Hello 2022! It’s that time of year when we look back and reflect on the happenings of the previous year. I’m here to give you an update on the Holder family- Daniel, Gina, and Lydia.

In January, Daniel and Gina celebrated their 14^th wedding anniversary. They took a romantic getaway in February to Branson, Missouri while visiting family for several weeks, and are thankful to Gina’s Mom for making that possible. I mean, who could deny a few days alone with their firstborn granddaughter? Lydia and Grandma had lots of girl fun, and Gina and Daniel enjoyed the time away. While in Missouri, they were also able to visit the rest of the Allison family, then moved on to Kentucky for a few days.

In May, Gina and Lydia contracted Covid-19. On Mother’s Day, Gina was admitted to the hospital with low oxygen levels and pneumonia. She spent a week there, until she had recovered enough to be sent home with a concentrator and weekly visits from a home nurse and therapists. She has since fully recovered, though is still on oxygen at night, but that may have something to do with living in a high-altitude state.

During this time of battling sickness, Gina was invited to join a group of authors in putting together a collection of suspense novellas with the goal of hitting a Best-seller’s list. While they didn’t quite make the list, the collection sold very well, and thousands of readers were introduced to Gina and her writing style. It was an amazing opportunity and Gina is grateful to have been able to participate. Gina continues to play the piano for morning services at church, as well as for the choir.

In July, we enjoyed a visit from Gina’s mom, the highlight being a trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and Lydia getting to feed the elephant for the first time.

Daniel celebrated his one-year anniversary with his new job, then received a promotion and pay raise. He has found the new position both challenging and exciting and looks forward to many years with this company. He continues to work as the assistant treasurer at our church, as well as many behind the scenes jobs that keep things running smoothly.

In the fall, Lydia entered the 7^th grade which has brought many new challenges, especially in math. Overall, she is doing well and is getting As and Bs in most subjects. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, making cards, reading, writing stories, and watching movies. She began taking Karate lessons in the fall and enjoys it very much. In December, she gave her debut performance as “Kristin” in our church’s Christmas presentation, Klinkenschnell, The Christmas Bell. She did a wonderful job, and we were so proud of her for putting the work in to memorize all her lines.

In November, we took another trip to Missouri and Kentucky to visit family, finishing off the trip with celebrating Emelia’s first birthday.

We enjoyed spending the holidays with friends and had a quiet Christmas with just the three of us. As we look back over this year, we are thankful to God for His faithfulness and continual blessings on our lives. May you have a blessed 2022 and bask in His love.