The 2003 Newsletter
Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by to read our newsletter. If there were lots of new things in 2002, then 2003 seems to have been a year of consolidation and settling down! We’ve now been in our new house for just over a year and although Dave’s DIY skills are not particularly well noted (with good reason), we’ve managed to get our bedroom pretty much done and the kitchen about half done! Mostly due to getting people in to help us! If Dave manages to fit a curtain rail over Christmas, then the bedroom will be pretty much there although the kitchen’s need for some plastering is probably a bit beyond his natural talents!
We’ve now been at St Matthew’s church in High Brooms for a similar amount of time and starting to feel like it’s our home. Dave has done some teaching sessions for the youth in the last few weeks while Kerry helps to lead the Sunday morning sessions for the eight to ten year olds. We went away to New Wine with the church during the summer and Dave even managed to peel himself away from work for a week to help out and lead a small group of kids. We had great fun and were truly blessed!!
The highlights of the year were probably our holidays. A very brief trip to Portugal for Luis and Caroline’s wedding (Hi guys!!) was followed by New Wine and then two weeks in Egypt. Dave was keen to go back for the third time to show Kerry around and introduce her to his friends so we booked the trip and headed out to Cairo in August – blistering heat (40 degrees plus) but definitely a fantastic time. We visited Luxor (which was new for Dave) as well as Cairo and then the Sinai desert, Mount Sinai itself and then Dahab where we snorkelled in the coral and dined, looking at the mountains of Saudi Arabia across the water! Aside from the holiday, the main purpose was to go and see Dave’s friend Joe and his fianceé Joh (Hi guys!!) and spend time with them prior to their wedding. It was a fantastic time in a fantastic country. We loved it.
The end of the year and Dave has turned 30 years old. Kerry threw him a surprise party just recently and thanks to all who attended from near and far. He truly had no idea it was coming – and is now very worried about whether he knows when his wife is lying or not!!
Kerry is still working at Woodlands Junior School in Tonbridge although has dropped down to the year three class this academic year from year four last year. The Autumn term brought an OFSTED inspection which was tense and nerve racking but the school did well and got a good report. Kerry is just glad it’s over.
Dave is still working at Church House Publishing (don’t forget to visit the web site and see Dave’s dashing business photo) and mostly enjoying it despite a fair amount of frustration at church politics. Visual Liturgy 4.0 is now out after much blood, sweat and tears and is doing well. He’ll being working on that a lot more in 2004 as other churches around the world consider doing their own versions.
Dave continues to turn out for Brenchley FC on a Saturday afternoon despite an increasingly dodgy pair of knees.They still lose more than they win but Dave’s consoles himself in the knowledge that they are not as bad as Tottenham.
If you need to write to us with Christmas cards etc, the new address is 81 Clifton Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3AT.
So that is us in 2003. Enjoying some nice holidays, still resisting the urge to have kids (just), enjoying life and having fun. We hope you are too! Have a fantastic 2004 and don’t be strangers!