January 2019

Merry Christmas Happy New Year Happy Martin Luther King, Jr, Day from the Gruenbaum remnant! We keep the lights on and await the infrequent return of the house members who are gone but not forgotten. This letter may be late but not overlooked.

With the boys mostly gone, the girls are still the primary emphasis of our home lives. With girls being the focus, we have added one new girl this year. The one and only Quist daughter (sister to Jackson and Dylan), Evie, has moved in for an undetermined period. She works at Target part-time.

Abby graduated high school last May. It was great to have many relatives and friends around for the celebration. During the summer, Abby learned how to say, “my pleasure” in her sleep as she worked the summer at Chick Fil-A. In August, Abby moved to Waco and is enjoying Baylor University. She quickly bonded with her roommate, and she has found a church group she really enjoys. Rachel, not surprisingly, is ready to get off the senior slide. Last summer she spent a week in North Carolina shadowing a variety of doctors—it is somewhat of a tradition for her aunt to assemble a medical experience for the girls. She continues to be active in sports, robotics, band, babysitting and Hulu binging. She has been filling out college applications and keeping in contact with her sister when she can.

The boys are putting the final touches on another year of adulthood. Tim continues to work at the same Mexican restaurant he worked at last year. He enjoys eating it so much he often cooks it at home. His girlfriend and he have now been together for 18 months and they have 2 dogs. Who knows what the future may hold? In December, Jeff graduated college from Oklahoma Christian in Computer Science and Vocational Ministry. He starts his job as a software analyst in Oklahoma City in February. Jeff now owns a couple of guitars and ukuleles. He also had a good time this past summer acquiring and disposing of many items on Facebook Marketplace.

The Gruenbaum’s continue to be a dual income household. Judy continues to travel to San Antonio for USAA 3 or 4 times per week. Between Uber drivers and weather problems, she is no fan of the short flight to get there from DFW, but she still loves her job. In October, Andy began working in e-commerce again. He is a consultant for a manufacturer of retail products. They needed a website to sell some of their excess inventory. Andy answered the call.

We were blessed with great travel opportunities in 2018. We spent a week with Judy’s side of the family. The sand was abundant, the memories were plentiful and the weather very enjoyable. Judy and I entrusted the house to the kids as we traveled to Europe for a Viking Cruise. The trip started in Berlin and ended up in Prague. We made some great memories and met some great people. For Jeff’s graduation, Jeff and Andy took a Caribbean cruise in early January which stopped in Cuba. Over the holidays we also made it to Ohio, North Carolina (for Judy’s parents’ 60th) and Branson, Missouri (for a wedding).

The world is a crazy place right now. We are so thankful for our Savior. We pray you know him as well.

All the best for a great year. Come visit us!

Love, Andy, Judy, Tim, Jeff, Abby and Rachel (and Evie)