I used to make fun of my father-in-law for writing his Christmas letter later and later every year, but here I am, writing this letter on December 14 while Tim and Reuben finish laying the floor in the “Keeping Room.”
I guess that’s a good place to start. We (finally) bought a house near State College, and then promptly demolished every room. We took down walls, moved rooms, updated plumbing and electric, ripped out an entire kitchen, added a scullery, replaced all the floors, gutted the full bathrooms, ordered new exterior doors, and have (so far) used about eight gallons of paint. The only room we haven’t touched is the sleeping porch.
It’s safe to say it was not move-in ready. In fact, nothing is ready.
We move in five days.
When I first started my job at Penn State in October 2024, I rented a tiny apartment thinking Tim would stay in Ohio with Esther-Faith until she finished college. That plan changed when Esther-Faith transferred to Penn State to join the varsity Adaptive Athletic team. She moved to State College last December and immediately started training with an incredible coach, and she’s majoring in Fine Arts working toward her BFA. She competed in Chicago, Grand Rapids, Lewisburg, and New Jersey. We learned how to fly with a racer and her wheelchair (only losing one of them one time in Philly).
Tim retired in June, and he is still funemployed—although, he is also doing a lot of the work on the house.
When we aren’t traveling, training, working, or renovating, we spend as much time as we can with the grandbabies. Zander is two and has the vocabulary of a five-year-old. He repeats everything, which is great until you realize that sometimes our inside words are out-loud words, and he repeats those, too. Zariah and Zaniah are one, and they are so fun. They are emerging walkers, laugh all the time, and have the best dispositions. They are funny, smart, and full of joy like their mom, and they have the leadership potential like their dad. (I’m looking for nice ways to say stubborn and sassy.) We wish Bri and Isaiah lived closer, but we see them as often as we can. They are planning a summer wedding, and I cannot wait for that party.
Isaac transferred to a four-year school and is majoring in Environmental and Social Issues. He currently has a 4.0 GPA and really loves his classes. It is an online school at which he takes one class at a time for a shortened semester. He has settled into a routine of attending class, doing his homework, and managing his time. His latest hobby is recording himself playing video games on his VR headset. I’ll admit, I don’t always know what is going on, but he layers in hysterical music and does dances in the VR games.
One of the best things about moving to State College is the people. We have made some great friends who stand in the gap for us whenever we call. (Although, I will admit, that friendship is being put to the test on the daily as they help us renovate this house.) We have found some cool restaurants, met some really great people, (kind of) started attending a church, go to as many Penn State sporting events as we can fit in (especially volleyball and hockey), and now that we bought a house nestled on the side of a mountain, State College is really starting to feel like home. I love my job. I love the people I work with. I love Penn State.
We’ll be ready for overnight guests soon (you know, floors first), and we’d love to have you visit and show you the town we call home.
All our love,
Tim and Karin Henn.
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