merry christmas from the {worrell} family

December 2013- Here it is.  The annual Worrell family Christmas card.

And yes, it happens to be non-traditional.  I just wanted to do something a little different this year.  My very dear friend took the pictures for us back at the beginning of November and while I didn't know exactly what the card design would be, I had a rustic vision in mind.  I've really been into the whole Native American semi-tribal theme lately so I was leaning a bit toward that concept.  And since Brazos' favorite color happens to be turquoise, finding him something to wear that also went with everyone else's attire was a bit challenging.  But I loved the way it turned out.  These pictures are so incredibly amazing and after playing with the design of the card for several days I finally got it to a point that made me swoon.  I love it and hope everyone that received it did too.

Now for the letter.  As you can imagine it is something that takes a great deal of thought to draft.  Casey and I usually have creative differences in the writing process but end up with something that we don't mind sharing.

Here is the 2013 version that went out en masse with the cards {which I believe in some way helped our local post office meet their quota for the month}:

Worrell Wanderings

2013

“Out of the Indian approach to life there came a great freedom- an intense and absorbing love for nature; a respect for life; enriching faith in a Supreme Power; and principles of truth, honesty, generosity, equity, and brotherhood as a guide to mundane relations.”  It is this Native American teaching that resonates most as Casey spent much of the summer teaching the River Boys about the outdoors, specifically Native American history in the Texas Hill Country.  After discovering an old Indian camp site on our property, the trio spent as many days as possible digging for arrowheads and artifacts, discovering some that date back 5,000 years.  The boys say it is better than finding gold.  The only problem is Casey has convinced them we have a cave blockaded by hundreds of years of debris from a changing landscape.  Erin is begging them not to begin exploration with dynamite, but she may not be able to prevent them from renting an excavator the next time she is away.  Nothing would make Brazos happier than heavy equipment in the yard, Pecos could serve as safety supervisor and Casey would find out once and for all if of our house sits atop thousands of years of artifacts.

Pecos had a great time this year playing t-ball and flag football; he may be built for basketball but refuses to give it a try.  He says that’s too much running and fighting for the ball and prefers things a bit more structured.  He is taking a break from roping and riding for a different type of cowboy- the Dallas Cowboys.  In fact, he enjoys all football and thanks to the DVR most plays of any game watched on our TV are paused and backed up for further review. For the annual Thanksgiving football game with his Uncle Duke he took time to write up his own playbook.  A trip to the National Museum of the Pacific War in our own backyard of Fredericksburg, TX has him analyzing World War II military strategy in the Pacific War when there’s no football game to watch.  He is in first grade and doing well with the challenges of reading and grammar, yet wants to be a scientist.  His grades reflect his studious nature but when he brought home a ‘B’ on a recent worksheet he wanted to know if he would still be able to get into Texas A&M one day.  Spelling so far has been a breeze and he often speaks to us with a pause to spell out words.  Lego creations still occupy much of his free time- and most available storage space in his room- but he is finding it harder to convince his brother to play something else.

Brazos is still relentless in his pursuit to be the funny, busy, loud one.  All he needs is a hint that something he does makes you laugh and he will repeat it a hundred times.  He has one speed and one volume level: fast and loud.  Despite his daredevil tendencies we’ve survived one more year without a trip to the emergency room.  He still loves tractors and construction equipment so we’re thinking a dump truck when he’s old enough to drive might be the safest thing for him.  This year Erin decided it was time to get few laying hens and Brazos has been her top hand.  Those poor chickens are caught daily and treated to tractor rides, the swing set and an occasional jump on the trampoline.  So far we have not seen a decline in egg production.  His favorite color is turquoise {perhaps a product of spending most of his days with mom}, and says he wants to be a chicken rancher when he grows up- a dump truck driving chicken rancher. He attends pre-school a few days a week in Harper but says he doesn’t like it because they use too many words {translation: they teach instead of just letting him play in the sandbox all day}. 

Even with the charge of keeping pace with family activities, Erin maintains her role as an associate with Demeter Communications, along with an assortment of project management, writing, and quite the array of other tasks in her freelance work.  She’s even managed to find time to substitute at the school in Harper, which Pecos thinks is pretty neat…he may change his mind when he gets to junior high. Her annual escape with college girlfriends this year was a big one- an expedition to Iceland!  Yes, Iceland, as in near the Arctic Circle.  As cliché as it sounds, it truly was the trip of a lifetime.  After three days of hiking glaciers, getting sprayed by breathtaking waterfalls, tromping through ancient Viking ceremonial sites, standing in the shadow of volcanoes, traversing the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and soaking in healing geo-thermal waters, her official statement is: Iceland is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.  She loves learning more about photography, although time for it is at a premium.  If you’ve checked her blog lately - www.theworrellfamily.blogspot.com - you’ll notice it is embarrassingly outdated.  Anyone want to borrow the River Boys for a month or two so she can get caught up?

Casey continues to be blessed with his ultrasound business, traveling about eight months out of the year.  Pecos has informed him by the mileage between the odometers of his two trucks he has driven the equivalent to the moon and back…and then some.  His loyal customers now stretch across the country, and have become like extended family to him. He continues to cram as much as he can into a day’s work, spending almost as many hours driving as he does at the squeeze chute.  If you are one of his customers that gets scheduled on the coldest day of the year, or late at night, or turned down for your lunch offer please understand that it is only so he can get as much done as possible in a day and make it home as soon as he can.  The boys and Erin truly appreciate those of you who put up with the inconvenience.  {Here’s a hint: if you’d like him to stick around longer you’ll need an arrowhead mound and the promise to let him keep whatever he finds.}  Nonetheless, Casey truly enjoys his work but it is the adventure he likes most.  He recently told Erin he is planning an international trip that includes time on a boat. Come to find out it is not a European cruise; rather, the Texas-Mexico border crossing in Big Bend National Park has opened after being closed for the past seven years.  There is no bridge to cross so the boat ride he mentioned is nothing more than a paddle across the river in a jon boat followed up with a ride to town on a donkey provided by some enterprising residents of Boquillas. 

As we reflect back on a year of celebrated friendships and remember the loved ones we’ve lost, we thank God for our many blessings and rejoice as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.  In the words of Chief Red Cloud, “I hope the Great Heavenly Father, who will look down upon us, will give all the tribes his blessing, that we may go forth in peace, and live in peace all our days, and that he will look down upon our children and finally lift us far above this earth.”

Blessings and Beef,

The Worrell Family

Casey ~ Erin ~ The River Boys