Dear Friends and Family!
We are exceptionally behind on things this year and so we wanted to just briefly write to wish you a very Merry Christmas! We have been in Canada now for over a year and we have had so many different experiences. From swimming, skating, baseball, soccer, hockey and Irish dancing to camping and road trips and summer camps, we have been trying to experience as much as possible while enjoying the differences here. We still miss aspects of life in Austria- first and foremost our friends and family. Secondly, the bakery! But we have tried to make up for these things as best we can! :-)
We have two pieces of news to share with you. First of all, we have purchased a 16 acre (about 6.5 ha) piece of land. Now we have the winter to plan our home and begin building in the spring. It is amazing to see what burocracy there is when you want to build. I think that I most look forward to purchasing a good washing machine- a European model- because there IS a difference there. That sounds either boring or very motherly but, if you were in my position, you would be eager for that too! :-)
Secondly, I have accepted a full time job as a teaching assistant in Heritage Community Christian School. This will start in January. I'm excited to start working there, especially as part of my job involves sorting books every morning at their thrift shop! This is a great shop and we do go there first whenever we need something.
We are house sitting for friends over Christmas and are thankful that we have three bedrooms to use. We also have a wood furnace here and the warmth is lovely. Jonathan and Rebecca have each taken on a paper route in Brockville though, so we still have to drive into town frequently to get that delivered. They are mostly enjoying it, and Jeremiah likes helping on Thursdays when there are extra flyers to be delivered.
We want to now wish you a very Merry and Joyous Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour!
With love,
Cathy, Dominik, Jonathan, Rebecca, Elena, Jeremiah and Josiah
