Dear family and friends,

Happy New Year! 2024 was another busy year for the Texas Gruenbaum’s…I mean Oklahoma Gruenbaums, but I guess we are getting ahead of ourselves.

After the “girls” took a weeklong trip to Italy in mid-January (I am told much good food was eaten), Rachel was moved into her apartment in Freeport, TX. Since then, despite some apartment challenges, she has begun her engineering career at Dow. Several highlights include riding in the corporate jet to Midland, MI and passing her professional engineering (PE) exam.

Abby and Caleb’s big news this year is they got a house. It is not a big house, but it puts a roof over their heads and the heads of their dog, Odin, and the other rodent roommates. (Think hamsters and guinea pigs.) After Caleb’s graduation with his Master’s in music, he decided he would not pursue any further music degrees. He has been taking a series of computer programming classes. They hope he can begin a new job early this year.  Abby continues as a dietician but has changed to the abdominal transplant clinic. Their other big news is that baby Dodson is expected to arrive in June 2025.

Jeff continues to grow in his IT role at the hedge fund. This fall, he was involved in an SEC audit of the company. Jeff loves living in downtown Oklahoma City and attending Thunder b-ball games. Between activities with friends and work, he knows every good place to eat all over town. He travels to New York City regularly for his job, and in early December, he vacationed in London and Amsterdam.

Tim also became a homeowner this year. Due to his restoration background, he saw an opportunity where others saw too much work. He (and Madison) are excited about what they can do at the house together, and they love all their plants. Tim also made a job change. He is a project coordinator who is learning about the management side of restoration businesses.

The big news was our recent move to Oklahoma after 14 years in Texas. With two of our kids there, it was an easy decision. Judy still enjoys her job at Toyota and relies on the hospitality of friends and family in Texas for her “in-office” days several days a month. Andy continues to enjoy his pseudo-retirement. He doesn’t feel retired; he enjoys tinkering on the computer and talking about creating “passive income streams.” With the move, our hockey boy days could be over. Unfortunately, we had to send them on their way when we left Texas. As luck would have it, Oklahoma City does have a team in the same league, so maybe next year.

This year, we had a trip and two weeks of family time. The trip was a cruise around the British Isles. We especially enjoyed Scotland and Ireland. We didn’t see Nessie, but we did kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland. In July, we had a visit from our German exchange student and family. We are grateful for this ongoing friendship. We drove to Ohio briefly in late July with family and friends. Following this, we spent a week counting raindrops. (We had a beach house in North Carolina with Judy’s side of the family during Hurricane Helene’s visit.) Milestone birthdays galore this year, so we celebrated those, too.

We are grateful to live in a country where Christ is still allowed to be a part of the season. We pray each of you makes Him a central part of your life and accept his free gift. If you’re coming to Texas, Oklahoma, you are always welcome here.

Much love,

Andy, Judy, Tim, Jeff, Caleb, and Abby, & Rachel 

15812 Flint Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73170