2004 Christmas Newsletter

Greetings this 2004 Christmas season from Teresa, Ivan, Karinna and Jeremy! We were really blessed this past year with the love and support of family and friends. We thought we’d take some time to share some thoughts and update everyone.

Our Little Girl’s Taking Classes Now!
In late July, Karinna started kindergarten at Brewer Island Elementary School. She really enjoys the activities and crafts and has learned a lot about making new friends. Like many other children in the area, Karinna gets to participate in extracurricular activities like swimming at the Peninsula Swim School, doing cartwheels at her weekly gym class and practicing self-defense at her Karate class. For fun, Karinna has also started taking piano classes from both her mommy and a family friend in Santa Barbara.

The Wonder of Boys
At age 3, Jeremy is not shy about showing off his exuberance and playful nature. Though younger and smaller than many friends, Jeremy is not intimidated at all and comfortably holds his own when playing games, conversing, and rough-housing. While a session at the train table is still a popular past-time, Spiderman has just surpassed Thomas the Tank Engine as his favorite hero. Jeremy is also game for anyone interested spending time sword fighting with Pirate swords or light sabers.

Never a Dull Moment
Teresa thoroughly enjoys raising the children full time. All her professional skills are being put to use time managing multiple work, school, church, and social calendars, while scrutinizing budgets. Teresa also works as the CFO of the investment company we just started. Thanks to TiVo, she manages to indulge in HGTV specials like “Clean Sweep” in spite of the huge demands on her schedule. Meanwhile, Ivan’s company, Informatica went through huge changes in the executive staff. The new CEO was the VP who offered Ivan a position at Oracle, his first job out of college. The Lord has certainly used these work changes to open up lots of new opportunities for career growth.

At Home with the Lord
This past year has been a difficult one. After a very tough fight with cancer, Ivan’s mom passed peacefully and is now enjoying the presence of our Savior. At her memorial service, Ivan shared “Even though we sometimes shed tears, deep down we are overcome with joy. Even though we sometimes suffer hardship, we are overcome with gratitude for the wonderful blessings God gives us. Even though the body may grow weak, our strength is in Christ. And even though we may be separated for a little while, we know that one day we will be reunited – all this because we know Christ.”

May all of you enjoy this Christmas season as we celebrate Emmanuel, our God is with us.

Most Sincerely,
Ivan, Teresa, Karinna and Jeremy