From The Heinkel’s
2009 has certainly been an eventful year for us, but we are happy to report that there were many blessings and joyous occasions and very few low points.
Last year ended with me having a surgery to repair a broken wrist from a bike crash and Lucy recovering from a car crash. This year we all healed nicely and there were no crashes, broken bones, or major injuries.
In May, we had an unpleasant surprise when we realized our basement was flooding quite rapidly. We had a pipe break just outside our house. We were able to get the water turned off and furniture moved soon enough that we lost very few belongings. All of the flooring and lower parts of the walls had to be replaced, so we were without the basement for about a month. Thankfully, we had great insurance coverage. We had planned on doing some cosmetic remodeling in the future; it just came sooner than planned.
This year Trevor completed Kindergarten with high marks and very excitedly began 1st grade. This has been Trevor’s first year of all day school and he could hardly wait. First grade brings a new teacher, a new classroom, a few friends from last year, and lots of new friends to meet. Trevor has been enjoying the things that big school kids get to do, like have PE twice a week, play musical instruments, go to assemblies, have three recesses, and more classroom activities and parties. Lucy has been able to help in the classroom one day each week and she has enjoyed that, so has Trevor, and so has his teacher and classmates. I’ve had the chance to help a few times and have enjoyed it as well. I was able to participate as a room helper for the Thanksgiving party and wound up being the one that cut the turkey. The kids all dressed as pilgrims, ate a feast, and heard stories and sang songs that celebrated Thanksgiving. Lucy was able to help with the Christmas party and everyone had a great time. Trevor has been a great student, doing math, spelling, and reading homework each night. At his most recent parent/teacher conference his teacher showed me that he (finally) missed a point on a test, it was a math problem… I assured her that he would be beaten severely at home. He’s doing really well and we are very happy with him. Trevor reads chapter books now and we have been pleasantly surprised on a few occasions to walk into our living room and find him in our recliner reading. Trevor seems to have a joy for music – Lucy and I have an idea where that may come from . Trevor’s school has a marimba band and he has been enjoying playing the beginner marimbas, other instruments, singing songs, and coming home and making his own music.
Lucy continues to direct the local Sweet Adeline’s chorus and they had a very successful year. At their regional competition this year, they came in 4th place overall with over 20 points more than they have ever scored before making them the 12th place International small chorus. (That’s out of 100s of small choruses.) They were just a little excited!!! Lucy still loves being a director. She loves learning at educational seminars and coaching sessions and loves her wonderful chorus members!
I had an eventful year… This year was busy for me with Olympus as I strived to achieve goals in many areas I managed. I am happy to report that I had success in each area, it was a satisfying feeling. I spent two weeks in April helping the Accounting staff in Boston migrate to a new computer system and get the year-end books closed. This summer was a milestone for me professionally in that on two occasions I took a whole week off, left the computer and cell phone behind, and had great vacations. This year was also a heartbreaker in that economic conditions were such that Olympus had to have layoffs and close a plant and I was one of those laid off. Admittedly I cried when I heard the words “you’re being laid off”. I knew through my faith that everything was going to work out, but the realization that I was being relieved of the work I loved, not coming back the next days to continue in efforts with an organization and people that I loved… hard reality to have to accept. The Lord did in fact provide for us and I was able to begin consulting work within a week of being laid off. I have enjoyed the consulting work and we are blessed that Lucy has been in demand as a substitute teacher and together our needs have been met. I am so grateful for the blessing I have received in all of the support in finding job leads, preparing cover letters, and readying for interviews. This experience has made me grateful that we followed counsel to get out of debt, get as much education as possible, and place your faith in the Lord. Believe it or not, this experience has helped me develop a greater measure of patience. Many who know me know that I am one who likes to work to get a task done, that I find joy in the successful accomplishment of a job well done. Being unexpectedly unemployed, actively searching, but having to be subject to corporate timetables and hiring objectives that are completely out of my control, has brought me to more fully remember that this is part of a larger plan… I’ve been carried through this experience, through the initial emotions, through the searching and waiting, by my faith and support by those that love me. I can report that my circumstances have also provided unique realizations as I have studied and prepared lessons for my church classes and tried to be a good leader in the young men’s program of our church. So I can say being laid off has been something of a blessing in my life. My job search continues and I have some leads. I recently had an interview that went very well (I thought so at least) and I am waiting to hear back shortly about another interview.
