New Year, New Everything! (But not really)

From our staff retreat!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! This last week marked the end of our generous two week (plus a few days) break and our entire team kicked it off at a retreat together so we could be more prepared to dive into things this week. The three weeks I spent back at work between Thanksgiving and Christmas were mostly compiled of Christmas parties and catching up with students. This was a great soft start for me and I'll still only be part time for another month or so as I ease out of maternity leave, but I'm looking forward to being more involved this semester.

I can't say thank you enough to our entire staff team for making it possible for me to bring Luna along to work things and accommodating me as best they can. But I specifically want to shout out my campus team for really going above and beyond, not just at our retreat this week, but all the time when it comes to helping out with Luna. The 3 photos above are the only ones I've got from retreat because my hands were a bit full, but those are my coworkers holding and caring for Luna so I could be more present. MacKenzie, the one on the right, even stayed in a room with us (which she volunteered to do)! I'm thankful for them always being excited to have her around and for how they are eager to love her and to serve Alex and me in how they do it.

When the school semester ended and we were wrapping up work for the semester, our team lead, Pedro, and our team queen (what I call her even though she would never accept it - she's more like our team mom), Eileen, took us to bowl, play laser tag, and do arcade games together. Since I was out for most of the semester, it was nice to spend quality time with all of them. And for them, I know it was nice to have time together that wasn't planning events!

Thank yous are due not only to my coworkers, but all of you, my family, and so many friends. The last few months have been incredibly special and sweet and we know that we are supported and have more than we need/could ever imagine.

Please be praying for this upcoming semester and for our students' Winter Retreat this next weekend! I'm looking forward to sharing about that with you next month.

Blessings,

Jacy