leaving my daily grind until the summer of 2018 when my replacement arrives. After that, I will truly be part-time.
Oh! I bought a Prius this year. Pretty exciting. It gets great gas mileage and is another reminder that the game is over. It is very hard to look cool when getting out of a Prius, I have not changed that fact.
What is next for me? I think Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights said it best “I’m not sure what to do with my hands”. I don’t really know what my next year looks like. I am praying that doors are opened or closed that make it clear. I think it will include the Navy, Real Estate and something else. Where? How? When? Who knows. The good news is that I have a lot of options and that God has it under control.
Heidi and I both felt led to stay in Pensacola once I got out of the Navy. We didn’t have to be here, but knew there was a reason. When we learned that our church was launching a new satellite campus we knew the reason. In October we were part of a core team that launched the new campus in the Warrington neighborhood of Pensacola. It has been cool to be part of something new and completely different than the mega-church vibe we have been associated with for the last few years.
A review of our year would not be complete without mentioning the worst two weeks of our lives. One night at only 5 weeks old Dex was running a fever and seemed to be breathing strangely. Heidi smartly decided to take him into emergency room. For the next two weeks we were admitted to the hospital as Dex fought RSV and pneumonia, including spending over a week heavily sedated and on a ventilator in the ICU. It was surreal to be the parent of a really sick child, with nothing to do but wait. We were blessed to be able to stay in Pensacola, have great care, prayers from friends, and family who was willing to drive from Texas to take Lily. It was a scary time, but we cannot begin to say thank you for the outpouring of support. In the darkest night the light of friends and family shined brightest.
So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. If you read this far, I am 1. Surprised you kept reading after the Prius story 2. Grateful for your friendship. Be blessed and stay in touch. I am off to go work on Lily’s batting average now.
Sincerely,
Jeremy, Heidi, Lily and Dex
