Christmas Newsletter, 2012
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace..” Isaiah 9:6
Merry Christmas from the Wallen Family
Tom
You will notice a theme in the
articles you read in this year’s Wallen Street Journal. As a family, we have enjoyed our Lord’s
blessings and provision through many
forms of change; birth, graduations, enrollments, commissions, growth,
discovery, adventures, career changes, and even death. The passing of my father on the day before
Thanksgiving is still very fresh in my spirit. Those of you who have had this
experience understand and not much needs to be said. My father left a deep impression on his
children and grandchildren. The memories
he nurtured in our lives will be shared over and over again as a legacy to his
life. Thanks, Dad!!! Lynn and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary in
October. I am so grateful to have her to share life with. Thank you,
Lord!!! I had an unexpected, though
delightful, career change in February of this year. I now work for Healthcare Performance
Partners, a MedAssets Company. My
hospital architectural design focus is one which has been my passion for many
years, (safe and efficient clinical operations sustained by continuous quality
improvement). I now have the added pleasure of working with professionals that
share a similar passion. My projects stretch across the country and I am
blessed to be able to work with some great clients. Seek the Lord and He shall be found,
especially in His Christmas season!!! I wish you a most blessed Christmas and
New Year, too.
Lynn
Greetings to
you! Another fast-paced year is in the
rear-view mirror. The year began with
David leaving home for the Marines Officer Candidate School. I am sure he will tell you about it in his
letter, but his experience was extremely inspiring for our family. We all
gathered with him on April 1st for his graduation and commissioning as a Second
Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
After six grueling college auditions, Micah graduated from high school
in May and headed off for Carnegie Mellon in August. He is the seventh to have graduated, which
leaves only Jade at home now with me during the school year. Christian also graduated this year, from
college, with honors. What a blessing! We enjoyed a trip to northern Michigan in
July to attend Tom's niece's wedding and spent a week on Long Lake for
vacation. Jade and I visited Rose and
Michael in Tennessee in August for Asher's birth, our fifth wonderful
grandchild. What a blessing to be able
to see our children’s children! I have a
new hobby! I took a class in loom
weaving in September and just purchased a floor loom. Not sure what my first project will be but I
will have to wait until January to get started on it. The year is ending on a
very sad note with Tom’s father passing away in November. Norm Wallen leaves an inspiring legacy with 7
children, 23 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. As we gathered to celebrate his life, we were
reminded how important and encouraging are family bonds. I pray that your
family will be close this Christmas and that you strengthen each other in love
and charity. May God bless you with His joy and peace!
David
Howdy! Well I’m glad to report
that I am alive! As many of you know, I attended Officer Candidate School in Quantico, VA, earlier this
year and received my commission as an officer in the United States Marine
Corps. I then attended The Basic School, also in Quantico, which lasted
till December. As you can imagine, this
past year has been the most difficult year of my life, both physically and
mentally. There are countless stories and lessons learned, but the biggest
lesson was perseverance. I have been pushed to my limits, or at least
what I thought were my limits, daily.
