2008 In Review

Merry Christmas from the Hudson Family!

From 2008 in Review

From 2008 in Review

We have had a great year! We spent a week in Washington DC in May learning more about our country. It was great to see all the things that we had been reading about in school. We went back to Juarez, Mexico for the week of Thanksgiving serving, playing, feeding and witnessing to the people there. God showed up in amazing ways providing just enough food for the amount of people we had and protecting our team in a very violent area.

From 2008 in Review

Collin - 2008 was good because I have love, joy, peace, and kindness. I like going to karate with Connor. I liked going on the Subway in Washington DC. It was really fun playing soccer in Mexico with all the kids who were really, really, good! I like memorizing the book of James in school.

From 2008 in Review

Caileigh - I had a good year. The best was having a sleep over with Carli and Didi Bulow. The boys were gone so I had a whole week alone with Mom doing girl things. I have been taking Irish Dance which I really like. In school we learned about Fungi, which was really interesting. We went to Mexico and I was able to see a girl open my shoebox present. I liked going to Jenny's Feeding Center in Juarez and serving food. Merry Christmas!

From 2008 in Review

Connor - My favorite things this year was being on a First Lego League team and having my 10th Birthday at the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. I enjoy doing Karate and am going to test for my yellow belt soon. I am enjoying Singapore Math in school.

From 2008 in Review

Dawn - I continue to homeschool the kids, Connor is in 6th grade and the twins are in 3rd grade. They are a joy to teach and we so enjoy being together. This year marked a difference with the amount of activities (karate, Irish Dance, soccer, piano etc) that the kids were in so it seemed like I spent a majority of my late afternoons playing chauffeur. I am very grateful that we got a new car in April so the car time was much more pleasant ( I love my Subaru Tribeca - it makes me smile). I spent Nov and Dec directing the Christmas play at church which turned out well - other than the fact that I completely forgot the last song. Oh well, no one's perfect ( I am almost perfect- like Mary Poppins).

From 2008 in Review

Scott - I'm still an XML consultant and active in several OASIS technical committees. This year, I expanded my horizons and decided to coach a First Lego League team. We set our expectations to having fun and learning. At Regionals, we tied for 5th place and won the FLL Rising Stars award! I have a new call sign this year, too: W0XML (yeah, pretty geeky). I also can't forget my new ride! I got a Honda Shadow Aero in January and have been commuting almost daily to work. At 55mpg, it's quite an improvement over the truck!

From 2008 in Review

As this year ends and the new year begins, we pray that God will bless you and yours. With all our love,

Scott, Dawn, Connor, Caileigh and Collin

Following the Star...

As yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent, we studied Prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah. The Star of Bethlehem also plays a significant part in foretelling the coming of the King.

We watched an extremely interesting video concerning the Star and research that was done matching the Scriptures and celestial positions using the Starry Night software. More information can be found at: http://bethlehemstar.net/.

If you have any kind of interest in astronomy or are looking for deeper meaning to this Christmas season, I would highly encourage you to check it out!

Merry Christmas 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

This year we're trying something a little different. We're sending out Christmas Cards without the traditional letter and directing people here to do our part in "being green".

We've had a great year! Here's an update from each of the family members:

Dawn - I'm still busy with homeschooling the kids, which I enjoy more and more as the kids get older and we start talking and learning about really interesting things like the science of creation or the effect of Christianity in Rome or the foundations and beliefs of the United States. It's great fun! This year was extra chaotic as I directed our church's summer VBS program, hosted my Grandma's 80th Birthday and am currently co-directing the Christmas play. The word 'No' is still a concept beyond me. Scott and I did manage to spend some quality time in NYC for our 11th anniversary where my wonderful husband took me to "Mary Poppins" and "The Lion King" on Broadway. I loved every second of it and then and there determined to bring the kids to "The Little Mermaid" which was being held in Denver for pre-Broadway shows in August. We had a magical time. Oh, and we went back to Disneyland with our adopted family Mo and Alex Gulas in September. I know, it's an addiction but one not likely to end any time soon. Overall, God is good everyday and has blessed us with a fabulous year!

