Room in JC

We have 2 rooms with plenty of floor space at our place! If you are ok with sleeping on an air mattress then anyone is welcome. We can also have the meal here if it's not to much to bring the food over.  Just let us know!!!

Set Date for Rivers Christmas

We have a change of date for the Rivers Christmas

As long as it works OK for everybody's schedule, 

it's OK for us to have it on December 26th.

Either way it's OK with us. We are not going anywhere, 

I just need to know about food and housing

December 26th? 4.1 Says Yes!

Wonderful updates and thankful all are well! 

Unless there are sizable objections, Ashley and I second and third Harrison's motion to hold our Rivers Family Christmas Celebration on Monday, December 26th. 

Also, thank you guys for including Landon and Christopher! Expanding family calls for expanded giving!

Any opposed or have work/schedule conflicts with the 26th?

Update from Minnesota

Hi all,

Sorry to be delinquent!

Life has settled down a bit since last month's trip to New York City for the premiere of my play, Sweet. I was blessed to have so many family members and friends on hand to celebrate with me. What an incredible experience!

Reviews for the show were very positive--except for the New York Times.
I guess it's true what they say, you can't win them all.

Since returning to St. Paul, I've been hard at work on three commissioned plays--one for the BFA actors at the University of Minnesota that will premiere in early December, one for the History Theatre (literally down the street from our apartment) that will be receive a staged reading in January and one for Ricochet Collective, a small theater company in New York City that will premiere next October.

I have also started to explore TV/Film writing opportunities. I now have an LA based TV agent who has been submitting my work. The hope is that I will be writing for television before the end of next year.

Christopher is also doing well. He was recently promoted to Assistant Director of Development for Individual Giving at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He continues to solicit donors, but now has the added responsibility of working closely with the Board and the Governing Members. He is enjoying the new challenge.

We can't wait to meet 4.1 next month!
And 3.2 next June!
What an exciting year it has been!
And next year--wow--I almost can't stand it!

Lastly, has a decision been made about what day we're gathering for Christmas?
I believe that Lee and Q will be in Missouri the 24th and 25th...
Should we declare December 26th the official date for 2016's Rivers Family Christmas?

Christmas Wish List

Harrison:
Landmark Theatre Gift Card
https://www.landmarktheatres.com/giftcards
Lunds and Byerlys Gift Card
http://order.lundsandbyerlys.com/collections/gift-cards

Christopher (who I'd love to add to the gift exchange list in the future):
Magers & Quinn Booksellers Gift Certificate
https://secure.magersandquinn.com/index.php?main_page=buy_gift
Pazzaluna Gift Card
https://www.pazzaluna.com/store/holiday_gift_card_faq/

Love,
H & C

The long awaited Rivers 3.0 Update!!

Hello All,

As you all have noticed, Junction City Rivers don't give many updates.  Mostly because there is usually not much going on, just work, racing HOT WHEELS, and sleep.  But these last few months have been very busy, to include many changes for our little family.

Many of you know, Megan was in a car accident in July, and we had to replaced our "new" RAV4, with a "new" Highlander.  Although, it was very stressful, and Megan was certainly protected by God from any serious injury, finding the Toyota Highlander was a huge Blessing, and we thoroughly enjoy it!!!

Megan started working in the Junction City Middle School this new school year, and it has been a welcomed change.  She still serves at an Elementary School, but no longer has to go on Fort Riley every day which has been nice.

James continues to work in Clay Center, for the Postal Service.  He of course, is very good at his job as a front window clerk, and is impressively fast at sorting the mail.  His supervisors are happy with his work ethic, and he is the one they rely upon to get the job done right, and on time.  In February 2017, James will be eligible for a full-time position, so we are praying for an opening closer to home. Your prayers for this opportunity to open up for James, would be greatly appreciated.