There were many times when I thought I couldn’t go further and in every
instance, I took a step forward and shattered all thoughts of having a
limit. My body has never been in so much
pain. I have never gone so long with so
little sleep. And on top of that, I’ve
never been so active physically and challenged with constant physical strain on
the body. Throughout all this, my body
has been very weak. In all of my
weakness though, I have seen God step in and pull me through to success every
time. Many of you know that I have had
back issues in the past and had to have surgery several years ago to repair
it. People thought I was crazy to put
myself through the rigors of OCS training with a weak back. To me, it was rarely an issue because in the
back of my head, I felt strongly about God calling me to be a Marine. I didn’t know why; I just knew I had to. Well, to put it straightforward, every part
of my body has given me trouble in the past year, except my back. My biggest weakness coming into the Marine
Corps was my back and I am convinced that God took care of it each morning I
bent down to lace my boots, each time I hoisted 200 lb. men on my back and
sprinted across the fields, through the woods, and over every obstacle that
came my way. My biggest weakness
provided God an opportunity to make good on His promise, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in
weakness." 2 Cor. 12:9 I challenge
you to find your biggest weaknesses, and all of your weaknesses, and let the
Lord manifest His strength through those weaknesses. I guarantee you it will be uncomfortable and
people will think you are crazy. It will
require more and more discipline each day in your life and how you walk with
the Lord. It will require faith and
trust. But I stand before you today as
living proof that in our weaknesses, He is made strong; that the impossible is
possible when the Lord calls you. So, as
we roll into 2013, I encourage you to push yourself beyond your “limits” to
achieve your goals! And set high goals, goals that seem impossible! Because you
may be surprised how possible they are with perseverance and discipline. I hope
you and your families have a blessed Christmas and New Year! Semper Fi!Tony and Rachel
Hello all! For us, the highlights of 2012 centered on
outdoor adventures. In May, we decided to undertake a 7-day, 78-mile
backpacking trip in the Smoky Mountains. We set off armed with a water
purification pump, full backpacks, great boots, and the most calorie-dense food
we could find. The first couple hours of the trip went quite well; then came
the rain. We were prepared for wet weather, but not necessarily for constant
precipitation. Soon our clothing was soaked, and would remain so for most of
the trip. Sunlight was rare and thin, resulting in temperatures well below
freezing at times. At least we did not get as wet when the rain turned to snow
and sleet. But all that was smooth sailing compared to the last 36 hours of the
trip. On day 5, Tony and I slept in a shelter on the Appalachian Trail, since
camping outside of the shelters on this popular trail is prohibited. That
night, we vowed never to stay in a shelter again: between the constant, loud
snoring, the solitary leak in the tin roof dripping water directly onto our
sleeping bag, the shoulder-to-shoulder sleeping conditions, the smell, and the
eerie sound of rats gnawing through packs, neither of us slept more than an
hour. We nudged each other comfortingly every time someone’s watch beeped,
sounding the passing of another hour. The next morning, we took stock of our
situation: we were 24 miles from our car, including 4,000 ft of elevation gain
and 10,000 ft of elevation loss, and very passionate about not sleeping in
another shelter. We packed up quickly and headed out, realizing that we had to
make it back to our car by dark. 10 minutes later, we were slammed by a severe
thunderstorm. The rain came down in sheets and visibility dropped to 15 ft. The
lightning looked like cannon fire through the fog, occasionally striking the
ridge we were hiking along. Between
thunderclaps, we were greeted with the splintering sound of trees blowing down
across the trail. While the crazy weather persisted, we hiked, experiencing
rain, hail (up to 1 inch diameter), thick fog, snow, sleet, and 60mph wind
gusts during those 24 miles. As you might have guessed, we made it through just
fine and are already looking forward to the adventures of 2013. Merry Christmas!
Bekah
What’s up, guys? In April, I wrapped up my Sophomore year at
the University of Michigan. Winter
semester was quite busy. Near the end, I
had nine concerts within a few weeks.
There was seldom a night that I didn’t have a rehearsal or concert. I took a summer class at a small college in
Ann Arbor. During this time, I studied,
practiced, and helped Tony and Rachel re-shingle their roof. This was
definitely an experience. My very
optimistic brother thought it would be possible to complete the task in 3
days. He chose Memorial Day weekend to
do so (good idea, Tony, picking the hottest weekend of the year)! We started Thursday afternoon, just ripping
off shingles. Well, whoever shingled his
house last obviously didn’t know what they were doing. Long story short, I spent hours upon hours
Thursday and Friday afternoons and evenings ripping layer upon layer of
shingles off one small section of the roof.
We worked on it all day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, at least, when it
wasn’t raining. Needless to say, at the
close of Monday, we hadn’t even finished a fraction of what Tony had originally
planned for the first day. Thus, for the
next 4 weeks, we spent our evenings on the roof. All I did for over a month was go to class,
practice, work on the roof, eat, and sleep.
