Wishing You a Merry Christmas – 2022 Christmas Card

Hi Family & Friends,

Merry Christmas everyone

I kicked off January with my biggest purchase ever – my home! On January 14th I closed and on January 15th I moved in! It’s been wonderful reaching this goal, living in my home, and having some friends and family over!

Febuary was rather uneventful outside of getting more settled in my home and Nicholas cooking me a wonderful Valentine’s day meal in my home for me to come home to on Febuary 14th. He made me my favorite hotdish <3 🙂

March brought my 8th trip to snowcamp with senior high ministries at GracePoint. And as you might’ve guessed – another successful year, where I even brought my unicycle for the circus theme 😀

April brought a wedding to celebrate and a fun murder mystery party to attend.

May brought my cousin’s beautiful wedding that my entire family attended.

May also brought a twins game double date, and the last night of sr hi youth group for the regular school year schedule. The last few nights of youth group were especially fun, we had girl’s dress-up night, and senior night where the kids I shifted to sr hi (from jr hi) with were celebrated!

This month Nicholas also took me on a boat trip down the St. Croix River – it was beautiful!

June and July started off not great with being laid off my job. That said I had great fun otherwise joining the Rice Street Royalty candidacy, as well as a number of youth group events, a wedding, and a day trip to the Minnesota Zoo, and a day trip to Koronis Bible camp where I got to slalom ski, and wake surf!

I had a lot of fun participating in royalty candidacy though to clarify I was not crowned. It was such a unique experience compared to anything I’ve tried to date. I got to know 9 nice women who were also candidates, and we enjoyed spending time together as a candidate group. If you want to read more about my RSR candidacy click here.

Youth group events during the summer ranged from photography night to bowling. It was very fun to see my students intermittently throughout the summer, and even attend the former seniors last event.

Nicholas and I also also went to a wedding for a newer friend of mine who I share a birthday with! This was a beautiful day just across the boarder in Wisconsin.

My mom, my aunt, and my grandma, have been to Koronis every year they’ve been alive, or in my grandma’s case, every year since it started! I got the chance to join their road trip this year for the day and enjoy brunch with them, a great morning at camp with them, and my former campers, in the afternoon, I enjoyed my favorite camp activities including the torpedo tube with my cousin driving, the chance to ski, and even surf! The evening brought a great family dinner at the camp dining hall, my first time attending the conference meeting (as I’ve always been a camper or counselor otherwise), and the very best corn around at the annual corn feed with more family. My mom and I got back late that evening but it was such a fun day all in all!

I’m admittedly thankful that I got to have such a fun summer due to my unemployement. Thankfully I accepted a contract role in mid-august through my employment agency.

In August Nicholas and I enjoyed a day trip to Camp Lebanon, as well as a day at the state fair. I also enjoyed my last student ministries event with my students before deciding to take a break from the ministry, for the 2022-2023 school year.

September and early October brought two more weddings, one in Northern Minnesota on a beautiful lakeside, the other on a river in western Wisconsin. We also took a trip during September to the Ren Fest with my sister and brother in law as well as some church friends. We also enjoyed a swing dance at the Commemorative Air Force wing in Saint Paul.

I also got the chance in September to host my former students who just graduated at my home, we had tacos, and enjoyed video games, and of all things, my antique “view master” XD

In October Nicholas and I went to a fun dance downtown with a good friend of mine from swing dancing and his girlfriend, it was a fun evening to dress up, dance, and enjoy being downtown.

October also brought an all “Katie” (/Katherine) trip to the apple orchard, it was a beautiful drive to an afternoon of donuts, cider and hayrides through the fall colors with a long time friend of mine and a new friend of mine.

Last, during October Nicholas and I had a fun time dressing up for Halloween as Hercules and Megara. we enjoyed swing dancing with friends going to a roller rink and handing out candy at my house along with great conversation with friends on the 31st.

The last Saturday of October I decided to take a drive up to Anoka to see my favorite Rice Street Royalty ladies in the city parade, I’d never been to this one, but it was especially fun to see the creative costumes each float came up with! While there I went to umpteen antique shops seeing if there was anything that piqued my interest, low and behold in the back corner of an attic of one of them is a 1970s blush pink pantsuit in what I assumed was my size I paid just $4 for the set and when I tried it on at home it fit. I love it. though I plan on mostly wearing the pieces separately.

November brought a friend’s baby gender reveal party which was also a lovely evening of reconnecting with a number of friends.

It also brought two wonderful friendsgivings with church friends and Nicholas’ friends (who have also become mine 🙂 ).

Thanksgiving brought a brunch for the small Glader and Koelz group at my home, a midday Parkin lunch, and a Koelz gathering in the evening.

For my birthday Nicholas and I started the day with (decaf for me) coffee, and shopping, and then enjoyed an amazing steak dinner downtown together – what. a. treat!

Saturday brought a giant Glader get-together complete with tons of food, board games, family time, and family visiting from out of town.

This Christmas I got another chance to play my clarinet with the church orchestra for sunday services – I enjoy getting to play Christmass hymns, and getting to be a part of music ministry. Additionally this fall and Christmas I decided to try choir and I’ve enjoyed learning a new skill though it’s certainly different from band.

The annual GracePoint Church Women’s Christmas Gala was a lovely time with family and friends, a good story, and good food.

My Mom, Becky, and I took our annual Glader Girl trip to the “mega mall” (or MOA for those who aren’t as cool as us). We enjoy making a trip together each year. We enjoyed Swedish meatballs at Ikea, shopping at stores we don’t normally get to, and a yummy stop at Cinnabon.

I wish everyone a merry Christmas with all their family and friends this year and I also hope you get to see as many “sides” and “corners” of the family as possible this year over the holiday. I also pray that you will remember Christ our savior over the holiday and enjoy His many blessings in your life. Happy New Year as well.

Love,

-Katherine “Katie” Glader