Merry Christmas 2014 from the Blumer Family
Greetings, family and friends!
Kim, Laura, Julia, and Adam attended Michael Melzer’s wedding in May at Chicago’s Navy Pier.
Yes, it’s that time of year again—and I’ll try not to bore you by saying the same ol’ things I say every year. At this time of year, however, it’s tough not to reflect on where we were a year ago and on what God did in our lives over the last twelve months. And God, as always, did many wonderful things as only He can.
Julia, Kim, and Laura visit Door County Coffee & Tea Co., one of our favorite places in Door County, Wisconsin.
I consider myself to be a very blessed man for many reasons. God has blessed me with an amazing wife, Kim, and two gorgeous daughters, Laura (13) and Julia (10). I also get to work from home as a full-time editor and write novels as God grants me time, and I’m so thankful for that. I get to work with words all day, every day, so that’s another blessing.
The girls learned a lot from their horse-riding teacher, Miranda Schneider, who won ribbons in several “classes” at the UP Equifest in September.
Writing time was frankly hard to come by this year. With two horse-crazy daughters getting older in this uncertain economy, everything seems to be getting more expensive. Therefore, I worked a lot of long hours, including evenings and sometimes weekend hours, just to get my deadlines in. Kim works hard right alongside me, homeschooling our girls and serving as a virtual assistant for Shalom Ministries (Brooklyn, NY). I was also very busy serving as a song leader and deacon at Norway Baptist Church in Norway, Michigan.
If you ever visit Door County, a visit to Wilson’s Restaurant in Ephraim, Wisconsin, is essential.
With God’s help and an hour here and there, I managed to finish the rough draft of novel #3, which is tentatively titled Drone. Though I think the plot works nicely, the main story problem is left hanging. So there will definitely be a sequel; maybe the story will even be a trilogy. We’ll see. Meanwhile, my first novel, Fatal Illusions, went out of print with Kregel, but God graciously opened the doors for me to find a new publishing home for Fatal Illusions at Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Stay tuned for more details about the novel’s rerelease. I’m very grateful for this new opportunity.
The girls were thrilled to see some of their cousins in May.
Because our busy schedules demanded so much of our time this past year, I can’t describe any major vacation trips other than small weekend visits to my mom, Rhoda Blumer, in Milton, Wisconsin; and to my wife’s parents, Dick and Mary Melzer, in Colgate, Wisconsin. We also attended two weddings in May and June, first for my niece Carissa and then for Kim’s cousin Michael. The girls were especially excited about seeing their cousins in May, and we enjoyed a day trip to New Glarus, Wisconsin.
The cemetery proved to be the best place to ride our bikes.
We’re homebodies, and when I didn’t have trips, church functions, or deadlines, we enjoyed grilling out and puttering around our yard on the weekends with various home-improvement projects. We also rode our bikes at the cemetery (I know that sounds funny, but it really has the best roads without much traffic). God graciously provided so we could renovate our old staircase. The project entailed tearing up old, blue carpet, paying someone to refinish the steps, and varnishing/painting the steps themselves. Kim did most of the work. We’re quite pleased with the finished product! Other big family events were Julia’s getting baptized in August and Laura’s turning thirteen on August 30. Yikes, I have a teenager in the house!
The girls’ last photo with Grandma Melzer, who passed away on October 9
In October, while we were enjoying a weekend retreat with Kim’s parents in Door County, Wisconsin, Kim’s Grandma Melzer had a stroke and later passed away at age ninety-five. We were saddened to say good-bye to her, but we believe her Savior’s face was the first thing she saw after the stroke. Here’s a special thanks to Pastor Greg Huffman of Brookside Baptist for a memorable memorial service.
My girls continue to improve on the piano after weekly lessons, and they’re also making great strides in their biweekly horse-riding lessons. Both are learning various tasks of good horsemanship. I had the opportunity to lead our church’s annual Christmas program, “Joy Has Dawned,” on December 14 , and both girls participated in various vocal ensembles. Kim and Laura also played a piano duet.
The girls have enjoyed may special moments with Kim’s parents, Dick and Mary Melzer.
We enjoyed Thanksgiving weekend at my mom’s place in Milton, where we spent a few days with my mom and my sister Andrea’s family. For Christmas we’re very much looking forward to visiting Kim’s parents near Milwaukee; this will give us some much-needed downtime after a strenuous work schedule.
The girls enjoy the autumn colors during one of our seasonal walks in the woods near our house.
The girls snuggle with Grandma Blumer.
We hope you have time this December to ponder what’s truly important—making more of Christ in your life and in the lives of others. We can do so by emphasizing who Christmas is really about and by being grateful for the redemption Christ bought for us by shedding His blood. Christmas by itself isn’t enough to explain and/or appreciate the gospel, but if Jesus hadn’t come as a babe, He never would have gone to the cross for us. So this is a time to be truly thankful for God’s gift.
Like my novels, I tend to be verbose, so let me draw this to a close. From our home to yours, we hope you have a tremendous Christmas and a hopeful New Year! On behalf of the Blumer family,
Note: As always, I’ll be posting more about my writing life here, so feel free to drop by. I also like to post about life and free Kindle books at Facebook. So if you like getting free books for your Kindle, I probably have a book for you to check out. Feel free to drop by.
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Dear Bumers,
Merry Christmas to all of you! Adam, I am so pleased that Fatal Illusions will continue to be published. It’s a great story. I also look forward to Drone (or Book 3.) I am looking for a home for my second novel and polishing up my 3rd. I’ve had small successes with Atonement. It sells best when I meet personally with an audience. We are taking a trip to MO and TX in January and hope to have book signings both places.
We remember fondly our times with your family and pray for a wonderful time of celebrating our Savior’s birth.
Susan and Gary