If I had laid off the ice scream and Five Guys burgers, I probably would
have lost a lot of weight and been in good shape. In May, I went down to Atlanta to spend some
time with the family. I did some
babysitting, cooking, swimming, and lots of biking. Returning to Ann Arbor in July, I spent the
rest of the summer practicing and working at a gas station. My Junior year at U
of M has kept me busy studying and practicing.
I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to a quiet break. Merry Christmas and Happy Trails, till we
meet again!
Rose and Michael
Wow! Where do I begin? First of all, Merry
Christmas! This has been another whirlwind of a year…it seems like it was just
last month I was telling you about the birth of our daughter, Rosalind. Now I
get to tell you about the arrival of our son Asher Daniel Gray. He was born
August 15. A whopping 8lb 7oz. God is so good! Everything went smoothly without
any problems. Mom and Jade came to help with Rosalind, and were able to be
there with us to experience the delivery. We are truly blessed to have such happy
healthy children who are just as opposite as they can be! That being said, life
is insane with two babies! They are 16.5 months apart…which provides me with
some very full days. :) Michael’s work has been
steady this year, thanks be to God. And God has also blessed my business this
year. I am learning to juggle every-day-life and duties with the responsibility
of working from home. But, I would not trade this life for any other. We joined
a nearby church this spring and have so enjoyed the new friends we have made
and the fellowship we enjoy. Aniya and
Nakiya spent another fun-filled summer with us. We taught Aniya to drive, as
she turned 16 in August and obtained her learner’s permit. Nakiya’s highlight
was eating lobster for the first time for her birthday dinner. Rosalind grew
very attached to her sisters as we all thoroughly enjoyed our six weeks
together as a family. We look forward to spending the Christmas holidays with
Aniya and Nakiya this year as a family of six! We hope you, too, are enjoying
family this Christmas!
Wow! Where do I begin? First of all, Merry
Christmas! This has been another whirlwind of a year…it seems like it was just
last month I was telling you about the birth of our daughter, Rosalind. Now I
get to tell you about the arrival of our son Asher Daniel Gray. He was born
August 15. A whopping 8lb 7oz. God is so good! Everything went smoothly without
any problems. Mom and Jade came to help with Rosalind, and were able to be
there with us to experience the delivery. We are truly blessed to have such happy
healthy children who are just as opposite as they can be! That being said, life
is insane with two babies! They are 16.5 months apart…which provides me with
some very full days. :) Michael’s work has been
steady this year, thanks be to God. And God has also blessed my business this
year. I am learning to juggle every-day-life and duties with the responsibility
of working from home. But, I would not trade this life for any other. We joined
a nearby church this spring and have so enjoyed the new friends we have made
and the fellowship we enjoy. Aniya and
Nakiya spent another fun-filled summer with us. We taught Aniya to drive, as
she turned 16 in August and obtained her learner’s permit. Nakiya’s highlight
was eating lobster for the first time for her birthday dinner. Rosalind grew
very attached to her sisters as we all thoroughly enjoyed our six weeks
together as a family. We look forward to spending the Christmas holidays with
Aniya and Nakiya this year as a family of six! We hope you, too, are enjoying
family this Christmas!
Jade
Hi, I am Jade. I am seven years old now and in the second
grade. Mom is homeschooling me, but on
Thursday mornings we go to a Classical Conversations class where we do school work
with other children. Things like memory
drills, geography, art and science. My
favorite school subjects are reading, science and history. Well, maybe I like them all, except
math. I am still playing the piano and
have also started harp lessons. I want
to play the harp as well as Bekah! I
have a new nephew, Asher! Mom and I were
in the delivery room when he was born.
It was great! Mom said it counted
for science class that week. I do love
playing with all my nieces and nephews.