Our sweet, ornery, energetic, smart, wonderful, Landon is growing, growing, growing.  He is the biggest tease you will find.  Has an incredible ability to repeat phrases and words in context making it extremely hard not to laugh when he is actually being very defiant.  He was SUPERMAN for Halloween, and he LOVED IT!!!  Mommy got the snickers, Daddy got the milk duds and M&Ms and Landon got suckers.  Only suckers.....hehehe  And only if he ate enough bites for dinner.  :)

One of two big changes for Rivers 3.0 is that we moved to a new place the first of October.  The situation in our apartment complex had gotten filled with DRAMA, illegal activity, and a hostile living space. It had become an unsafe environment for Landon, and very stressful for us as property managers.  So, after 5 years we said goodbye!  God blessed us with an immediate upgrade!!  We found a much larger place with features we have always wanted in a home, and a Landlord that cares for their properties. You know you have found the right place when you can negotiate the rent down, your child adjusts with no problems, and my late brother Ramsey, leaves us a Dime in the mailbox.

Less than a week of being in our new place, we found out we will be Blessed with Rivers 3.2, June!!!  

We are so excited for a new bundle of joy, and will actually have the space for them!  Megan struggled with constant nausea the first weeks of pregnancy and had a variety of cravings like pickles, chips and salsa, chinese food, and strawberry shakes!!  YUM YUM!!  Thankfully the nausea has significantly reduced in the last week, and she is starting to feel and act like her cheerful self again.

Things have started to settle down for us, but we are looking forward for the upcoming Holiday Season.  We hope to get more involved in Westview Community Church that we have been attending regularly for the last 5 months.  It has been a slow adjustment but we are really getting spiritually fed, and hope to be a part of the church family.

We can't wait to see many of you in the coming weeks!  And Megan is ready to compete with Q to hold that sweet 4.1 baby!!  ; )

Much Love, James, Megan, and Landon


Our Christmas Wish List:

James:
Gift cards to Target, Panera Bread and American Eagle

Megan:
Gift cards to Old Navy, Target, Vera Bradley, Dillons

Landon:
Hot Wheels
Legos
Disney movies
3T clothing

Christmas Wish Lists

Rivers 4.0's
Ashley- Money tied to a nail polish bottle or pedicure, Starbucks gift card, Gift certificates to the Warren Theater...we'll get there eventually...maybe..., A baby that sleeps

Jonathan- Gift card to Chipotle, Habitat for Humanity Store (http://www.thehabitatstore.org/), Amazon, Targer, Dillions.


Rivers 2.0's
Wish List: Southwest Airlines Gift Cards, Amazon Gift Cards

Rivers 1.0's
Harrison:
Landmark Theatre Gift Card
https://www.landmarktheatres.com/giftcards
Lunds and Byerlys Gift Card
http://order.lundsandbyerlys.com/collections/gift-cards

Christopher (who I'd love to add to the gift exchange list in the future):
Magers & Quinn Booksellers Gift Certificate
https://secure.magersandquinn.com/index.php?main_page=buy_gift
Pazzaluna Gift Card
https://www.pazzaluna.com/store/holiday_gift_card_faq/


Rivers 3.0's
James:
Gift cards to Target, Panera Bread and American Eagle

Megan:
Gift cards to Old Navy, Target, Vera Bradley, Dillons

Landon
Hot Wheels
Legos
Disney Movies
3T clothes

D.A.D. & MoM
gift cards to christianbook.com, gty.org, bodyfirst.com
chocolate, candles, gift cards to radinas, carmike theaters, & amazon.com

Houston Rivers Update

Hello from Houston!! The Rivers 2.0 Team is enjoying the last weeks of summer before we get grazed with a week of “real fall” and rocked by a potential icky and wet winter (according to the Famer’s Almanac). We are finally getting settled into our new place (it only took 5 months to unpack everything).

As most of you know in October, we traveled to New York City to support Harrison’s world premier of Sweet, which was phenomenal in so many ways. We are so proud of him and are looking forward to seeing more of his work. 

We hit up some other shows and museums ate all of the good food NYC has to offer.

We also were able to attend a friend’s wedding in New Brunswick, Canada and did a fun road trip from Boston to Maine to Moncton. It was gorgeous. Anyone want to go in on a summer house in Maine next year?

