Holiday greetings from Nate & Heather Mentzer! I know it’s only been half a year or so since
our last “Easter” letter, but we’re trying to get our greetings out early this
year. It’s been an eventful six months
anyway, so we have plenty of news to share.
In June we found a little house a few miles
further out of the city and made an offer on it. We closed on the house in mid-August and
moved into it two days later. Although
not big, it is cute and snug on the inside, and has a spacious “man-cave” shop,
a smaller garden shed, and even a little grain bin. We enjoy the big trees and large lot,
although it has been a workout for our push mower. Nate thinks it is time for some new tools and
a mower upgrade. He’s been in homeowner
high-gear, getting things cleaned and painted, planning future projects, and fixing
minor issues around the house. A few
weeks after moving in, we added a couple of “kids”…two adorable farm kittens
named Smoky and Ember, who keep us entertained with their ornery antics and
irresistible cuteness.
We have another
reason for all of the “nesting” we’ve been doing in our little home…we are
expecting a little boy at the end of this year!
Our second bedroom now sports a crib and an ever-growing pile of baby
supplies. Although there are many things
I’d like to accomplish before the baby arrives, ready or not we are excited to
welcome our special Christmas miracle who is scheduled to make his arrival on
December 24th.
Nathan continues
to enjoy his work at Black & Veatch.
He recently chose to leave his consulting group and go back to the large
projects systems design side of the energy department. Four office changes later he is now working
on a natural gas plant in Florida. House
projects are eating up most of his free time now, but earlier this year he crafted
some amazing wood carvings and always has a steady flow of creative ideas to
share. He still serves on the K-State
Acacia fraternity board of directors, and has been busy getting ready for their
big centennial celebration this December.
He also helps with the church youth group, playing hacky-sack with a large
group of middle school boys. He recently
put in an appearance at their Halloween party as “Gru” from Despicable Me, along
with a trusty Minion side-kick (yours truly).
I (Heather) have had a busy year teaching sewing
classes at JoAnn fabrics. This summer I often
taught three to six different classes a week, with projects ranging from
hand-sewn pillows, shorts, and handkerchief quilts to applique t-shirts, kid’s
dresses, and even an adult class or two.
I also developed a series of “fashion-design” classes for young
fashionistas, culminating with a four-day fashion camp where each student
sketched and sewed a garment of her own design.
I still enjoy writing, and I still hope to achieve my long-time goal of
publishing a book, but I put that dream on hold for a while when other big life
events popped up. I continue to
volunteer with the church food pantry distribution, as well as church music and
children’s programs. This fall I also
helped to charter a new P.E.O. chapter in Spring Hill, KS.
Although our January
trip to Seattle was our “big” vacation for the year, we did sneak in a couple
of other quick trips. At the end of May
we made a “cross-state” road trip to Lake Scott State Park near Scott City, KS,
a prairie oasis where we enjoyed a weekend of camping, fishing, and hiking. In July we traveled to the farms near Iola
and Stockton to celebrate July 4th and Heather’s grandmother’s 80th
birthday, AND to share our big news with our families. In August we headed out to Ft. Collins,
Colorado for a wedding and spent a relaxing day in Estes Park. Nate and I were each involved with summer
weddings here in KC, and enjoyed fun and festive times with good friends.
As Thanksgiving (and now Christmas) arrive, Nathan and I are very conscious of all we have to be thankful for! This year has certainly been busy and more
than a little crazy at times, and we couldn’t have made it through without the
grace of our Heavenly Father and the love and support of our family and
friends. A big THANK YOU to everyone who
helped us pack, move, unload, paint, clean, put-away, and do laundry, as well
as those who offered prayers and encouragement.
Another big thank you to those who graciously offered to hostess
showers, invited us for dinner and games or for a weekend, offered wisdom for
the rapidly-changing road ahead, and walked with us through life’s ups and
downs. We are truly blessed by the
wonderful people in our lives! Please
know you are welcome to call on us anytime you need a friend or a helping
hand. J
We wish you all
a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, and would love to
hear from you! Whatever your 2013 has
been like, we hope you find some time this season to relax, reflect and thank
God for the blessings in your life, no matter how large or small.
Now thank we all our God, with hearts and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices!
~ Martin Rinkart, 1663
Nate & Heather Mentzer