We went up north to Michigan for a week in July. I played in the water with Celeste. I also drove two pontoon boats. Yes, Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Mary let me drive
their boats. This year was sad for me
because Micah went away to college. Now,
I am the only one left at home with Mom and Dad. I do not like it at all. Mom tells me to be content, but it is so
hard. I miss all my brothers and sisters
so much. Do you like jokes? How did the hamburger introduce his
girlfriend? “Meet Pattie!” I hope you have a Merry Christmas!
Katie and Roberto
Yet another year has gone by in the Diaz household (and
yours too, in case you haven’t noticed)! We have thoroughly enjoyed all of the
adventures that go along with having three little children. Celeste turned four
this year, and is maturing into a delightful little girl. She is super friendly
and will strike up a conversation with anyone. Her favorite activities of the
year are ballet lessons and home school classes. The highlight of the
year, though, was probably being the flower girl in my cousin’s wedding! The
wedding was on Celeste’s birthday, and she talked about it for months before
and after. She is quite the princess! Robbie turned 2 and is still a sweet boy,
though he is becoming a lot stronger! He is quite strong-willed and independent,
which can be a challenge. It is great, however, when it comes to getting jobs
done. He loves to get dressed “all by myself.” I have figured out how to
strategically delegate things to him to make my life easier. Shhhhh! Don’t
tell! His biggest hobby is putting together jigsaw puzzles. He can work most 24
piece puzzles in 10 minutes or so. The largest he has completed on his own was
48 pieces. It took him a few hours, but he managed to finish and was quite
proud of himself. Abigail is ever the joyful toddler. Her constant smiles and
cuddling keep us all in a good mood…most of the time. Other highlights of the
year included a trip to Disneyworld with some very great friends, traveling to
Quantico, VA, for David’s commissioning, and spending almost two weeks in
Michigan visiting family and relaxing on the lake. Roberto caught his first
fish, the kids swam like fish, and I ate fish (rare for me). As always, our
favorite moments were spent at home as a family, growing with each other and
counting our many blessings. Merry Christmas to you!
Christian
Wow! This has been a year full of much change for
me. The early months of 2012 found me in my last semester of
undergraduate studies. Since I had finished most of my required classes
for my major and two minors, I was able to participate in a few interesting
extracurricular activities in addition to my regular classes, one of which was
Electronic Circuits. In February I started working at an agricultural
research center in Jackson, TN, working with a lab that is investigating fungal
diseases of soybeans. It was a very enjoyable and educational experience
and I worked there through most of the summer. In May of this year, I
graduated summa cum laude from Union University with a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. While my time at Union was a
greatly beneficial and wonderful experience, I was excited to begin the next
stage of my education and my life. In July I began a five-year PhD
program at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. It is tremendously exciting
to be taking the next step to becoming a University Professor of Chemistry, one
of my life goals. While the demands of graduate education are high, and
the work is quite intense, I have been enjoying it and have already learned a
great deal. Since moving to Atlanta, I have also been able to spend more
time playing the bagpipes, competing in solo events as well as with the Atlanta
Pipe Band. It feels good to be playing again, after having played so
little in college. God has taught me many lessons this year, some of them
very difficult. But through it all I have been continually reminded of
the power of God’s grace and love for His children. I pray that you too
will feel God’s love and be reminded of His grace during this Christmas season.
Micah
Golly, where to start? This past year
has been full of too many changes to count! In the spring, I went through a
rigorous process of applying and auditioning to 8 different conservatories and
music schools. After much prayer and deliberation, I decided to attend Carnegie
Mellon University, class of 2016. I am majoring in violin performance and so
far this past semester I have loved being a student at Carnegie Mellon, though
at first it was difficult getting used to the extremely rigorous schedule filled
with lessons and classes. I have met numerous new friends and am learning many
new things in an exciting way. In the summer, I again attended the Bowdoin
Music Festival in Maine. I enjoyed
playing chamber music and studying with professor Cyrus Forough, who happens to
be my teacher at CMU. I look forward to learning many new things at Carnegie
Mellon in the next 4 years. Have a very Merry Christmas! 
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