Merry Christmas from the Rohwers!

Avritt, Emily, and Isaac

It's snowing here today as I write this post, and as as I think back over the last year, I am thankful for many things. The kids are all doing very well - both in school and otherwise. Mike and I both have jobs. We have a home that is both aethestically pleasing and functional. We are thankful that God has blessed our family in many ways!

Probably the the biggest change over this last year has been in Emily's life. She is a senior this year and will graduate in May (for those who may be interested in knowing ahead of time - the date is May 24). She has applied to a few colleges, and received an acceptance letter from one already - Hope College in Holland, Michigan (about 45 minutes away). She also received a letter from Financial Aid at Hope with great news - she is a Presidential Scholar and has been awarded an annual scholarship (about 1/3 of the cost of attending each year) for 4 years! We are really proud of her accomplishments and how much she has matured over the years. She has been handling a tough course load this year - four AP classes - and will likely still achieve around a 4.0 GPA. It's going to be an exciting year in 2011 to see her graduate and head off to college!

Avritt is in 7th grade and is heavily involved with percussion this year. He is in the regular band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, and takes private lessons. He really enjoys playing, and also has a great teacher and a group of friends who share his enthusiasm and skill level. Avritt's current favorite thing, however, is snowboarding. He has been to the local hill 3 times already this season, and is biting the bit to get there more this week now that school is out. Avritt will also swim with the middle school team starting in January, and play baseball in the spring.

Isaac is in 4th grade, and is currently swimming for the community team in our area. Backstroke is his strongest race. He played football this past season, and enjoyed being on defense. Isaac also loves to ski and is waiting for his first chance to get out to the slopes this year. He likes to hang out with his friends playing Wii games and Nerf gun wars. He is an avid reader, and can be found with his nose in a book a lot of the time.

Mike is still working for Ottawa Area Intermediate School District based in Holland. He commutes about 45 minutes to work, but he doesn't mind the down-time in the car. He received a great review from his boss recently, and really feels positive about the work he is accomplishing there as head of technology for 11 public schools, 6 public school academies, and 23 private schools in Ottawa and Allegan county.

I am still an adjunct math professor at a local private college. A policy just came through the HR department that will limit the hours that I teach to 18 a year (9 per semester, which is 3 classes each semester). In 2010 I was paid for a total of 29 hours, which included 6 traditional classes, 3 online classes and 2 credits of adminstrative load - so it's going to be a different year for me in 2011. I am considering exploring other options, including following up on a lead with a local K-12 school for specialty math support.

The other thing that keeps Mike and I busy is heading up the community swim team (all admininstrative functions - not coaching). We have enjoyed getting more involved and seeing the team grow to around 100 kids this year.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope that the year ahead holds many blessing for each one of you!

-Ginger