Lucy and I have stayed busy with church callings we have enjoyed. I’ve had two callings, both serving with the youth ages 16-18; one as a Sunday School teacher and another specifically with the 16-18 young men youth group. I’ve really enjoyed the calling, the lessons and activities, the opportunity to get to know each of them better. I find a great sense of personal happiness as I see and hear of them making great choices in their lives. Lucy started the year coordinating the music for our congregation, but mid-year they called her to work with the young women as the president of that organization. She has also found joy teaching and working with the youth, getting to know them and watching them grow. Our involvement with the youth has been wonderful for our family in many ways… First, we’d love to have more children ourselves, and these callings have given us a means to be involved and give of ourselves in a meaningful fashion. While these are not our children we have come to love and appreciate them and celebrate their accomplishments. Second, Trevor is surrounded by great examples of behavior and good works. Our youth are wonderful and we appreciate the examples they are to him. I love how when we have activities and I don’t bring Trevor there are questions of where he is at and why I didn’t bring him.
Given that we’ve not had success in having additional children of our own, this year we completed the required paperwork and hurdles to become eligible to adopt. We’ve been working with LDS Family Services and are fully able right this moment to adopt, just waiting to be selected. Our prayers and hopes continue to be with the idea of having a big family by whichever means the Lord provides. Perhaps in 2010.
Hoping that 2010 will bring all of our family and friends many wonderful blessings and great times.
Sincerely,
Don & Lucy Heinkel
PS – We’d love to stay in touch with everyone all year long… we’re both on Facebook and we have our
family blog at http://donlucyheinkel.blogspot.com/
Do you have our correct address? We moved in 2008, here’s our “new” address:
3705 S. Buntin Loop Kennewick, WA 99337
2009 has certainly been an eventful year for us, but we are happy to report that there were many blessings and joyous occasions and very few low points.
Last year ended with me having a surgery to repair a broken wrist from a bike crash and Lucy recovering from a car crash. This year we all healed nicely and there were no crashes, broken bones, or major injuries.
In May, we had an unpleasant surprise when we realized our basement was flooding quite rapidly. We had a pipe break just outside our house. We were able to get the water turned off and furniture moved soon enough that we lost very few belongings. All of the flooring and lower parts of the walls had to be replaced, so we were without the basement for about a month. Thankfully, we had great insurance coverage. We had planned on doing some cosmetic remodeling in the future; it just came sooner than planned.
This year Trevor completed Kindergarten with high marks and very excitedly began 1st grade. This has been Trevor’s first year of all day school and he could hardly wait. First grade brings a new teacher, a new classroom, a few friends from last year, and lots of new friends to meet. Trevor has been enjoying the things that big school kids get to do, like have PE twice a week, play musical instruments, go to assemblies, have three recesses, and more classroom activities and parties. Lucy has been able to help in the classroom one day each week and she has enjoyed that, so has Trevor, and so has his teacher and classmates. I’ve had the chance to help a few times and have enjoyed it as well. I was able to participate as a room helper for the Thanksgiving party and wound up being the one that cut the turkey. The kids all dressed as pilgrims, ate a feast, and heard stories and sang songs that celebrated Thanksgiving. Lucy was able to help with the Christmas party and everyone had a great time. Trevor has been a great student, doing math, spelling, and reading homework each night. At his most recent parent/teacher conference his teacher showed me that he (finally) missed a point on a test, it was a math problem… I assured her that he would be beaten severely at home. He’s doing really well and we are very happy with him. Trevor reads chapter books now and we have been pleasantly surprised on a few occasions to walk into our living room and find him in our recliner reading. Trevor seems to have a joy for music – Lucy and I have an idea where that may come from . Trevor’s school has a marimba band and he has been enjoying playing the beginner marimbas, other instruments, singing songs, and coming home and making his own music.
