Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Hawes family.

The end of the year is a great time to reflect on what has been and look forward to what will be. For us, this year has been a time of celebration, transition and restoration! It’s been a year where we have really seen God do some amazing work both in our lives and in the lives of those close to us. We praise God for what has been and look forward to what will be. We have had several reminders this year that our days are short and our time here is not permanent. We want to praise God today and not wait until tomorrow.

Two major events standout to us about 2013.

First, would be Brooklynn’s adoption being finalized in May and then our move in late October. Many of you walked through the adoption journey with us. That season changed when the adoption became final. A few days after it was final, we had the honor of speaking with her birth-mom at an adoption fundraiser.

The other major event was our move to Oregon in late October. While Danielle and I had felt God calling us away from Nashville for about a year, we had no idea we would be moving back to the Northwest. While the roads and physical places are familiar and it’s so great being close to family, we find ourselves being strangers in a familiar place. We are looking forward to getting involved in a church, developing relationships with people we don’t yet know and serving God in ways we have never done before.

We have had several memories and experiences this year that we will take with us into the future.

Here are just a few of the highlights

-Celebrated Brooklynn’s first birthday in St. Helens, OR with family and friends

   -Celebrated our 5^th wedding anniversary while packing for our move

-Welcomed my cousin home from Afghanistan at Ft. Campbell, KY

-Enjoyed countless church services at The People’s Church in Franklin

-We grieved with dear friends as their father and husband faced cancer head-on and watched them surrender him to his savior. Their testimony remains ever so powerful.

-We observed God deliver some healing to Ryan’s Grandma who fractured her spine during a vacation to Hawaii and have watched him give her the strength to get through this challenging time.

-We said goodbye to so many incredible people in Nashville, Franklin and KY who have blessed our family in ways they will never know

-We made great memories with friends at a pumpkin patch in KY

-We had a fun visit with friends in Lexington and enjoyed a trip to Cincinnati seeing the Mariners

-Ryan’s Mom, Sister and Niece came to visit us in Nashville. We went swimming, saw Opryland, downtown Nashville, went on a carriage ride, saw Franklin, ate at Pancake Pantry and so much more.

-We had a good Thanksgiving with Danielle’s family at our Oregon home

-Enjoyed a fun day trip down the Natchez Trace to see Tupelo, Mississippi and the birthplace of Elvis

-Ryan and his Dad got to drive across the country during the move. They had a special time together seeing so much of this great country. Danielle and Brooklynn enjoyed a few days at her parents’ house.

-We had our niece over for to bake Christmas cookies and play with Brooklynn. Lots of fun memories!

-A friend who Ryan has known for more than a decade got married in Hawaii (sadly, we could not attend).

-Took Brooklynn to the Oregon Coast for the first time and she had a blast playing in the sand, watching sea gulls and “barking” at dogs that were there!

-Rejoiced from a distance as good friends welcomed their sweet baby boy!

-Celebrated as a family our nephew turning 4!

This is just a glimpse of what we have experienced this year. God has been so good to us and our families. We don’t know what the new year holds, but truly look forward to seeing what God will do in the year to come.

From our family to yours, Happy New Year.