Christmas Card 2010

Oh my what a year it has been for the Two Steins From Texas! In February, we packed up and moved with Joe's job from a tiny town in central Missouri (we're talking all they have is a Wal-Mart) to a bigger town in Southern Pennsylvania(they have a Target, hallelujah!). We arrived to our new little townhome we purchased with great hopes and dreams, in awe of the new scenery and the mountains that surround us. Less than a week into our stay, we experienced two back-to-back blizzards which produced the most snow Pennsylvania had seen in over 30 years. With everything we owned packed up in boxes piled to the ceilings, we did not know where boots, coats, or snow shovels were.... so that's how we met the neighbors! They had to come and help shovel us out!

Joseph was on the team that was in charge of the $135 million dollar expansion at his plant. He worked loooooong hours, nights, weekends, and everything in between to help keep everything on track and on budget. A few weeks ago, he gave me a highly classified tour of the new plant expansion and I was AMAZED! You cannot even imagine the size of this thing! Its almost 300,000 square feet! They have seven new milk silos to hold the milk that is received in by the truckload...each silo holds 40,000 gallons of milk! To put it in perspective, how massive it is, he lost ten pounds in a week just from walking all over the plant! He is doing a great job and continues to be recognized for his leadership skills as well as hard-working attitude and character... Good job Joe!

I unpacked and decorated, and started to settle into a new place. We found a church and great friends, which always helps. We bought a brand new townhome, which we quickly learned, is much like living in an apartment... you hear everybody's business through the walls and privacy is a thing of the past! But, we were very thankful to have a new home with a one year warranty that came in VERY handy on more than one occasion ( more on that later). It was nice to have a new home here and not another fixer-upper like we did in Missouri. Joe's job kept him very busy, so we were happy to have a house that did not have any necessary repairs and very low maintenance as far as the yard, trees, leaves, snow removal, etc. ( DID YOU KNOW: in PA, we have a city ordinance that states you have 12 hours to clear the sidewalk in front of your house, and should you fail to do so in the alotted time-frame, you will be fined! YIKES!)

We had the garage sale of the century, getting rid of everything that would not fit in our house (we do not have the luxury of a 2-car garage or a basement here like we did in Missouri!) and made quite a but of money. Our new motto: less is more! I had a few minor spills (never having a house with stairs before proved to be tricky for me!). I busted my tailbone around March and got to sit on a do-nut (ahem, "invalid ring") for about six weeks. The bruises were so bad, the doctor made poor Joe leave the room and asked me if I wanted to tell here what REALLY happened. :) I also hurt my neck carrying 60-80 lb bags of mulch across the yard because Joe was gone and I wanted to get my garden/ flower beds finished NOW! I bounced around from part time jobs, worked at my gym for awhile, worked at the Christian bookstore for a little bit, and now, I am working at the wonderful world of Starbucks ( where I slipped on wet floors where no one put a sign out to say "be careful," busted my wrist, and had to go to the ER, followed by a brace, a sling, and ongoing physical therapy!) for something to do to get me out of the house while Joe is gone so much! Needless to say, hoping 2011 will be injury free! :)

Tex, the dog, turned two this October (and yes, I am aware how pathetic this sounds giving you updates on my dog...proof positive that we NEED a baby soon! Over Christmas, my sweet sister-in-law said, "OK, I love Tex, but I'm tired of buying for a dog- it's getting lame and I'm ready to start buying all the cute baby clothes!" Me too, Anna, me too!). Tex has fenced yard where he loves to play and has a few doggy friends in the neighborhood that we make play dates with. There is an ice cream place in town where they will give you a doggy sundae if you bring your pup...he LOVES it there! Tex tolerates anything for a treat...he even lets me dress him up for the Christmas card...what a good sport! He almost lost his life about a month ago when the formerly well-behaved dog who never destroyed a thing in his life ate my favorite pair of heels and a one foot square section of our brand new carpet in a two week time period. He understands that he is lucky to be alive!

Looking forward to what God has for us in 2011... we have many big changes coming up that we will share soon! Wishing you a very happy holiday season and the best of His blessings in the new year!

Merry Christmas from the "Steins", Joe, Katy,................
and Tex the dog :)