Team Reflections of 2019

Matt Peev: It is very cliché, but every year that passes goes by faster and faster. All too often, we get caught up in routine. It is important to look back and reflect on the positives, the things we wish we had done differently and embrace changes. Personally, I am very grateful that I can be a part of our young children’s lives and vicariously enjoy life even more, through them. This past year we had the opportunity to instill our love of travel into our children and took them to Scotland and France over the summer. For this I am very grateful. One part I would like to focus more on, is the gift of volunteering my time to make an impact in someone else’s life. I feel I am in a very fortunate position to be able to do this and will make this more of a priority for 2020. Every day/week/year brings a new opportunity to make changes for the better and I am excited to continue along this path.

Ilene Breneman: A BIG win for my family is that my daughter got married to the love of her life. We gained another son! Hannah is very happy and fulfilled! When my kids are happy, then life is beautiful. My husband and I celebrated 30 years of marriage on 11/11. I started dating Craig in 1983, which means we have been together for a total of 36 years. We are proud of this milestone in our marriage. 36 years of working hard together … lots of blood, sweat and tears, but also lots of happiness. I can’t remember a time in my life that Craig wasn’t a part of it (every milestone, celebration, heartache, challenge, etc, he was right by my side). I am grateful to my family and that we are all healthy. As far as the only negative/loss I had this past year was a personal loss … My Harley…….my heart is still in a million pieces from losing my dog. My goal for 2020 is to continue and consistently take better care of myself and husband with better nutrition and exercise.

Brian: I am grateful for my wife, my family and the entire HIS Sign team! I am grateful that HIS Sign continues to be able to provide a living for all of us. I am grateful for the increase in the number of times we can get together as a HIS Sign team. I am grateful for the men’s groups that I am a part of and for my Christian friends that support my life. I am also grateful that my father-in-law received a kidney! All the travel that we’ve done this year has left me drained, and I regret not being able to remain home in PA for an extended amount of time. I regret that I’ve not been back to South Dakota this year to spend time with my parents. My plan for 2020 is to spend more down time with Christina. I intend to continue to strive towards working smarter and not as hard. I would love a home exchange in Alaska, to participate in Men’s Retreat and enjoy another wonderful summer at Lake Latonka in PA. I look forward to spending more time with my children and my granddaughter.

Holly: I am thankful for this job and the people I work with. We are such a family and will do anything for each other. I am also grateful for my family and the support they give me. Right now, I have no regrets and life is good. I guess the only thing would be to have more time to spend with family and friends, to go on a vacation and to celebrate my and my husband’s 50^th year of life!

LaDawn: I am grateful for a new mindset on self-love and being self-ish. I have always been a people pleaser and put everyone first and myself last. For so long I would feel very bad for being selfish by putting my needs first, and in that I feel like I have lost a part of myself – become a robot, and find myself just going along with the flow of everything without having a voice. I am also very content with little, so I do not request nor NEED a lot. My husband has had to put his foot down many times, kindly drilling it into my head that I am worth so much more than I think, that I deserve so much more than I give myself and that I have a voice and it is ok for me to use it. So … I have been working on self and now have a new mindset on the word “selfish,” and how it is not entirely BAD like the word is painted out to be; but instead there is somewhat of a need for EVERYONE to be selfish at times. I regret not finishing my ASL studies. One of my 2020 goals is to be more proactive. I plan to watch less tv and do more reading. I’m looking forward to growing my own vegetables and take absolutely no medicine at all during 2020 – natural remedies only.

Monica: I am grateful for my wonderful family and our health, I am also thankful for the HIS Sign Family. I appreciate the amazing support and love that I have received from everyone throughout the year, I feel that just being alive, breathing and working is a WIN! SO THANKFUL for my furbabies, Rambo and Kota. This year, we lost our precious dad to pancreatic cancer. He was a special man and I miss him dearly, but I have much comfort knowing he is with the Lord and no longer in pain. I am hoping for a healthier and happier 2020! Hoping for HIS Sign to reach its next level!

Melanie: I am grateful for my family and my health. My family faced many health issues and unexpected trauma. Through it all, we have supported each other and remained close knit and united in love and faith. Helping so many, sometimes I forget about myself. I wish I had stuck to my fitness goals. I plan to continue to strive for balance in all areas of my life. When priorities are aligned, it makes me a better person and contributes to my productivity and success personally and professionally. Looking forward to what 2020 will bring!

