2019 Thankful Letter

18 years and I love you more now than ever!  This life we have built together is hard but so more rewarding than I ever expected.  

2019 Thankfuls

Our Family and Friends,

Our “Thankfuls" letter is one of our favorite things, it helps us reflect on the past year, our time together, and our individual accomplishments.  We hope you find this letter encouraging as you think of the big and small things that we all have to be thankful for, and that it gives you a glimpse into our lives over this past year.    

Gracie:      Perfect smile (my braces are off).  Officially a teenager!  Last year of middle school.   Best friends!   Pool parties!   My room being redecorated perfectly for me!  Coffee, especially French Press.  Strength and Conditioning class at school.   Sweatshirts!   Shoes! And more shoes!  Dollywood.  Horseback riding.  Slot Canyon in Page, AZ.  Fireworks.  Go-carts in Ohio with Gjysh and KK.  The Link (Rock Bridge Church youth group).   Mother daughter time away with Lucy and Ms. Stacy.  Bella snuggles every morning. 

Maggie:      #doubledigits- I turned 10!  My ears being pierced.   Any break from school (Parent Note:  Maggie loves being out of school more than any child we know)!  Proficient in reading and math where I have struggled in the past.   Jeep tour in Sedona.   Nutella.   Father daughter dance with my besties!  The show “7^th Heaven”.  Dude Perfect on YouTube, and a live event to see them in Nashville.   My Beta fish Spike!   Long bike rides in Ohio and in Destin, FL!   Dollywood trip with Grammy, Papa, Ally, and Gracie.  Our new family Compassion little girl! Summer pool days and   family fire nights in the fall.

Rachael:   Our priceless times when we get away to make memories and dream big! Vacation with my family at Seabrook.   The girls’ choices in friends!   Embracing 40.   Although I cherish the   moments we get on the beach with palm trees, the red rocks in Sedona captured my breath and forced me to reflect on the beauty of all of creation.   A growth year through the bank merger as we became Truist Bank (thankful, but hard) and for the opportunity to step into a new role as a Project Manager for Commercial Community Credit Delivery.  Friends that surround us as we    support each other and the richness they add to our lives through it all. Eating more meals at home.   Middle school years! (yes, they are not easy but I do love the sweetness of the growing up these years are providing).   The moments I get to watch Jimmy engage and love our girls as he helps them with homework and studying.   Mentors both personally and in my career that are    critical to where I am today! 

Jimmy:   Playing basketball and hanging out with Thomas and his family in Phoenix.  Horseshoe Bend and hiking Devil’s Bridge (our first family hike) in Arizona.  A 3^rd annual camping trip with the girls and our friends the Boring’s.…Rachael does not camp and sits this out each year.   We got away to Miami (bank reward trip) and took two trips with friends to Highlands, NC.  A full year of      management responsibilities at First Horizon Bank and celebrating 21 years with the same       company.  Rachael encouraging us to lead a marriage small group at church.   A Thursday at the Masters in  Augusta!  Watching the girls spend time with Grammy and Papa who live closer now.  Another great year of hiking (this year I hiked Blood Mtn. Springer Mtn., Clemmer Falls, Standing Indian Mtn., & Cloudland Canyon).  Watching my girls grow into young, independent women with very distinct personalities that make them who they are.  A beautiful wife who does a great job balancing being a wife, a mother, and a leader at work.  Rachael, you keep us going and love us greatly!  

May you know His love more abundantly as we celebrate His birth this season!   May you have a blessed new year!  

Jimmy, Rachael, Ruth Grace, Margaret Faith, and Bella