Lucy continues to direct the local Sweet Adeline’s chorus and they had a very successful year. At their regional competition this year, they came in 4th place overall with over 20 points more than they have ever scored before making them the 12th place International small chorus. (That’s out of 100s of small choruses.) They were just a little excited!!! Lucy still loves being a director. She loves learning at educational seminars and coaching sessions and loves her wonderful chorus members!
I had an eventful year… This year was busy for me with Olympus as I strived to achieve goals in many areas I managed. I am happy to report that I had success in each area, it was a satisfying feeling. I spent two weeks in April helping the Accounting staff in Boston migrate to a new computer system and get the year-end books closed. This summer was a milestone for me professionally in that on two occasions I took a whole week off, left the computer and cell phone behind, and had great vacations. This year was also a heartbreaker in that economic conditions were such that Olympus had to have layoffs and close a plant and I was one of those laid off. Admittedly I cried when I heard the words “you’re being laid off”. I knew through my faith that everything was going to work out, but the realization that I was being relieved of the work I loved, not coming back the next days to continue in efforts with an organization and people that I loved… hard reality to have to accept. The Lord did in fact provide for us and I was able to begin consulting work within a week of being laid off. I have enjoyed the consulting work and we are blessed that Lucy has been in demand as a substitute teacher and together our needs have been met. I am so grateful for the blessing I have received in all of the support in finding job leads, preparing cover letters, and readying for interviews. This experience has made me grateful that we followed counsel to get out of debt, get as much education as possible, and place your faith in the Lord. Believe it or not, this experience has helped me develop a greater measure of patience. Many who know me know that I am one who likes to work to get a task done, that I find joy in the successful accomplishment of a job well done. Being unexpectedly unemployed, actively searching, but having to be subject to corporate timetables and hiring objectives that are completely out of my control, has brought me to more fully remember that this is part of a larger plan… I’ve been carried through this experience, through the initial emotions, through the searching and waiting, by my faith and support by those that love me. I can report that my circumstances have also provided unique realizations as I have studied and prepared lessons for my church classes and tried to be a good leader in the young men’s program of our church. So I can say being laid off has been something of a blessing in my life. My job search continues and I have some leads. I recently had an interview that went very well (I thought so at least) and I am waiting to hear back shortly about another interview.
Lucy and I have stayed busy with church callings we have enjoyed. I’ve had two callings, both serving with the youth ages 16-18; one as a Sunday School teacher and another specifically with the 16-18 young men youth group. I’ve really enjoyed the calling, the lessons and activities, the opportunity to get to know each of them better. I find a great sense of personal happiness as I see and hear of them making great choices in their lives. Lucy started the year coordinating the music for our congregation, but mid-year they called her to work with the young women as the president of that organization. She has also found joy teaching and working with the youth, getting to know them and watching them grow. Our involvement with the youth has been wonderful for our family in many ways… First, we’d love to have more children ourselves, and these callings have given us a means to be involved and give of ourselves in a meaningful fashion. While these are not our children we have come to love and appreciate them and celebrate their accomplishments. Second, Trevor is surrounded by great examples of behavior and good works. Our youth are wonderful and we appreciate the examples they are to him. I love how when we have activities and I don’t bring Trevor there are questions of where he is at and why I didn’t bring him.
Given that we’ve not had success in having additional children of our own, this year we completed the required paperwork and hurdles to become eligible to adopt. We’ve been working with LDS Family Services and are fully able right this moment to adopt, just waiting to be selected. Our prayers and hopes continue to be with the idea of having a big family by whichever means the Lord provides. Perhaps in 2010.
Hoping that 2010 will bring all of our family and friends many wonderful blessings and great times.
Sincerely,
Don & Lucy Heinkel
PS – We’d love to stay in touch with everyone all year long… we’re both on Facebook and we have our
family blog at http://donlucyheinkel.blogspot.com/
Do you have our correct address? We moved in 2008, here’s our “new” address:
3705 S. Buntin Loop Kennewick, WA 99337
