Lazy or environmentally conscious? You decide 😉 Either way, here’s our annual Christmas card, direct to you from Memphis TN!

Pre-COVID

It was a pretty standard winter for the McGee’s. We spent the New Year in FL with the extended McGee family – this, after spending Christmas in TX with the Abneys. A terrific holiday season!

A winter highlight for me was birthday trip to NYC with my sister, Becca, where we got to see Karen Olivo (a former classmate!) star in Moulin Rouge on Broadway! The rest of the family had a pretty uneventful Pre-COVID season. Teaching for Dave, 11th grade for Thomas, college for the girls.

Lockdown

California announced its (first) lockdown the week before our school’s musical, Peter Pan, scheduled to open. All our hearts were broken – this would have been an amazing production! While we taught classes remotely, many of the families in our school – small business owners – were struggling financially. Despite valiant efforts to keep our school open, our Head of School had to make the painful decision to close Pacific Coast Christian Prep. Heartbroken doesn’t even begin to describe it – Dave, Thomas, and I loved this school, its faculty and students.

God graciously provided me with a job teaching middle school online; Dave has been teaching online for Liberty University for years. Now we just needed a place where we could live on our new income – a place with a school for Thomas.

The Move

Enter Memphis, TN! Because Dave is finishing up his PhD at Mid-America Seminary, we can live in the campus-owned housing for a fraction of what we paid in CA. And thirty minutes away, in Southaven MS, we found a Christian school where Thomas could attend. And so, in June, we packed up our home of five years, said goodbye to precious friends, and made the 1800 mile drive across the country. (side note for those who don’t know: I was born in Memphis, and my grandmother lives less than 2 hours away!)

I had already planned to start my Masters in Theater – pre-COVID. We decided to keep those plans and so, in the middle of this move, I was online taking my first of three intensive summers at the University of Houston.

The New Normal

School started for all of us in August. The girls were able to go back to Truett McConnel University – even having a partial volleyball season. I was asked to teach a couple classes at Thomas’ school – one of them being Drama! Such a blessing. Thomas discovered the school’s soccer team was in need of a goalie – which is his position. Dave finished his final doctoral class this month and has completed the first draft of his dissertation.

Looking Ahead

Emma will graduate in May (!) with a degree in Psychology. She plans to start work on a Masters in Counseling in the fall. Ellie is a sophomore, studying Business. Thomas is a senior, also graduating in May (the same day as Emma!). Not to be left out, Dave, too, graduates in May. Ellie and I are the odd (wo)men out this year! But she and I will graduate in 2022 😉

Thomas is working as a “cart boy” at a local golf course. The girls work on campus in the Student Wellness Center, and they also work in a nearby town as coaches for club volleyball teams.

Thomas recently signed on to play soccer for Bryan College (near Chattanooga TN), so he’ll be a “Bryan Lion” in the fall, and we’ll be Empty Nesters.

Grateful

Living in a new place during COVID is challenging. But we are grateful that Thomas has a good school, grateful for a place to live, grateful to be near enough to see my grandmother often, grateful to be closer to the girls, grateful for jobs, grateful for good health.

2020 has certainly been interesting, but one lesson God has taught me is to enjoy each day as it comes, and to choose joy.