Deano's Christmas letter 2007

Some of this you may know, but it's a blanket email for the year, a good sum up, and thought I'd throw it up here for friends whom I've fogotten their email addresses (if I have sorry, and please get in touch...)

Hello to you all.

Well it’s Christmas Eve, and I am just sitting down to write my Chrissy Catchup email, some of you I have seen recently as you’ve come home for the holidays, others I can only imagine are experiencing quite a different Christmas period to myself.

It’s a warm summer evening here in Ipswich, I have my fan on, and considering cranking up the air conditioning. I know the general idea of Christmas is your snow, and warm fires… but I don’t think I’d want it any other way than what we have in Australia – especially Queensland. That heat means shorts and t-shirts are your ‘Christmas Best’ – everything feels a little more casual, and the family game of volleyball in the swimming pool is something not to be missed. Instead of a Christmas Turkey, or hot roast meal, we eat on our back patio, sometimes BBQ meat, with a cold ham and seafood… but this year I believe Mum has cooked a roast pork to serve cold with salad, fresh prawns and oysters… We have a small family here… just my brother and myself at home with mum and dad, and my sister and her husband – we share Christmas with my brother-in-law’s family as well, since they are a small family too – so that’s made it feel a little more like a big family gathering.

I hope you are well – and that your Christmas can be a time of great blessing, as we remember the birth of Jesus.

This year has been a pretty full on one for me. I’ve had job offers I’ve turned down, been through the process of becoming a manager only to have it not come off… and then finding myself in charge of some large projects which could seriously impact the company if they fail. And that’s just my work at RACQ. Computers are still my thing, but I find I’m moving more and more into managing people more than working on the computers. I worked at the Gold Coast Schoolies event in November – RACQ as a non government agency helped out by running the registration designed at keeping all the celebrating school leavers safe. It was quite a large task – and one underestimated by the people planning the event. As the person on the ground I had to really think on my feet to provide enough computers to run the event – it was a very stressful week, but in the end rewarding as the manager and higher executives were very happy with how it worked out. I’m also currently running a company wide computer rollout – only a small amount of PCs (200 – but considering we have 1600 PCs company wide it is a small number), but it’s meant managing two other people who are basically working for me.

Away from work I’ve been continuing with the sport chaplaincy – it’s been a quiet end of the year, but we are still seeing the effects of the tragedy we had earlier in the year… track officials are still coming to grips with the fatal accident back in March. Willowbank Raceway is a great place, run by a great group of people – and I love being part of the team, there have not been as many meets towards the end of the year, and the couple that have run have ended up washed out with rain. There is a big meet on the first weekend in January so I am looking forwards to that and inhaling some burning rubber and fumes once again :-P

Church life is taking a bit of a turn for me – I’m spending most of my time at City North Baptist in Brisbane these days and really enjoying getting more involved there. Hopefully in the new year I’ll start playing drums and finding other ways to serve God in that church. I’m still going to and playing at Whitehill occasionally, and up until this last term I was helping run the youth group, but I am slowing drawing back from there as I try to inject myself into City North more and more…

I’ve played no sport this year – my ankle injury from last years soccer season meant that I sat on the sidelines in 2007 – it’s also meant I’ve lacked the motivation to get out an exercise like previous years… hence a new years resolution is in order to get a bit fitter so I can start pre season training for soccer in 2008. I plan to play only on a social level next year, as I don’t think my ankle would hold up in one of the higher grade teams.

My brother Brett is going to have a 2008 on the sidelines like my 2007 – he sprained his knee back in the year and had a full knee reconstruction in July. He’s almost back to normal now, but needs to continue strengthening it, any sport for the next 12 months is out, which will be hard for him. It’s also caused him some problems with his electrical apprenticeship and he’s ready to get back out doing normal work again – hopefully in the new year..

Vanessa and Andy moved into their own home on the 1st January this year – they’ve now been married 18months and still just making their way through life… there’s talk of maybe moving to the UK for a year to work and make some more money – and if they do, expect me to tag along to help them settle in and hopefully visit many of my European friend (and hopefully a return journey via the Gambia)

That’s all in 2008 though and a little far away to really start thinking about – Mum and Dad are doing well, they’ve bought a Caravan and have used it a few times to trek off to different places. Dad had to buy something to tow his van and decided on a Nissan Nivara – quite a large ‘pickup’ (for you Americans) and something he’s quite simply fallen in love with. We’ve just found Mum a new car and as of Friday she’ll be zipping around in a new Honda Jazz – it’s good to see her finally getting a new car, and not always Dad with the new toys.

Speaking of new cars, due to the rising fuel costs, and the age of my fantastic Falcon – I decided it was time to say goodbye. I sold it and bought a brand new Mitsubishi Lancer – one of the new models they’ve just released here in Australia and are doing those big advertising campaigns on. It’s a great little car – but saying farewell to my beloved Falcon was very tough – I think it will always be the car I look back on and regret selling – it was so much fun to drive. But I made a choice to make my life a little easier to live, and a little less expensive as well. I’m hoping to move out of home next year (it’s about time eh??) so cutting down on my costs is a must.

So this is quite long – I’m sorry and if you’ve made it this far you’re doing well – so I’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and would love to hear from you. These days on the Internet there are so many ways to keep in touch.

God Bless and I look forward to sharing 2008 with you all.

Dean.