Christmas Newsletter 2014

Dearly Beloved,

¡Hola! From the far reaches of Northern America, we send you our holiday greetings. With the passing of another year (faster, it seems, than the last) we are thinking of you who have made all the previous years so wonderful. Though we are very far away from most of you, we love you and think of you often.

This month we complete our first full year living as a family in Alaska. Of course, this is all old hat for Irene, but Dominic and I (Tim) are still adjusting. I’m still not a very good Alaskan – I don’t have a beard, and haven’t shot anything lately (actually ever, unless we’re counting BB guns and my parents mailbox). In truth, we all love the beauty of this wonderful heaven-blessed land.

Back in her native habitat, Irene has been busy as ever. She spent the first half of the year training for the Mayor’s Day Marathon in Anchorage, which she ran in late June She finished strong, and was very happy to be done not only with the race itself, but with all the training long-runs as well. We are living in Irene’s parents’ home, and they were with us until mid-September, so Irene was able to spend some wonderful time with her mother gardening, sewing, slaughtering (chickens), and smiling. She started taking classes at the local college in August working toward a degree in dietetics, and just finished the semester with fantastic grades. She is super-woman being mom, wife, and student.

Family photo in Hatcher's Pass-August 2014

At 18 months, Dominic is the life of our home. He loves helping his papa with the chickens, dancing to up-beat music, winking, and praying (he reminds us to do this 7-8 times a day, for which we’re very grateful). His vocabulary has boomed to about 50 words, including hola, home, airplane, pig, and Africa. He is very helpful, always putting his clothes away in the drawers or laundry basket. He is an obedient boy who loves reading books, calling papa at work, and being smothered (almost quite literally) in kisses by his mother.

2014 has seen me, Tim, finish student teaching, obtain my Bachelor’s degree, work a summer job for Delta Airlines as a baggage handler, and get my first career job as the Spanish teacher at Wasilla High School. Living here at the in-laws’ compound, I’ve also learned to raise and care for chickens, run a wood-furnace, care for bees, and eat moose meat in various forms.

Through the year, we have served and been served in wonderful ways in our local LDS ward. As we’ve tried to fill our home with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, He has in turn filled our home and our hearts with peaceful joy and unity. We truly feel heaven in our home together, and thank all of you for your friendship and love.

May the Lord bless you and keep you,

Tim, Irene, and Dominic Hall