And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Dear Family and Friends, December 2011
2011 was a year of endings and new beginnings for us…
In February, we said good bye to Melodie’s 17 year old feline companion,Casper. He had not been feeling well for several months and we knew it was time to say goodbye. She still misses her special buddy. Melodie also had several medical issues. In February, she had cataract surgery on her one eye which eventually gave her better vision. Thank the Lord!
In April,Tom and Melodie were able to enjoy a Southern cruise vacation They went alone to enrich their marriage. They continue to be a pre-martial host couple at Calvary Chapel and help couples planning to get married or sometimes who are already married! Serving together in this capacity is beneficial for both of them as a couple.
Carlos stayed with Grandpa and Grandma during the cruise and had special treatment for the week! Carlos enjoys his time with his grandparents. He plays ping pong with Grandpa and appreciates Grandma’s treats when he goes to their home.
In June, Carlos was given the honor of being a part of the Junior Honor’s Society. He is still trying to grasp the value of his education in addition to adapting to middle school work. He makes friends easily with his great sense of humor and does well in classes he enjoys. Carlos is becoming an intelligent young man full of life and ambition!
For Carlos’ birthday in July, Mom and Dad took Carlos to Epcot, Universal and Islands of Adventure so Carlos could experience this fun for the very first time. Although we dealt with rain, we know Carlos will always remember this special trip to Orlando!
Later in July, Melodie had a bout with an e-coli bacterial infection and needed to be hospitalized after fainting from low blood pressure. Presently, her doctor continues to work to get her kidney function back to normal after it was affected from this bad infection. God is good and He continues to help Melodie day-by-day.
In September, after months of looking and considering another pet, we adopted Coco from a local German Shepherd rescue. Coco was found in Miami and Tom is proud of his second Spanish child! She was 4 months when we got her; fragile from worms and malnourished. Cody is slowly adjusting to his new, rambunctious playmate. Coco is very intelligent, affectionate and loves to play with her rope toys and brothers!
In October, Tom and Melodie decided to move Carlos to a charter school that was smaller. Carlos was sad to leave the previous school. Our hope is that the teachers’ interaction will help Carlos and have a positive influence on him. We now get up at 5:30am and Carlos takes a bus to school. We continue to ask for prayer in this transition. He is making friends and doing better in school.
Tom and Melodie continue to work for their company, SEO Does Matter, Inc. The Lord continues to bless their work and brings the needed clients and income to support the family. Tom focuses on search engine optimization primarily for security and executive protection clients. He gets to partake in training and takes photos for one of his clients every month. Melodie continues to do the accounting, blogging and helps clients with social media and other internet marketing.
With 2011 ending, we thank each and every one of you for your friendship and visits! God is good all the time and we look forward to the plans He has for us in 2012!
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Tom, Melodie, Carlos, Coty and Coco