Marino Natale Lettera 2023

 Merry Christmas to you all from the Marino Family!

Let's get right to updates on the kids, shall we? In no particular order...

Jared turned 18, graduated high school and after working his last summer as a lifeguard, secured a full time job at a locally owned service station, and bought a car! He decided a gap year would be a good idea, as he is not quite sure what he wants to do. He works a lot of overtime, creates digital music and is writing fiction.

Natty turned 13, built a house in the backyard, loves creating with Legos and looking up words in an actual dictionary, and is almost as tall as I am! Did you think I was kidding about the house? He actually salvaged all the materials, even the working chimney. He is active in youth group at one church, and as a helper in children's church at another church.

Margie, turned 21, and is living on her own. She is working at a daycare with 2-3 year olds and loves it. She says it is an amazing job! She is a natural with children, and the little ones love her. She still struggles with her physical health, but has overcome many other obstacles.

Deb, turned 26 and is still working as an ER medic, occasionally in the field with an ambulance company,  going to school to get the pre-reqs out of the way for nursing school, and is in process of getting certified as a flight medic. The horse barn is where she relaxes. She treated me to a birthday lunch, and her birthday twin to a night on the town this past May.

Edi, turned sweet 16, worked as a lifeguard this summer, where she had two saves, is learning how to drive and is active in youth group at church. She recently got hired at the same service station where Jared works. She enjoys playing the piano and enjoys exploring all genres of music.

Ellie turned 10! I have no more children in the single digits. She is a thoughtful, kind and loving girl. She is involved with Awana at one church and as a helper in children's church at another church. She has made some good friends and loves to memorize Bible verses. 

Lewis, turned 24 and proudly served in the National Guard Military Funeral Honors program. He will graduate from Ohio State Trooper Academy in January, after which he will be in field training in the area for a few months, and then will be turned loose to keep the highways safer.

Mattis has come to live with us, and he is everything a dog should be: gentle, snuggly, loves car rides and walks and a good belly rub, loves to bask in the sun, gets in line at dinner time, and joins the kids for their school work. We all love him dearly.

My brother came to visit us for a few days, and I so enjoyed spending time with him. The kids really got to know him better and discovered his great love for ice cream when he treated us all! There is nothing like an older brother.

Jay turned, HA!, not telling how old he is, but he remains ever steadfast and loving. We celebrated 29 years of marriage this year. I'm glad for every one of them. When he is not at work, providing for his family, he is cooking on the smoker or creating in the kitchen, gardening and taking the kids to various local parks.

My days are filled with learning and cultivating relationships with my children and with friends and running the household. I am in the home stretch with home education and I am sad but trying to enjoy it all, and for the most part, I love what I do. There are lemonade stands, working in the garden; even power or water outages are made into a fun game with these kids.

We hope and pray you know God's peace and presence in your lives. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from us all!