Sunday, March 06, 2005

Newsletter that we never mailed

January 25, 2005
Dear Friends and Family,
After three years of marriage we have finally figured out how to write a letter (we both missed that lesson in 3rd grade). Well... we are in St. Louis, Missouri... "Missoura" if you’re a local. Dan will begin his third year at Covenant Theological Seminary this month, so he’ll be able to answer any questions regarding the nature of the universe in about one more year. He’s interning at our church which means he plans the Men’s Camping trip once a year... and somehow that means he gets to have his name under "Intern" in the church bulletin year round. Needless to say, he’s earned quite a name for himself from the elders in the church regarding his cooking (not preaching) prowess. I’m sure those of you from Covenant in Issaquah wish he had those cooking skills in Mexico.
Dan is learning a lot in his seminary classes, but concerning the Biblical languages, you know what they say, "It’s all Greek to me." He has enjoyed his professors and the seminary community (which means watching baseball on opening day in the afternoon with four other guys, all of whom had wives at work, working to pay for seminary). I have to admit, that has been hard for me to get used to. I guess I can’t be too hard on Dan since he started his own business (The Tree Shepherd) this year. He is not an Ent, but a professional tree trimmer, soon to become a certified Arborist. He even purchased a chipper truck on e-bay that has turned out to be a life-saver. I can’t say I feel great about him hanging from ropes while using a chain saw... but as long as I can’t see him, it’s okay. This business has allowed him to create his own hours, which those of you who know Dan, know that suites his personality perfectly!!
After working two jobs the past year, one at Starbucks, and one at our church, I have decided to hang up the green apron. Even though Dan begs, I refuse to make him coffee at home. I now work almost full time as the administrative assistant at our church (Crossroads Presbyterian Fellowship). It’s been great to have first hand experience in the ministry we are working towards. I definitely miss being a part of the TV News business, but enjoy the slower pace of an office. Dan has a hard time tearing me away from watching the evening news. Although he is usually in the kitchen cooking us dinner, so it doesn’t really matter.
We bought our first home right before Christmas and moved out of the seminary housing we were living in. It has been a great and trying experience. We miss the community in the seminary apartments but have enjoyed being closer to our church family and my job. I am now able to walk to work... when it’s not seven below. Dan has been a great fix-it man, I didn’t know he knew how to mess with electricity, gas lines and sewer lines. Concerning the sewer line... that’s a story we really don’t want to get into... although the rubber boots we bought on our Honeymoon did come in handy.
Well, everyone keeps telling us that after the house comes children. However, the only addition to our family we are considering is a pot bellied pig. We’ve even picked out a name, Henry. We also have two cats, Eddie and George, who keep us more than entertained. Unfortunately, my goldfish I had for 6 years who survived the 42 hour trip here, didn’t survive the two inch move to a new tank of water. Dan buried him outside our seminary apartment and even made a little cross for his grave.
So, we are looking forward to a new semester for Dan, and for me more involvement on our church’s Mercy Ministry Team. Also, we will be going on a short term missions trip to Haiti at the end of July. We hope this will be the first of more letters from our neck of the woods, but don’t hold your breath. We miss all of you tons!
Love,
Dan and Alyssa

No comments: