Christmas Letter 2006

December, 2006

Happy Holidays Friends and Family,

Hard to believe it is the holiday season already! Each year it seems to sneak up on us and I am never ready for it. This past year has been a year of change and transition for James and I, and we are thankful for the opportunity to share with you the changes that have happened.

Last winter we spent many evenings and weekends fixing up our cozy 850 square foot bungalow that we purchased in 2005. It was our first house and we were quite proud of all the work that we did to it. But after a long Canadian winter in it, we soon found ourselves toying with the idea of selling it and buying something a bit bigger. Before we knew it we were in discussion with one of the New Homebuilders here in Regina, Crawford Homes, and were drawing up floor plans for a brand new house. In April we finalized our plans and put our down payment on a 1225 square foot, 3 bedroom bungalow, just blocks away from the house my (Melissa’s) family lived in when they were in Regina.

In late June we decided to sell our house during the peak spring/summer market. I thought that I would try to sell it on my own and if that failed I would have Grandma list it. I soon discovered (and as did my new boss – more on that too come) that I have the Williams’ eye for Real Estate, as I sold our house within 5 days without having an Open House. By August 1 we were moved out of our house and were living with Grandma and Grandpa Williams for what we thought would be around 2 months. 2 months turned into 3 months, which turned into 4 months… and we were still living with Grandma and Grandpa but on December 1, 2006 we moved into our new house. We are very proud of it since we (I will admit James did more work than I did) were able to do a lot of it ourselves. We spent endless days and nights working on the house (paint, trim, hardwood floors, ceramic tile… the list goes on), but now that it is all finished we are able to sit, relax and enjoy our hard work.

This past August we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. Crazy how the time flies bye! I wish I could tell you that we are expecting a baby, but no, you won’t be hearing that in this Christmas letter, we will see what next year brings. Right now the only baby we have is our two-year-old Lab/Husky, Lexis, who still takes up a lot of our time and energy, but we wouldn’t trade her for anything.

Up until spring James was still working for Crawford Homes part-time while going to University (majoring in Human Justice). Instead of going up North to tree-plant, like he had done the two previous summers, he decided to look for work here in Regina. He was offered a job running a franchise for College Pro Painters on the East side of Regina. Through this summer experience he learned two main things. First he learned he loved running his own business, and secondly he learned that he missed working on the construction site. After much thought James decided to take some time off University and open up his own construction business, Trademark Construction. The business does mainly siding, soffits, and facia, but also does some interior renovations as well. The business is now too busy for James to do alone and has allowed him to hire a fulltime employee, a good friend of his named Conrad Shepherd.

This past year has been a hectic year for me (Melissa) as well. Last winter I was still attending the University of Regina (majoring in Psychology) and working at Living Hope Alliance Church. I had been working at the Church for the past 3 years and loved every minute of it. When I decided to sell our house myself I never dreamed it would lead to a new job, but that is just what happened. I ended up meeting and talking to the owner of Royal LePage Regina Realty and he offered me a job. So I have taken some time off of school and I am working as the fulltime Receptionist for Royal LePage Regina Realty while I take my Real Estate courses. I plan on being a licensed Realtor by spring!

James and I both are still involved in teaching/mentoring the students at our church. I am one of the leaders of the Grade 11/12 girls small group while James is the leader of the Grade 12 boys small group. We both enjoy impacting the students lives and look forward to seeing them each Sunday morning and connecting with them. We also keep busy by traveling; there are short trips to Outlook, SK to see his parents and longer trips to see mine in Vancouver, WA. This winter we are hoping to get away to Los Angeles for 10 days and take a much needed warm and relaxing vacation.


We trust that you will have a happy and memorable holiday season! If you are ever in Regina, please drop in and see us. We would love to connect with you, especially those who we do not see on a regular basis!


God bless you in 2007,
James, Melissa (& Lexis) McCullough