A Holiday Letter

Okay, so I meant to get this printed and sent out to people, but I can't seem to find color ink that goes with my printer anywhere in Kuwait so that did not happen. I thought this was the next best way to share it with all of you lovely people instead.

December 22, 2016

My friends and family,

                It is hard to believe that 2016 is coming to a close. As I look back on this year I can’t believe everything that has happened in my life. I have lived on three continents, worked for four schools, made countless new friends, and logged a lot of air miles (I guess I should have signed up for frequent flyer miles).

                In January I found myself getting back on a plane to return to Guyana and the Guyana Lutheran Music Academy for year two teaching percussion and brass. I was very happy to return to GLMA, see my former students, and welcome new students to the GLMA family.  I had the opportunity to work with both first and second year students and help get ready for year three to begin. It has been a wonderful experience for me to see this program grow and develop over the last three years.

                I returned to Iowa in June where I went back to work with Mosaic. I was in the same home with the clients and staff that I worked with before I left for Guyana. They make my job so fun. My co-workers from Mosaic are like another family to me. Mosaic is a great organization that I have been blessed to work with over the past three years. I really enjoy being able to FaceTime with the home from overseas to check in and still be a part of their lives. They helped me through quite a bit while I was substitute teaching and waiting for my paperwork for Kuwait to get sorted out.

                Since September I have been living and working in Kuwait. I started teaching 5^th and 6^th grade general music at the American Academy for Girls. This is definitely an adjustment from GLMA. It has been an experience to say the least. I work with a wonderful staff who have helped me adjust to living and working in Kuwait. Another reason why Kuwait is fun is because one of my closest friends lives here. In fact, I have the job she has had for the past two years. I haven’t seen her a whole lot, but I have seen her a handful of times since I got here.

                While in Kuwait I have also taken another first step in my life. I have adopted a cat. I got here when she was nine months old. She is a handful, but I love her. She has helped me through some tough times over the past couple months. I am looking forward to getting to know her better and watching her grow up. My Christmas tree has only come down once from Nala which I feel like is an accomplishment at this point.

                The real treat of the year is that I am sending you this from Iowa! I have made a surprise trip home for the holidays to visit family. Hopefully I can survive this cold. J Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Yours,

Kelli J. Lair

My percussion 1 class on our last day of classes back in June. This was a really fun class to teach! I miss that group! (Don't get me wrong, I miss all of my classes.)

At the 2016 20th Anniversary SSDB with Sheltered Reality in Minneapolis, MN!

#mamaduck (a.k.a. my boss/friend Holly), myself, and Jeri went to watch Skye perform in Mason City this summer. I love how much 105 supports each other!

Nala and I hanging out. She very much likes to cuddle on the arm of the couch when I am watching something.

Teacher team volleyball. This was the Thursday we had parent-teacher conferences so it was teacher vs. teacher volleyball, but we had a great time anyways!