Rivers has been busy traveling. Since August he has journeyed to Boston, Dallas, MO/KAN, New York, Alaska, and DC. While is Alaska we met a pilot who took him up for a private two-hour tour and he was able to snap some National Geographic Worthy photos. Unfortunately, upon return home he had food poisoning, but has since recovered. Work-wise he was busy with trainings, panels and a team retreat. He also had some conferences and presentations. He has one more trip this fall to Philadelphia and Delaware, and then he will focus on closing out the fall semester. He has been really active in photography and has made some connections with other photographers. Just be prepared when we come home; there will be a lot of “Kodak moments”, so your patience is appreciated in advance as he gets the correct lighting and background set up. Lee is signed up for the Houston marathon early next year, so keep him in your thoughts for a good training season and no injuries.

Q has been busy conducting trainings and presentations. October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the City of Houston and the Mayor’s Office is preparing for the Super Bowl (which brings high incidents of trafficking). She traveled to Austin quite a bit to work on legislation for the upcoming session. She spends quite a bit of time at the church involved with the music & fine arts ministry and the college and young adult ministry. She was in a theatre showcase last month and has a dance performance at The Wortham Center this weekend. She has a few more trips coming up; a winery weekend with some friends and a historical tour of D.C. to see the African American Museum and some of her favorite sites. At the beginning of the year, Q set a goal to run four 5Ks before the year is over. Of course she waited until the last minute, but she has done two so far and has two more to go. Last week she broke her personal record and finished in 27:58 seconds. She is hoping to cut it down to 25 minutes.

We are probably going to attend a few Friendsgiving dinners here in Houston and then we will pack up and head home to see all of you lovely folks in December. We are looking forward to some much needed family time.

Wish List: Southwest Airlines Gift Cards, Amazon Gift Cards

Enjoy the rest of the year. Finish strong. Many hugs & much love.

Lee + Q

Updates from Wichita!

Hello Family!

We're just 5 short weeks away from our delivery date, but truly it is a plus or minus affair. Earlier this week we had a tour of Wesley's Birthcare Center (http://wesleymc.com/location/wesley-birthcare-center), where, pending no complications, we will be planning to welcome the little one. We also had a meeting with our OB and every one is progressing well and in healthy condition! Any new guesses on gender? Either way, we are 100% at the beginning of the end, so prayers are always welcome as we enter the final leg of the this first journey.

Ashley has wrapped up all of her long conference travels and is prepping the university for her temporary departure. It will be a miracle if they can function half as well without her.  We will be learning more about the implications of the new overtime rules for her position next week, but either way it should be a favorable change towards either a slightly higher salary or much higher salary. So certainly a welcome update! Only a handful of events remain.

Work for Jonathan has gone well, with many exciting projects on the horizon going into 2017. But before jumping too far ahead, he will be busy planning the Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner in December and closing out the three remaining homes of 2016.

We have been active at the new church plant, Radiant Church which launched the first weekend of October. For those whom we have not updated, what is particularly unique about Radiant is that it is located within Towne West Mall (http://www.radiantchurchwichita.com/). It has been an exciting and new experience to be part of a Christ community in the marketplace, but wonderful to be able to share our faith in such a dynamic way. We are far from the only expecting couple, so it is also nice to be in the company of other experienced young families and those who are just a few months away from joining those ranks.

Also, we attended a wedding last weekend!

Finally, here's some information to hopefully help our folks in their Christmas shopping quest!

Ashley - Money tied to a nail polish bottle or pedicure, Starbucks gift card, Gift Certificates to the Warren Theater...we'll get there eventually... maybe..., A baby that sleeps

Jonathan - Gift card to Chipotle, Habitat for Humanity Store (http://www.thehabitatstore.org/), Amazon, Target, Dillons  

We love you all and hope you are all well!

Ashley, Jonathan & Baby

Christmas List- UPDATED

Just a reminder:

Names have been drawn by the D.A.D,

Grandma A- Wandean

Ashley- Q

Harrison- Jonathan

James- Lee

Lee- Grandma A

Jonathan- Megan

Q- Ashley

Wandean- James

Karl- Harrison

Megan- Karl

Landon- Christopher

Christopher- Landon

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