Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Another year older and another fabulous year in the books. In the words of my teenagers…2024 was FIRE ???? at The Garage. It was record setting despite all of the obstacles that lay in the way for the automotive industry. This business can be such a roller coaster at times and I’m just thankful for a chance to ride. Thanks to you guys for your continued referrals and 5 star reviews.
Election years can always be tricky for a business. I long to see our country united and at peace with one another. I wish there wasn’t such a divide amongst our nation. Everything is so polarizing today. It does however give us ample opportunity to teach our children proper values of respect and love of others, despite our differences. Business wise we are finally starting to see parts availability resume to a normal level. We still occasionally run into some backordered parts but nothing like the issues we encountered the last couple of years. Our scheduled maintenance services are still being booked days & weeks in advance as our customer base continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Our parking lot stays quite full Monday through Friday and your patience as we coordinate and navigate repairs/schedules is greatly appreciated. You’ve been so kind to us as customers and it’s not lost on us how important your vehicle and time is.
As far as my family goes, we’re just busy. Stupid busy. I know you feel me there. For the first time in forever, all 4 kids are at the same school which is fantastic. Sam, Grey, and Bo are in 11th, 9th, and 8th grade respectively & our daughter Charli is in 6th grade. Sam managed to make it to his 17th birthday with no car accidents or tickets. PRAISE the insurance gods that be! He and Bo are both actively involved in soccer and basketball with their school and clubs. I had the chance to assistant coach Grey’s club soccer team again. All 3 boys teams made it to the State Cup finals this year. Charli is also heavily involved in soccer, choir, plays etc. She’s quite the extroverted personality and is loving her new school.
For the first time in quite some time, Greta is home by herself. In classic Greta form she has decided to fill her free time with ALL. THE. THINGS. ???? She volunteers each week at our church nursery for English classes as well as she says “yes” to pretty much every opportunity she can to help out with our kid’s school functions. This year she finagled herself into a big yes by agreeing to assistant coach the Westminster girls varsity soccer team. So far she’s loving her time spent getting to know the players and parents.
Adoption wise, nothing has changed which is really disappointing. Quick recap for those just tuning in. We finalized paperwork in 2020 to adopt a blind boy named Mingli from China. We hosted him in our home in 2018 and just fell in love with him. Unfortunately China halted their adoption processing during Covid just as we were about to bring him home. We’ve been on the launch pad ready to go ever since. In keeping with our crazy schedule we agreed to host an orphan sibling group from the Philippines during Thanksgiving this year. Our desire is to help them find a forever family here in the states. It was extremely difficult at times but also quite rewarding to see our children step up and love these kids so well. It’s been my experience that the really hard things in life are often the most memorable and beneficial to our personal and spiritual growth.
As for me, I’m excited for 2025. Our oldest will be a Senior. Our baby will be in middle school and all four kids will be under the same school roof for one year. It will be a uniquely fun experience. I’m also really looking forward to our business in 2025. I’m committed to trying to be a better leader, friend, and servant to our employees and customers. As a manager I couldn’t be more proud of the group of people that I get to work with. We have a killer roster from left to right. Our customers also excite me as you guys continue to be champions for our business online and with your friends & family. I do not take any of your referrals lightly. Thank you from the bottom of my family’s heart for your faithful support in 2024.
With much love,
Bob Carter – President – The Garage