12-03-2021


"Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel," which translated means, 
"God With Us."  Matthew 1:23



Lake house, 12-13-2021


Dear Friends and Family, 


We pray that you and your families are enjoying a blessed holiday season.  It has been an interesting and unusual year for many of us.  Aren’t you glad that our awesome God remains constant and steadfast, no matter the circumstances?  Nothing surprises Him or causes Him anxiety.  We can experience complete and perfect peace since He holds us in the palm of His hand.  One of His names is Emanuel, which means “God with us.”  Indeed, He is always with us! 


Though Jade’s schooling keeps me busy, I steal every chance I can to weave on my floor looms, weave baskets, or make soap.  I enjoy keeping ancient traditions alive and demonstrating for my grandchildren that things did not always come from Walmart or Amazon. 


In addition to his regular work, Tom has been very busy working on our lake house.  As I mentioned in last year’s newsletter, we are building a retirement home on Long Lake in Alpena, MI.  Tom is acting as contractor and coordinating all of the subcontractors.  Things are coming along well and we should be able to spend next summer there.  It will not be completely finished because we plan to do most of the trim work ourselves - in between fishing and boating!  I posted photos of the lake house as well as our children and grandchildren on our family website at www.wallenstreetjournal.com.  Enjoy the children’s personal letters below.

Have a very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year,

Lynn and Tom and families


Jade

It feels like my life has changed so much in a year.  Currently, I am a junior in high school.  Visiting colleges and taking college entrance tests have become common events in my life.  After obtaining my driver’s license last summer, I started working at Dunkin Donuts.  Ironically, I am neither a coffee-drinker nor a donut-enthusiast but, thankfully, that’s not essential to my job.  I still enjoy practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and have competed at several tournaments.  Helping teach kid’s class at my BJJ gym is one of the highlights of my year.  Overall, I am extremely grateful for everything I’ve learned this year and for my awesome family.  Glory to God and a Merry Christmas to you all!

  







Micah and Christy

This year has been a challenging but rewarding year for us both. Throughout the early months of 2021, I dedicated my time to studying for the bar exam while working full time. After months of nervous waiting, we were overjoyed to find out I passed and am officially an Esquire! I started work directly afterwards for an international law firm in DC. While it has been truly satisfying to finally put my years of law school to use on a career path, the work load has been challenging. Many late nights and long weekends. Christy received a promotion at work, and also has had an increasingly busy schedule throughout the year. Last January, we moved across the river from D.C. to Northern Virginia and are enjoying the change of scenery and additional work space our new apartment affords. Earlier this summer, we celebrated my graduation from Georgetown Law School with a commencement ceremony at Nationals Park.  Thankfully, Christy and I have been able to work remotely for most of the year and are able to spend time together despite the busy schedules. We were blessed to be able to continue to explore America’s roller coasters and theme parks, including a new tallest coaster for both of us, Fury 325 at 325 feet tall! We look forward to exploring more of our great country in 2022, and all that God has planned for us.

                                 






Bekah and Kevin

Howdy everyone!!! I hope your year has been filled with as many joyous memories as ours! We welcomed a new member into our family this summer, Francesca Lynn. God has blessed us again with His amazing miracle of life and we couldn’t be happier. She is such a joy!  Michael is completely enamored with her and tries to share all his toys. He takes the role of big brother seriously by always bringing me fresh diapers and insisting on throwing away the dirty ones. Patrick thrives in his hockey adventures and his team has been doing quite well, winning numerous games and tournaments. Stephanie also does well in hockey, but isn’t as focused as Patrick. She enjoys doing other things, including baking.  To be totally honest, I eat most of all the delicious treats that she makes! We have added a few more animals to our farm this year. A pair of goats has grown into a herd of 11 at one point, five of them born on our farm. Witnessing the miracle of life always amazes me. Recently we brought home a couple of miniature ponies. Michael isn’t too sure about them; they must seem like giant dogs to him! Kevin planted several new gardens this summer, including tons of sunflowers which we harvested and fed to the chickens, and a large variety of squash and melons. The melons did not do so well, but we ate squash every day for months! He also planted a large pumpkin patch which did very well. We sold most of the pumpkins on our roadside farm stand and I spent a week canning pumpkin for future baking. Before Francesca arrived in early July, I worked pretty hard on my garden. Kevin, I, and the kids, harvested all the corn and put over 60 pounds in the freezer. Since our apple trees did so well this year, I spent a few weeks canning apples. We’ll have applesauce and pie slices all winter! Life on the farm is full of adventure and I thank God every day for blessing us in so many ways. I hope you have had a wonderful year and have a very Merry Christmas. Happy trails, till we meet again! 

