This was a year of firsts for us. It was our first time to live in a mobile home, our first time to live in a fifth-wheel trailer, our first time to live in a high rise apartment, and our first time to live in another country. Marunong ako kaunting Tagalog ngyon. It is the first time I can say in Tagalog, “I know a little Tagalog”. Maycie is our first child, we are celebrating Christmas away from home for the first time, which means we will start some of our own family traditions…for the first time. It is the first time we have been without a vehicle, the first time we have had a live-in house helper, the first time we have bought a fake Christmas tree and it will be the first time that we will have visitors. Brian’s parents are our first visitors in the Philippines and they are coming in just a couple of weeks. While they are here Brian will hike with his parents to the tribe where he lived when he was a boy. It will be the first time he has been back since he was 7 years old!
With so many firsts it has been a bit of an overwhelming year. The list goes on, and it was longer, but I got annoyed with the word “first” so I decided to quit. We are excited for this Christmas season and sad all at the same time. Even though we have Brian’s parents here we are still sad to be away from the rest of our family and our friends. To all of you who we won’t see this Christmas have a Merry Christmas! Of course most people are just upset that they can’t see Maycie at Christmas time, so we put together an album of what she will look like on Christmas morning next to our fake tree. You can see it by clicking the link below.