Busy.
Exhausting. Yet fun.
Growth. Discovery. Trust. Prayer.
Ugh.
Leaning on each other and God.
These are words that capture 2023 for us.
God did so much for us and in us, and filled our year with some quick fun times and exciting adventures. Yet through it all has been a thread of earnest prayer, prayer for His direction and guidance on some important decisions facing us, but also for dear friends facing life trials and for exciting work in which He invites us to participate.
Impact Foundation continues to bless us. Aimee loves what she does, and is surrounded by a growing team of fantastic people. Her first major travel of the year took her to Kenya to visit with a group of faith-driven investors. It was a whirlwind week, but at least this time she wasn’t caught in the middle of civil unrest.
Back home, we gathered at the Trott’s once again to watch the Chiefs pull off another Super Bowl victory. Though it’s not looking so good for them this year.
Liam played basketball for KCC with his Ukrainian-American friend Eli. Come March, Eli and his brother Noah and mom and dad returned to Europe, relocating to Poland because of the fighting in their home country. The goodbye was sad for everyone, especially for the family as they have three other sons now staying in America.
Come spring break, we were delighted to return to Ft. Lauderdale, the first of three trips this year. The sun, the sand, the sounds of the ocean…what a blessing.
Both Andy and Liam ran track for KCC and learned that they have a love of running! Aimee and Marshall are trying to love sitting on bleachers in cold winds or hot sun for 5 hours at a time.
Next up for travel was to Houston to watch the NFL Draft with Andre and his family. Andre signed with the Vikings right after the draft, then graduated from West Point, made the team in preseason, and is currently getting playing time on special teams and defense. We’re really proud of him.
In June, Marshall and Aimee joined the Wichterman’s for some sailing on the Chesapeake. Sailing and hospitality are two of Bill and Dana’s passions in life, and we were thrilled to be recipients!
July took us back to Florida once more. We. Love. The beach. And Mary Lou’s condo gave us a luxurious way to enjoy it.
In August, Andy joined the varsity cross country team on a training trip to Colorado Springs. There they ran and hiked daily at altitude, building up to a summit of Pike’s Peak.
Then came our annual visit with the Andersen’s at Beaver Lake. Again, good weather and good times combined for good memories.
Finally it was time to start school again. And along with that, 5 different sports teams between the three kids. Andy (10th grade) and Liam (7th grade) both played soccer and ran XC, and Reagan (6th grade) played volleyball for the first time!
On Liam’s TOCA team, he quickly rose to team captain as well as team chaplain! He prays over his teammates at every game and practice. They also call him William since there’re two other Liam’s on the team.
Did we mention that Andy is now driving? As of his 15th birthday last December, he is allowed to drive to school and to school activities. This helped a lot with the logistics of so many simultaneous sporting events.
September should be remembered. First, Aimee and Marshall went to Cancun for the annual Impact staff retreat, and to celebrate her birthday. It was two years ago that we went to Puerto Vallarta for the same gathering, only to have to rush back immediately because of our son’s positive COVID test and all of the protocols that that triggered. It was so nice to redeem that experience. While Marshall was content to snorkel and lie poolside, Aimee’s highlight had to be swimming with the whale sharks. She was however more at peace in the water with these giants than she was on the boat.
A week later we took just Reagan with us to Dallas for a gathering of investors who are launching a new streaming media studio. Yet another streaming product? Yes. One that is independent, faith- and family-focused, and committed to excellence. I think we can all agree there’s actually a place for this today. The existing leaders in this industry have practically abandoned this audience, opening the door wide for Jon Erwin, Dallas Jenkins, Kelly Merryman and other great talents. Impact Foundation is playing an important role behind the scenes. More news is coming, but for now you can read about it here.
And while actor Dennis Quaid was teaching us a worship song that he wrote, Aimee and I were getting updates about Andy’s game-winning goal against Bishop Ward back home!
Next up for September was our return to The Gathering, this time at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Darrin, Jill, Melissa, Andre and Mary Lou all joined us this year for the first time. The weather cooperated for a wonderful time at the historic property.
By the end of October, the KCC varsity soccer team had gone 17-1-1 and scored 10 goals for every 1 they conceded, but the season ended with a crushing loss to our nemesis, the defending state champion. Still, Andy and his teammates provided us many fun highlights.
Reagan really took to volleyball and her 6th grade girls almost went undefeated.
And, we had a delightful visit from Mommom (Carol) and Aunt Kristen. They got a good taste of our busy sports schedule.
Both Andy and Liam had lots of success in cross country. At the varsity level, Andy and his teammates qualified for the state championship. A couple weeks later they even competed at a national regional meet in South Dakota.
For Thanksgiving we returned one last time to make more memories in Ft. Lauderdale and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at Coral Ridge. While there, Andy and Liam and Aimee all ran in the Turkey Trot 5k, with all three of them placing in their age groups and Andy finishing 7th overall (out of over 2400 runners!). We may return someday, but we said goodbye to Mary Lou’s condo there as it has now sold.
That brings us to December, and as we write we have sadly still not begun the renovation of the home we purchased in 2022. We’ve been through a whipsaw of emotions over the last 18 months, but we are close…really close. From inflation to constant testing of our patience, we’ve been challenged multiple times to ask God if we really are to continue down this road. Maybe next year at this time we’ll be writing from the comforts of our new home.
If you view all of our photos, you don’t need us to tell you that we also adore our dog Sally. Now 75 lbs, she is determined to be everyone’s best friend and will give you a hero’s welcome every time you come through the door. Or just because she wakes up and sees you sitting there. You’ve not seen happiness until you’ve seen the wiggle-butt of a labrador retriever.
As always, join us in noticing and thanking God for the many blessings He brings us.
Until next time, here’s to 2023.
-Marshall, Aimee, Andy, Liam & Reagan
