Christmas 2016

Our wood stove is full of dried birch logs and is doing its best to keep our upstairs good and warm. Dayan toppled a white spruce tree a day or two ago and we've got it in the great room awaiting decorations.

Andee and I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my brother Dan and his family. Jian prepared some interesting Chinese food while Jiheng served up some delicious sushi. While there we got to visit the Midway, a retired aircraft carrier that's been turned in to a museum. Somehow we didn't make it to the beach during the visit... I guess we'll have to go again. While in California we also got to see brother David and Andee's mom and her sister Teren.

Emme received her BA in Art this year and has discovered that an art degree isn't a boon for a lot of the jobs that are available up here. She's got a couple of jobs right now. I do hope she eventually finds something that she enjoys that pays a livable wage. She'll always have her art no matter what she does. I'm pleased to have an artist in the family.

Addie applied for and was accepted into a program at the local university that has her working simultaneously toward her Bachelors and Masters. She has two jobs at the University, one is a job for an undergrad student, and the other is for a graduate student. She also maintains her Taekwondo school's website and has been on staff at that school for part of the year. She's currently working towards her 5th degree black belt. She's been so busy that I rarely see her.

William will come home for Christmas. That's the one time of the year when we get to see him, and we're fortunate for that. This summer he interned for Draper Corp in the Boston area and also managed to spend a few weeks in Cabo Verde, Africa, complements of the U.S. Army. In his second year at MIT, I believe he's managing to keep his head above water, even if barely. I guess we'll learn more details of life at MIT when he gets home for Christmas.

Dayan's our last one in high school. This year he's taking just 5 AP classes, and has a free period each day. He's doing quite well and I think he enjoys school. He's in the unenviable position of being first in his class academically. If he keeps that spot hopefully it won't become a source of stress for him. He would like to play soccer in college and while he doesn't yet know what he will study, he's leaning towards math and sciences... so that's enough to start isolating colleges with those kinds of degree programs that have a men's soccer team. Female college soccer teams are much more prevalent in the USA. This coming February we'll be traveling to Las Vegas for a soccer tournament there. After this trip he won't have a youth team to play on unless he joins up with a mostly younger team that's with a different soccer club. He'll still have men's league although he won't have a ready to play on... he'll have to work his way on to another team... He'll still have the high school team this year and next. This fall he made the varsity cross country team for his high school. The coach has been telling him for the last couple of years that he'd not make the varsity team unless he ran track, which he can't do because it conflicts with the soccer season.

I retired from the military in 2002 and have been busy raising the kids. How fortunate I've been to be able to spend so much time with my children while they grew up. During those years I've also been very active in the community, mostly serving in Board positions, or working with kids in some capacity: coach, Den leader, Troop leader, etc. I'm beginning to think that it's about time to start phase 2 of my retirement. I don't know what all that will be but I think I'll leave the Board positions to others and the headaches that sometimes come with those positions. I might travel more... I don't know. We'll see. I've got another year and a half or so before I can be free of all Board positions, and I'm excited to see what retirement, chapter 2 will bring.

Andee is still driving a school bus. I do believe she's pondering other employment, but seems content to transport children to and from school.

Here's my evangelical message to you from Acts 16:31: Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. That is my hope for you and what I pray for you,








Bill Mitchell & Family
PO Box 83751
Fairbanks AK 99708-3751

bill@goldstreamit.com
907-479-5666 hm
907-590-4981 cell