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s we look back over 2007, I think we can truly say it's been a good year! Here are some highlights:
Gallery Opening As you know, in April Erik opened his own
gallery of fine art photography of Rocky Mountain National Park. It
was the fulfillment of one of Erik's Book Erik's first book of photography came out in June and it has been well received. There were plans to do further books this year, one on favorite hikes in the Park and another for photographers, but the arrival of the devastating pine beetle to the forests of Rocky Mountain National Park has put those plans on hold for the time being. We are not sure how the dying of the forests will affect tourism, but we know we need to at least begin exploring other possibilities for future business. Oregon We did explore other parts of the States in
October when we drove out to Oregon for a much-needed vacation after
the frantic busyness of summer. It was a Another fun part of the trip was staying in a yurt on the coast. A yurt is a domed tent structure, but with wooden floors, windows and beds. Ours also had heating, a little kitchen and a bathroom – so was known as a 'deluxe' yurt. It was definitely the way I like to go camping! Our yurt was located right in the middle of an awe-inspiring lush forest of tall trees. Luke was in heaven, having such a forest as his playground, and then the beach just a short walk away. 'Master' Erik Just a few days ago, Erik handed in the last assignment of what has proved to be a very long Masters program in Organizational Management. Due to a period of illness and then some weird scheduling on the part of the college, it took him a total of 4 years to complete. This last section was his thesis and he had just six weeks to complete what should really have been a several month project. However, all is now finished, and we can begin to move on to what's ahead. Future “So what is ahead?” I can hear many voices
ask.... We as yet have no idea! We will be making a trip to England
for a few weeks this winter to reconnect with
In the meantime, Erik will continue developing his photography and I'll continue with my most challenging job of being a mother! I continue to work for Pinebrook Vacation Rentals, although during the winter only a few hours a month, and I continue with my involvement with Community Bible Study, which I love. Christmas Finally, as Christmas approaches, we are hoping to find new ways to celebrate the incredible event of God once again walking on earth with us through Jesus. We have been challenged by a movement called Advent Conspiracy which encourages us to step back from the insane Christmas consumerism and proposes more meaningful 'relational giving' to those we love, using what we save to help the poor of this world. You can read more about Advent Conspiracy at: www.adventconspiracy.org. Website For more news, you can go to our website which now has a new look. You may want to check it out. We've added some new musings and lots more photos. We'll try and do better at keeping our website updated in the future (I've a feeling I've said that before!). The web address is: www.thestenslands.com
Happy Christmas! Erik, Jo & Luke
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church
and family, but after that we don't yet know. We have a lot of
desires and ideas stirring around in our heads, but no knowledge of
how it will work out or what our future will look like. But we'll be
sure to let you know if'/when we do.