Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

We have had a very eventful year, with more big happenings ahead of us. The kids had some particularly difficult challenges, and some exceptionally wonderful experiences. In our family we lost a beloved grandmother, and welcomed a couple of newborn cousins. And so goes life.

Zac had a fabulous senior year, graduated from high school, and is currently a freshman at Brigham Young University. Of note is his recent HUGE accomplishment of finishing his novel, which he’s been working on for about three years. Tim is currently assisting Zac in editing the book, in preparation for submission for publication. For updates on Zac’s creative enterprises, follow slingerofink on Twitter.

On the way home from our second summer stint at the Nauvoo Pageant, we stopped in Nashville so Tim could participate in an exciting job interview. An offer came in late July, and four days later, the kids and I piled in the van and took off for Tennessee, because school was starting the following Monday! It was an adventure to say the least! We lived in two hotels and then with a wonderful family we met at church, until we were able to find and close on a house in our new town, about 30 minutes outside of Nashville. Tim is now very happy to work as a consultant for Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, a healthcare public-affairs firm. Go to www.jarrardinc.com and check 'em out.

The girls jumped right into things at their new high school, with Cati retiring her clarinet in lieu of playing percussion, and Megan joining the marching band color guard. Nate was excited to hear about a local arts academy, but we learned it is very difficult to get into. We applied anyway, and after his second day at his assigned neighborhood school, we got a call inviting him to come interview. He transferred the next day, and he’s one happy kid! He’s especially enjoying his drama club experiences.

Now, a glimpse into the Strickland family future: Cati is graduating a year early. Some of you have expressed dismay that she would miss her senior year. Since we moved, she has an entirely different peer group, most of whom are seniors. So this year IS her senior year (i.e, she skipped her junior year.) And she’s really enjoying it, while at the same time looking forward to heading off to college in the fall, hopefully to one of the BYUs (there are campuses in Utah, Idaho, and Hawaii).

Megan also has some big changes to look forward to. We are going to try an academic experiment. Megan will be withdrawing from public school after this semester, and will be enrolling in an entirely-online high school. We’ve checked, and our local school district accepts transfer credit from the online high school, so we’ll always have the option of re-enrolling locally, without any loss of credit. Because the online courses are self-paced, Megan will be able to pursue her piano studies and service work during school hours, freeing up her evenings and weekends. She’ll also be able to take Arabic (which she’s long had an interest in) and eventually take college classes for high school AND college credit, if she wishes to do so.

Finally, as we look forward, we are excitedly waiting to hear where Zac will be serving his Church mission. He has completed his application and scheduled the needed ecclesiastical interviews. Tim thinks Zac will hear by late January where he will be assigned to serve. Any guesses anyone? Keep an eye on our facebook pages for an update!

Life is good! We love you and wish you the merriest of Christmases and a new year full of happy surprises!

Love,

Tim, Pam, Zac, Cati, Megan & Nate

The Stricklands

608 Winthrop Avenue

Smyrna, TN  37167