Merry Christmas Friends and Family!
Tis that time of year (again?!?) for reflection and rejoicing on the events of 2013. Since this also serves as my complete “Christmas Letter” to my peeps (hey, postage is expensive when you are still working for Jesus dollars,) I want to share with you some highlights from our year… And the links that go with them. (No need to reinvent the wheel, right?)
First, I sincerely hope that your year was fruitful and blessed. It’s impossible to capture the amount of joy you bring us in a single blog post. Know that we think of you and often pray for you. We would love to continue this trend with even more intention, so feel free to email me via sharita@7daystime.com or submit a prayer request here.
For space/time sake, I am going to breeze through our year in chronological order with numbered events. (If I don’t, this post is going to end up being about 40 million words. And that’s a little much 😉 )
1. At the end of January 2013, I wrecked our car… I was fine, but our Ladybug Vibe was not. (First accident ever– go big or go home, I guess. SIGH.) As sucky as that moment was for me, it has turned out to be a blessing because our new (new to us– not new-new) vehicle was much more family friendly and reliable. So thanks to God for helping us rejoice when we wreck!
2. We had a baby! (I’m sure you got the memo on that one by now… if not, you need to be Facebook stalking a little harder.) Our sweet daughter Charis Benning Knobloch was born on March 6, 2013. “Charis” (pronounced KARE-iss) is Biblical Greek for “grace.” She is now 9-months-old and absolutely hilarious and adorable (yes, I’m biased. Don’t judge.) Her personality is blossoming daily, and we think she is going to be stubborn and feisty. (Must take after her Daddy…) What a blessing in our lives.
3. Brandon finished his time as a drill sergeant at the end of May. PRAISE GOD! That was a hard two years for us, physically and emotionally. But God really did some work in that time. Barn is now working as an Ops guy in S-3 for Brigade, as well as serving as Unit Movement Officer (and other random stuff.) In English: It’s an office job– something he needs for career advancement. He will probably do this til next summer-ish. Still 12 hr days, but not nearly as cray-cray as drill sergeant 🙂
4. In June/July, we moved from Fort Benning, GA to Fort Lewis, WA. We made a vacation out of it (well, as much of a “vacation” as we could with a 3.5-month-old infant.) We stopped to see family in Arkansas, Kansas, and South Dakota. We also drove through the Black Hills, Yellowstone National park and even stayed one night at a dude ranch in Montana. We traveled for about 16 days total taking our time over 3,785 miles and 79 driving hours in the car. I may or may not have prayed A LOT through this experience. But we made it– and it was sure memorable.
My sentiments exactly, sweet girl.
5. Fall found us settling into our new home here in Washington State. We LOVE it here. You can see Mt. Rainier from nearly everywhere on post. You should come visit. Like, now? (Just call first so I can clear a path to the guest rooms and put fresh sheets on the bed.)
6. In September, I officially received my Spiritual Leadership Coaching Certification. (YIPPEE!) This exciting accomplishment meant there needed to be some serious work done on our 7 Days Time ministry website. So, with God holding my hand, we did a total overhaul and moved to a self-hosted site. (See: Untechnological gal called to build a website from the ground up.) 
Between God and Google, we got ‘er done and relaunched our new shiny website on November 18th. In the weeks since that point, 7DT has grown leaps and bounds. Oh, and we may or may not have gotten matching tattoos of our ministry brand. (Brandon and I… not Charis.) We give all the glory to God and can’t wait to see where He takes this next!
7. Justus is… well, still Justus. Our pup has adjusted well to Charis and tolerates her tugging on his ears surprisingly well. Charis thinks he is hilarious and I have a feeling they are going to best friends.
Quick update on the rest of our family…
Knobloch side:
- Mama Lex and Daddy D are still doing their thang in SD… they both hold down full time jobs and flip houses in their “spare” time. They are planning to come visit soon. (Or if they weren’t they are now that this is published. HA.)
- Brock (Barn’s big bro) is still doing his air force thing in Little Rock, AR and recently got engaged to Katie. YAY!
- Grandpa Willie is doing ok health wise (he gave us some scares last year.) Grandma Helen is currently undergoing chemo for ovarian cancer. (We would really appreciate the prayers!) But they are still as feisty as ever. 😉
- Grandma J was diagnosed with breast cancer this year but has now been cancer free for several months. Thanks, God!
Lacey side:
- Mama CJ and Daddy Gail are also doing their thang in SE KS. Dad is transitioning to a new job and working getting his CDL to drive school buses and other large equippmenty things. Mom is working at H & R block gearing up for a crazy tax season. Both are still running our small farm/ranch in their “spare” time. (Funny how “spare” is always in quotes, huh?)
- Little Bro Dal is almost 16 (GROSS! I’m old.) He is a sophomore in HS and very active with FFA and 4-H. He recently rebuild the transmission in his truck pretty much by himself. (Maybe I should have had him do my website too?)
- Sister Kathleen and Bro-in-law Chris are expecting their first baby in February! Baby Girl Jellybean (nickname) will be welcomed with much love. They also purchased their own house this summer and have been working on remodeling and updating it. (Super cute.)
Whew. My hands are starting to hurt. That must be a sign to wrap this puppy up. So yes, friends, it has been an eventful year full of challenges, excitement and a LOT of changes. But one thing we know is that God was with us in all of our moments– and we are confident that He will continue His glorious faithfulness until we reach heaven’s gates. Be blessed as you abide in Him.
Love, prayers, & blessings,
Brandon, Sharita, Charis & Sweet Justus
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” ~Isaiah 60:1
