THE ANNUAL BRANDEL CHRISTMAS NEWS

Here it is! Our annual letter! Call the whole family in for the reading! And then get back to whatever else you were doing!

Rght before Christmas last year, Dan had two multi-focal lens implants, rid himself of his glasses, and gained “a new outlook on life.” In February we attended a Christian skate night where a young boy decided to stop suddenly in front of Connie to text, causing a crash and a wrist broken in three places. She now has a plate and seven screws in her wrist. Now you can honestly say she is really screwed up.

In March, we celebrated the marriage of Taylor to beautiful Ashley. It was a day to remember, as is every wedding, but especially because our very un-cowboy son actually donned a white cowboy hat and sang a cowboy love song to his sweetheart as part of the vows. These two live in Boise now, where Taylor will be finishing his business degrees on December 17. He has some interviews lined up and hopefully will be entering the business world by the first of the year.

Jonathan also was promoted to sergeant at the Kootenai County sheriff’s this year, Bill was promoted to leadership and development trainer at his job, and Anthony was promoted to co-manager of the Pie Hole in downtown Boise. We are so proud of our boys (see picture of brothers below.)

In June we graduated our last child from high school.(Take a moment here to breathe deeply!) Casey graduated with honors and enrolled at Southern Oregon University in Ashland in September. He is majoring in psychology for now, is doing very well, and is loving the experience. The highlight of his year was a mission trip to Peru this summer, and some of you helped send him there. What a huge blessing that was!

In late July, because our church has been hit hard by the economy, we were given permission to seek out other ways of earning income on the side. We have finally learned how to make money on the internet. Best of all, we get to give away a very valuable application to everyone to help them save money when shopping online. We have saved so much. Below is a link to our website and would love to have anyone install the app and help us out. It is absolutely FREE and can save so much money for you. And if you want to know about getting your own license to do what we are doing, just call or email us at dbrandel@iglide.net. It’s a very exciting business and is growing as much as the effort we put in.

Our License Key: 85825 www.givethegenie.com/opportunity

We had a great Idaho vacation in June; a wonderful trip to Texas for trustee meeting in October, where we got to see so many old friends and some of Connie’s students that we’ve reconnected with through Facebook; and in November Connie went back to Oklahoma Baptist University to sing in the Centennial Reunion Choir. We had most of the family and a few extras at our table for Thanksgiving and laughed till we cried. We love watching our grandsons growing up and our precious little granddaughter learning to talk. She is such a happy child.

We are entering a new phase in our lives as empty nesters. So far we are enjoying the extra quiet evenings and being able to have spontaneous dates, etc. Church keeps us very busy, as Dan not only is pastor but also leads the youth group and has so many other responsibilities. We had VBS in the park again this summer, baptism in the river, have small groups going, and are seeing frequent visitors.

We can never send this letter without giving honor to the Lord Jesus Christ for all His wonderful blessings. In these uncertain times, He is certain. When the future looks precarious, He is our rock. And when we least deserve it, He blesses us beyond our imagination. May Jesus become your everything in 2011! We wish you many blessings, and Jeremiah 29:11: “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

The Brandels: Dan, Connie, Casey Phone: 541-653-8309 Email: dbrandel@iglide.net

Some of you did not hear from us last year, as our computer misbehaved and wouldn’t send the digital newsletters. So we hope we haven't lost any of you. Many apologies. But we are back and have good news to share!

This has been a year of life-changing events in the Brandel household. First of all, Taylor surprised the whole family by falling head over heels in love with sweet Ashley Miller, who will marry into the family next July. We all love her already and are thrilled with the perfect match.

Just as big a surprise came as Jonathan and Michelle announced they were going to bless us with a grandchild. Audrey Quinn Brandel was born September 15 on Connie’s birthday. She is the first girl to be born in our family in 36 years. What a special blessing!

Another new addition to our family this year came in the form of two lens implants for Dan, which has given his 20/20 vision in both eyes. Next time you see him, he won’t be wearing glasses.

Among many other events of the year was a wonderful reunion with Dan’s family in celebration of Mom’s 80th birthday. There was much laughing, eating, fishing, golfing, and worship together. While we were there, Dan was privileged to baptize Taylor, Ashley, and grandson Ian in the lake by Mom’s house, Connie then traveled to Oklahoma and had the best visit in many years. She always enjoys “windshield farming” with her dad and the long walks and talks with her sister. This fall we had yet another reunion with several families from the church Dan pastored in Seattle back in the late 1970’s. Who were all those old people anyway??

Anthony is now living in Boise, working at a upscale pizza restaurant, working all his spare time on writing music and playing his guitar. Casey is a senior in high school, busy with youth group and college preparation. He spends hours a day strumming away on his guitar. These guys are both getting quite good and love jamming together whenever they can.

Angela and Bill and family continue to amaze us with their strength and faithfulness as they seek to honor Christ in their lives. Bill started a golf club repair business this past summer to supplement their income. Angela works from home for an internet business at www.mom4life.com. She has also developed a couple of other websites, which you would probably find most interesting: www.thosewithyoung.com and wwww.anggrams.blogspot.com.

We continue to see God at work as we minister through ValleyHills Community Church. During these difficult days of a struggling economy, our God continues to prove Himself faithful as He works through His people to provide for each other’s needs. We are grateful for this ministry, for Connie’s job, and for our good health. As the world becomes more and more unpredictable and times are often frightening, we are reminded that Jesus is really all we need and that the Father knew 2000 years ago what He was doing when He sent His Son into the world so that we could have hope, peace, and eternal life. Our Christmas wish for each of you is that you will experience the true joy of Christmas through Jesus.

The Brandels: Dan, Connie, Casey

(and, of course, Ollie and Griffin)