Scott - I'm now in my 3rd year as a consultant, and I've spoken at 3 conferences and have a technical book out with an interested publisher! I've been fortunate to only work with one major client this year, and that work has taken me to New York City, San Francisco and Oxford, England! Oxford was a particular treat, since I took a little extra time (on Mother's Day nonetheless, which Dawn continues to point out...) to go on the C.S. Lewis tour and experience this incredible city! Dawn and I have been able to travel quite a bit together this year, including New York City, San Diego (twice), and our favorite: Disneyland! It was great to spend the day with Brandon and getting to meet Carina! We also got to see the Red Bull Air Races in San Diego on that trip (very cool!). I was also blessed to take Collin to a Broncos game, and Connor to Game 3 of the World Series! Caileigh and I have a special engagement in December, too. This year, I also took the MSF safety course and now have my motorcycle endorsement, and am saving patiently for a good commuter bike. Life continues to be busy, but fun, and blessed with good family (including a new nephew, Garrin!) and friends.

Connor - I am 9 years old and in 5th grade, and learning Spanish, Latin and started a new math program from Singapore (Singapore Math). In June I went to a Bible camp by myself for the first time, called Maranatha. I went with my best friend, Austin. I played basketball last January, and I learned about a new programming language called Scratch! I continue to learn piano and compose my own songs, too! I really liked going on California Screamin' at Disneyland and getting soaked at Sea World. I got to meet Dusty Baker at the World Series, which was AWESOME!

Caileigh - I am 6 years old and in 2nd grade. I have a really fun math and I like to do art the most. I had swim lessons and went to Soccer Camp this summer, which I really loved. The new Nemo ride at Disneyland was really fun. I liked the roller coasters too. I also went to Sea World and saw the dolphins which I really liked. I got to talk to a dolphin trainer, too. I had a great time seeing Little Mermaid before it went to Broadway! I really studied hard and got a really big part in the Christmas Play; the character's name is Holly. Merry Christmas!

Collin - I am 6 years old and in 2nd grade. This year I went to Disneyland and my favorite was getting Miss Mo on Tower of Terror, since I had to go on Pirates (I was scared and didn't like it)! I went to Soccer Camp with coach Poncho and I loved it. I've been in soccer for a long time. I also went to Grammy's house with my favorite cousin, Jadin. I also went to the Children's Museum with my friends Carly and DiDi. I loved going to a Broadway show, too. It was very special and I didn't have to wear a tuxedo! I went to the Broncos game and had Dippin Dots (yum)!

We hope you enjoy this special time of year as we celebrate the birth of God's son! Merry Christmas!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas, and I'm going to get it! A massive storm has hit Colorado, and we have 25" so far as of 11pm. It's supposed to continue snowing until noon tomorrow, and the rate so far has been 1-2" per hour! Here are some pics:

Update: the snow is tapering off as of 9am on 12/21. Storm total: 26" with drifts to 4'!

Sing-Along Messiah

A friend of ours wanted to celebrate her birthday yesterday by getting a group together for a sing-along of Handel's "Messiah".

At the Boettcher Theater, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, soloists and the audience held a “sing along” of Handel’s beloved masterpiece. We had a good mix: 2 Bass, 2 Soprano, and 3 Alto. We sat together for Part 1, since we wanted to enjoy the time together, instead of splitting up to sit by SATB sections. Cindy even brought full scores for everyone to sing from! The problem, is that we happened to pick the Tenor section. We had a very good, strong tenor right behind us, and the two of us Bass singers kept getting thrown off our parts.

For Parts 2 and 3, the two of us Bass singers moved to the Bass section. It was much easier to sing on key and at the right time! We had a great time, and even got to sing the Hallelujah Chorus twice, as an encore.

You can also attend and just listen, but singing was very fun. I would highly recommend this next year!

Categories: Music