The Wallen Street Journal

"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 This year, we are going digital!  Instead of printing the very lengthy newsletter that we put together each Christmas, we are directing you to this website where you can read our individual letters without having to use a magnifying glass!!  You can click on the photos to see them larger.   If you still prefer a paper copy, let me know and I will send you one.   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 ...

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." John 3:17 Tom Where do I start?  There most likely is not a person reading this letter that is more blessed than I am.  My family continues to grow in number (two new grandchildren) and stature.  I am too young to have four grandchildren!!  Especially with a six-year-old daughter and a wife that looks 30!!  I have complained for many years about my gray hair but would now be grateful for a head FULL of gray hair.  Reflecting back over the past year is daunting.  I thought these years of my life would provide some quieter times and more time to be with Lynn.  Well, I was wrong.  As you will read in this newsletter, we continue to develop new passions, hobbies, jobs, and adventures.  We share experiences that make us laugh and some that make us cry, but all make us grow in our dependence on our Lord and in thank...

Riley is a 4-year-old grey Quarter Horse/Paint and is just under 16 hands, I think. He has only been ridden a couple of times and is very green broke. He hasn’t had any real steady training, so doesn’t know leg commands and is very swervy. But he has an incredibly smooth canter and learns pretty quickly. He kind of has a laid back personality and is really sweet. I can’t picture him as an English horse. He grew up in a field with a bunch of cows and prefers chasing things. His previous owners gave me his papers, but I haven’t switched them over to my name yet. Butterfly is a 5-year-old bay Quarter Horse/Paint and is about 15 hands. She is green broke. She has only been ridden a few times this year, but when I was riding her regularly she responded easily to vocal and leg commands concerning speed. She does not know her leads yet, but when we canter through the field she switches effortlessly on her own without breaking stride or changing speed. I’ve only done western style riding with ...

I do not know how to describe this summer. On one hand it was crazy; on the other it was boring. Living in the city cannot compare to the country. Yes there are lots to do, but it all costs money. Whereas in the country, no one cares if you step out into your backyard and practice shooting. And there are plenty of horses and cows in the country. Anyway, Jade started swimming lessons. At first it was clear she did not like the teacher’s ideas about swimming. But by the second lesson, she would not stop talking about Ms. Kathleen and everything she was learning in her lessons. She begged to go to the pool and looked forward every week to her lessons. Micah started a six week music festival in Main. He learned a lot and had a great time, but was glad to get back home and settle in to prepare for the school year. Christian is working as an intern at Vanderbilt for the summer and is also learning a lot. David is still trying to get into OTS and joining the Marines as an officer. Bu...

Today was by far the best day and highlight of the China tour. At least it was for me. Even though the last couple days were pretty hard, I was super excited and woke up way earlier than necessary. This morning is also our last breakfast in the hotel, so I made it a doozy. We were supposed to head out by 9:00, but a couple people were late, so we didn’t leave until 9:15. I was so wound up I could hardly contain myself. Five years ago Dad, Mom, and I climbed The Great Wall of China. Not all of it of course, but a good portion. Today, our group went to The Great Wall of China. I was so super excited to go back and climb it again! I was too ancy to hold still, and kept standing up and walking to the middle door window to get a good look outside. We finally got there around 10:00, but we couldn’t start climbing yet. Finally at 10:15 they let us through and I bolted to the wall. When I climbed five years ago we went up the steepest part and back down the same....