Josh: The best part of 2019 was when I married and moved into an apartment with my new wife! I became a Full-Time Staff Interpreter! I had the privilege of speaking at Liberty University to the ASL Honor Society inductees as a guest speaker, AND I went to a World Series Game! I regret I didn’t get more sleep and wish I had gone to the gym more often. Among my goals for 2020, I want to become nationally certified, start saving for a house and travel more!

Michelle: I am grateful for this amazing job in which I have been able to grow and learn so much in a year. Being the scheduling manager can be challenging but so rewarding. I enjoy working with all of our wonderful customers and talented interpreters. This year has been an exciting adventure settling back into Maryland, re-establishing connections, and making plans for the future. I am also grateful for my loving husband, our loving yet crazy furbaby, Hunter and my wonderful family. I don’t really have any regrets. Everything happens for a reason. 😉 There were so many projects I wish I had been able to finish both at work and in my personal life. The to-do list never ends! On a personal level I want to keep on learning more about myself, continue to create yummy dishes in the kitchen and learn how to be crafty (this is a never-ending goal)! Professionally speaking, I plan to be part of the growth that HIS Sign will make in 2020! Overall, I have really enjoyed being a part of HIS Sign. This was my first full year with the company, and everyone welcomed me with open arms. I enjoy working with everyone and love being on the scheduling team. I am so excited to see how much we grow next year, not only in the number of customers we have but also all the new interpreters that will come on-board and getting to work with everyone.

Jennifer: I am thankful for family and friends. In 2019, we celebrated my parents 50 years of marriage and the birth of healthy twins – not mine – I am a great aunt again! 😊 Thinking back over 2019, honestly I can’t think of any regrets. Looking ahead to 2020, I plan to go on a trip with my hubby, Holly, her hubby and other friends to celebrate our BIG “50”! 😊

Sinae: My eldest son will be graduating from college this year. I’m grateful for the man he is growing up to be. I wish I knew ASL.😊 I may try to dabble a little this upcoming year! In 2020 I would love to spend more time traveling. Our dream is to go to Salzburg with family and friends! My goal is to have a regularly scheduled sit-down meal with my family at least once a week.

Chris: I am beyond grateful to be working for HIS Sign, we are such an amazing team. I am blessed to be married to my beautiful wife as we recently celebrated our 1 year of marriage. I never live life with regrets, every loss is always a gain or happened for a reason. If I had to choose, something that I wish that I would have accomplished this year was to study and take the exams for Microsoft Certifications. My goals and plans for 2020 are to spend more time with my friends and family and hopefully travel with my wife.

Toni: What a year it has been! I am so happy for decent health, my husband and the fact that we still have three of our parents. They have experienced major health issues and we have been working hard at caregiving and are happy to do so. As we mature, the signs of aging in oneself and others become painfully clear. Yet, it is hard to imagine that these would ever catch up with the superstars of one’s childhood (our parents). Despite the challenges and tears, again … I am grateful they are still with us. Without the hands-on help from some of our closest companions, we would not be able to care for the many needs of our two moms and a pop. May those closer-than-family friends always know and feel our love and perpetual gratitude! I am thankful for HIS Sign and appreciate being employed by a company who values its employees, who encourages God and family first and having worked with a supportive team who never once complained about my absences due to caring for our parents. In retrospect, I wish I would have carved out more time for myself and my husband. It is easy to get lost in caring/doing so much for others whether it is family, friends, etc. and sometimes at the risk of your own health and well-being. I also regret not buying more stuffing bread from Great Harvest Bread Co.😢 During the month of November, #Great Harvest sells stuffing bread which is basically scratch-made, non-gmo, high-quality, same seasonings you use to make stuffing, rolled up in a beautiful loaf of delish! Oh well … I’ll have time to make room in the freezer for next year. In 2020 I plan to live my best life by carving out time to travel with hubby, finish reading the series I started and complete the others on my list, expend more time in our volunteer-Bible education work, start and maintain a “doable” exercise regimen – also with hubby – and have no regrets!