Christmas Letter December 2011

Christmas Letter December 2011

 Dear Family and Friends,                                                                                                                                              

We hope this letter finds you all well.  It has been an exciting and very eventful year for the Chris Wells Family.  Our time in England came to a close mid-August of this year.  We were very sad to leave our new-found friends and we look back on our time together fondly.  But we are very happy to be back in our small hometown of Fowlerville and were able to move into our house again a few days after arriving in Michigan.  It was very warm when we arrived, but is now colder and rainy and damp.  Reminds us a lot of England!  J

Before we left we were able to visit Ireland and Italy.  Then in July Chris’s parents and siblings with their spouses came over for a visit.  It was a really neat experience!

Once we arrived back in Michigan, school was fast-approaching.  The shipping container full of our household items wasn’t due to arrive for 6 more weeks so we only had rental furniture and whatever we brought in our suitcases.  We didn’t bring any school supplies so a trip to the store was due.  The children attended all their orientations and have been loving US schools since the first day.  They really missed not having to wear uniforms.  Jonathan and Mikael are both in different buildings but Elizabeth is in the same one she left from.  Everyone is adjusting well.

Chris is glad to be back at Jackson National Life in the USA.  While we were abroad, the Jackson audit team moved to another building 5 minutes down the road.  It has taken him some getting used to, but he gets to wear jeans everyday to work, poor guy.   He is 2^nd counselor in the bishopric which can be challenging at times, but overall he’s handling things very well. 

Karen is happy to be back in the USA, although the first month or two was rough.  She missed her friends in the UK very much.  She also missed not having to work.  Right before Thanksgiving she put in an application at Jackson and they called her for an interview.  An hour or two later she was offered a job.  She works three days a week from 9-2pm when needed, it's that flexible.   She works with some of the same people two years ago when at Jackson and have gained new friends.  She plays piano in Relief Society and sometimes plays the organ in sacrament meetings, musical numbers and primary.  Pack Committee Chair is her calling in the ward where she works with the cub scouts.  She is also Vice President of the PTO at Elizabeth’s school and teaches piano after school two days a week at the moment.   Her life is never dull.

Jonathan grew about 5 more inches this year.  He is now 5 foot 7 ½ inches tall at the age of 14 ½.  His voice is so deep that he sounds like Chris.  When people aren’t looking at them it’s hard to tell their voices apart.   He just finished reading the Harry Potter series.  That was a hard one for him.  He doesn’t really like Harry Potter but he did it anyway.  He is really into sci-fi; Loves the Lightening Thief Series and Percy Jackson.  Video Games are his thing.  If he’s not doing his chores or reading he’d rather be video gaming or talking about Dungeons and Dragons and which monster would win in a fight.

Mikael is a funny kid.  He has a very quick wit which keeps us laughing.  He still loves to draw although due to some school schedule changes in the beginning of the year he was not able to get any art classes which was very disappointing.  He loves being back in the US schools and has adjusted well.  Outdoor stuff is his passion.  He loves camping in his new scout tent that Chris bought for him and Jonathan.  They’ve even set it up inside the house to sleep in it because it has been too cold and rainy outside.  He can’t wait to go camping this summer and summer of 2013 will be a big Boundary Waters trip which he talks about constantly.  He still gets anxious over new things, but is slowly learning that it is not always as bad as he thinks it will be.

Elizabeth is still a bundle of energy.  Singing is her favorite thing to do although she won’t always perform when asked.  She is in Honors Choir at school and loves every minute of it since they like it when she sings.  She attends activity days at the church twice a month and has horse lessons twice a month on Saturdays.  She has started reading the book series about dragons that starts with Eragon.  She loves them and I’ve never seen her so anxious to read!  She brings the books with her everywhere.  Her emotions have been a roller coaster ride since arriving back from the UK.  Some days we’ve ruined her life, other days we are her best friends.  Can’t wait for the teenage years!  Not!!

                Our house is almost back to the same condition it was before we left.  We repainted some rooms and had to buy some new electronics, but the outside still needs work.  It will keep us very busy come spring.  Can’t wait to see the blooming flowers and start a garden again.  But we are happy to be able to spend Christmas in Michigan for the first time in two years.  The kids were so excited to get the decorations out.

                Over the past year we have seen our Heavenly Father’s hand in our lives and are grateful for it.  We are very blessed. 

Happy Holidays to each and every one of you.  May God Bless you in all you do!

Love,

Chris, Karen, Jonathan, Mikael and Elizabeth Wells