 









Christian and Rebecca

Greetings from the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina! This has been a year of adjustments for us, as we have settled into our new lives in Boone as a family of four. I have been learning a lot in my position as a chemistry professor at Appalachian State University, and Rebecca has started an adjunct position in a newly-launched university program for teaching English to non-native speakers, which she has really enjoyed. Melanie is turning one and is going to start walking any day now. Kaitlyn is turning three and loves playing with her friends, especially at our local playgrounds. It has been special to watch them grow and learn so much this past year and see their own unique personalities emerge.







 



David and Amanda

Our sweet family continues to grow as we are expecting our fourth child in 2022! The girls are especially excited about having a baby brother. Ellie is three this year and loves dancing and taking swimming lessons with her sister. Seraphina is two and loves to color, sing, and cuddle with mom and dad every chance she gets. Attalie is only one, but is talking and running around trying not to get left behind by her older sisters! They are all talking more and more each day, adding to the daily excitement as we are blessed to watch and help them learn and grow. Amanda is still working part time from home as a Corporate Development Advisor for her property management company. I continue to work and spend every extra minute experiencing adventure with the girls and Amanda. This summer, we took a great trip to the Northeast, visiting Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.  We explored lighthouses, sampled maple syrup and cheeses, and enjoyed the mountains! We recently visited Florida to be with family this Thanksgiving, and are excited to visit North Carolina and Tennessee to visit grandparents and family for Christmas. We hope you and your families are having a blessed year!

 








Rose and Michael

Greetings! As we find ourselves at the end of 2021, it’s good to look back at the year and see from where God has brought us, and how He has provided for us. We entered 2021 with Michael still in a wheelchair from the accident last fall, and I’m thankful to report that he has made a wonderful recovery! He was able to start walking without assistance in February. Thank you all who supported and prayed for us during that time. We completed the building of our new home in August and spent our first day celebrating Asher’s 8th birthday. It’s a blessing to be able to enjoy the house and a beautiful piece of property. Asher has been fishing in the pond and is now quite the fisherman! He’s excitedly looking forward to summers at the Lake house! Rosalind, 10, is an ever-growing artist and crafter. She’s an eager reader, enjoys helping in the kitchen, and helps us keep track of Verity! Verity, 2, never stops moving, dancing, singing and talking. She wants to do everything her brothers do, and almost can! Calem, 7, and Angus, 5, are “Best Buds” as they play with cars, trains, our pets, and ride bikes together. Calem is always thinking and keeps me laughing at his musings. Angus is ever exploring, but a sweet guardian of little Verity who is always close behind. Everywhere I go, I’m stopped by people commenting on my beautiful children. His blessings are abundant. “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thess. 3:16









 


Tony and Rachel

It’s hard to believe we are nearing the end of 2021; for us and I imagine for many of you, it has felt more like 2020-Part 2. Work continues to bring regular challenges and new responsibilities. Tony continues to enjoy and gain further experience as the leader of the Mechanical Engineering team at Link Engineering and Rachel accepted a supervisory role in Inventory and Receiving. Outside of work, traveling has again been a highlight for us. This year Tony experienced slot canyons for the first time and we finally made it to Katie’s favorite national park, Bryce Canyon. Rachel filled a gap in her national park experience by visiting the Grand Canyon. We also winter camped at the coldest temperatures we had yet experienced at a non-electric campsite (16 degrees F). Some neat birding opportunities presented themselves along the way, including observing several endangered California Condors in the wild. Hey, you don’t need to finish on-going house projects if you are never home, right? Merry Christmas and here’s to new adventures in 2022!









Katie and Roberto

Merry Christmas! It was another busy year for the Diaz branch of the Wallen family.  Celeste is 13 and thriving academically. She has really taken ownership of her education and loves school! This makes her homeschool Mom very happy. Her favorite subjects are formal logic and persuasive writing. Robbie is almost 12 and loves everything science. He is constantly taking things apart, fixing stuff around the house, and completing massive puzzles. He is witty and such a sweet brother to his many sisters. Abigail, our kind and joyful 10-year-old, excels in art and gardening. She has successfully started a butterfly garden in our back yard and is one of my best helpers around the house. Eight-year-old Katherine is maturing so quickly. She loves dance and gymnastics and does very well in her school work. She enjoys long scooter rides while looking for wildlife. Leah is five and a spunky, funny, Mommy's girl. She constantly makes us laugh with her practical jokes and silly stories. I love her imagination! Roberto and I feel so blessed with our family and enjoy watching the kids grow. Between family activities and church involvement, we do not have much extra time, but we did manage to travel to visit family members throughout the year! It was truly an enjoyable year.















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