Hello Blog World!

Truthfully, I actually started this blog in 2009 after Gracie Belle was born because it seemed like the easiest way to document the comings and goings of our family. Once I got the hang of it, I realized that I wanted to “go back in time” so that I could include some Barrick history from the early days. My goal is to get this little blog up to date and to eventually have it turned into family yearbooks that my children and grandchildren can enjoy long after they’re all grown up and leading little families of their own. This blog is going to be 99.78% about the precious people in my life: the Hubs and the 3 little amigos that keep us on our toes, as well as the lovable and sometimes crazy cast of characters that make up our extended family and friends. From time to time I may post about other things, like decorating our homes, or baking cakes, or sewing projects. I am also hoping to give some shout outs to Jesus along the way, because he is the how and why of our family, and without him, well, I shudder to think where we’d be without him!

I thought it might be helpful to start off 2007 with a little re-cap of 2006 via our 1st ever Christmas Letter. The inaugural one, baby! How old & dorky cool are we?!

So, here it is - complete with our 1st ever official family photo. PS. It’s from Brian’s POV – I’m not in the habit of speaking of myself in the third person.

 Dear Friends & Family,

Well, 2006 has been an exciting year for the Barrick family! Our biggest news is the addition of Benjamin Wayne to the family. He was born June 29th, 2 weeks early! It has been very exciting watching him change so much in just five months.

 

Welcome to the World, Ben!



Gabi decided to leave her job at SeaWorld just before Ben was born. She has been taking classes to get her Master’s degree and wants to go into accounting. She’s been working part-time as a financial analyst with a small company here in San Antonio. I don’t understand much of what she does, but she seems to enjoy it, and the company is very flexible in letting her take time off to care for Ben.

So long, SeaWorld!

I’m still working as a county deputy. I’ve been in my present position a little over two years and am currently trying to move out of the jail and into another division like patrol or criminal warrants. This past Spring I was transferred to the day shift after working deep nights for over a year and a half. It definitely lets us have more family time now that I’m working normal hours.



Daddy & Ben time!



We bought a new house a little over a year ago and have spent much of our free time doing small upgrades and making it feel more like home. Some good friends of ours bought the house next door, so it’s been really nice having them so close. They have a baby boy who is five months older than Ben, so I’m sure they’ll enjoy growing up together.



Growing a house... and some trees!



Our next door neighbor and Ben's BFF

In October we took a family vacation to St. Augustine, Florida. Gabi’s Uncle Rusty and Aunt Karen offered us their timeshare for a week. We relaxed, swam, and saw lots of historic sites. Gabi’s mom, dad, and stepmom met us in Florida for a couple days and we took a day trip to Orlando to see more of Gabi’s family and visit SeaWorld. During Thanksgiving we took a trip home to my parents in Winnsboro. It was our first time back there in almost a year, and we were able to see lots of family and friends. This Christmas Gabi’s family will be staying with us in San Antonio. We are grateful to be able to spend time with her brother Gavin and his family before he is deployed to Afghanistan in January.



Family Vacation!





Thanksgiving in Gilmer, complete with an Aggie WIN!



 

Jam-packed (with family) San Antonio Christmas!

God has certainly blessed the Barrick family this year. If you ever get down to the San Antonio area, we’d love to hear from you. We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,

Brian, Gabi & Ben