Lisa

It has been a fun year of running around keeping up with my schedule and everyone else's! I have enjoyed teaching classes at Weathervane and working hard in the box office. I even auditioned for a play... Although a friend of mine was cast instead, I really enjoyed the process and call-back. It will not be my last attempt. :)

As you may have read in other posts, our family trip took much of the year. Thanks to my sister Rachele's previous year's trip, we were able to piggyback on much they had done in our planning, yet still make the trip our own. I think everyone had their favorite places. I think some highlights for me were lunch below the Tetons eating buffalo burgers, sweeping storms in Riverton, WY, and a 45 minute Buffalo jam in the Hayden Vally of Yellowstone. You can read our vacation blog here.

The other big chunk of my year was spent running for public office for the Akron School Board. I pulled petitions in May and jumped in with both feet. I made a good showing coming in FIRST overall. I had lots of help all across the city from some incredible people. The most helpful was Eric of course who has a knack for campaigning! I look forward to being sworn in in January and serving the citizens and mostly the children of Akron to the best of my ability.

I am so proud of all my boys. Josh has made great strides in grades and academics. He just recently was cast in Pride and Prejudice which hits the stage in March. Jake has dones a wonderful job in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, espeically as the chief camel rider and megamixer! Teddy's love of music has he and I headed to my friend Lynette's for wonderful piano lessons. He has quite an ear. Eric has been great on the 7 o'clock news on Channel 3 and it never stops amazing us the way people will stare at him even if it means turning their chairs in restuarants just to watch him eat!! Too funny.

All-in-all, the Mansfield's have been blessed with love, health, happiness and family. We are grateful to God for all we have been blessed with and believe that to those much is given, much is expected. May God bless you in 2010!