Dearest friends and family,

Our card and letter from 2013 shared of our crazy idea to join the Peace Corps.  After more than a year of applying, preparation, and anticipation, 2014 brought many adventures for the two of us – some to their beginnings, some to their close.

We said goodbye to our jobs, our home in Portland, our church community, and our family and friends.  We started this blog to share with you our stories, struggles, and triumphs.  We lived up our last few months in Portland, took a fantastic road trip across the United States, and prepared to embark on our Peace Corps journey.  We worked our butts off during our Pre-Service Training and have now moved into our site for the next 2 years of Peace Corps Service as TEFL teacher trainers.  It’s not always easy, but it’s certainly an adventure.  We’re learning.  We’re growing.  We’re trying to live each and every day to its fullest.

While most of you know all of this, and know these stories, you may not know how incredibly grateful and thankful we are for the love and support we’ve received.  We are so very proud to be serving our country, serving each of you who have loved and taught us what’s important in life.  We are honored to get the opportunity to learn about Nicaragua and to teach the Nicaraguans we meet a little about our homes.  We’re loving sharing our stories of Nicaraguan culture and catching up with you through this blog, Skype, Face-time, Facebook, and even a few hand-written letters thrown in there, too.

May we greet the new year with the same hope for adventure and beginnings as 2014 brought us.  May you know we miss and love you dearly.  May we recognize the love and light that are all around us at this time of year, and all the year through.

¡Feliz Navidad y prospero año nuevo!