It's been a few years since I've written a Christmas letter (so for those of you who haven't received one, now you know why). Since so much has happened in our life since, I thought 2010 should be the year to resurrect the Christmas letter.
The first year that I didn't write the letter, Christmas 2008, I just had no idea how to sum up where we were in life. The first 8 months of our year were basically the same as the previous few years. Youth ministry took up much of our time and free time was almost unheard of. We welcomed summer break (youth work slowed down quite a bit in the summer) and by the end of August we felt rested and ready for another year of ministry. We ended up not being back in youth ministry that fall, instead entering a time of discernment and healing. It was a good fall, but not one I would care to relive! By Christmas time, Nathan and I were not sure how to sum up our year to date and not ready to share our future plans (as we had none beyond the next week) so the Christmas letter was left unwritten.
Christmas 2009 came and again I thought about sitting down to write a letter. At this point, we had resigned, officially, from the church where Nathan had been working, spent spring working at our separate jobs in Altona, Nathan doing some forklift driving and soil testing and me at Canadian Lumber. We put our house on the market as we had made the decision for Nathan to return to seminary that fall. At the beginning of July, we packed up our things and, leaving our house still unsold, moved our stuff into Mom & Pop storage. The summer was spent enjoying time with family and relaxing as neither of us was employed at this point. In August, we loaded up our car and moved down to Fresno, California where Nathan began working toward his Masters degree in Theology. The sale of our house in September was definitely an answer to prayer after 6 months on the market with no offers. We enjoyed our fall very much, especially the green grass and palm trees as the snow flew back home, and that winter had our first Christmas without snow as a married couple.
And that brings us to where I would normally start our 2010 Christmas letter. From here, I think I'll sum up our year month-by-month...and I'll try to keep it short. No promises, though!
January - Nathan worked ahead in some of his courses and I was also writing papers, preparing to complete a diploma in Christian ministry during our remaining 3 semesters in Fresno. Near the end of the month, I just was not feeling peace about entering full-time studies so I left most of my chosen courses unregistered for, instead choosing to take just the courses that interested me on a personal growth basis. We also enjoyed a visit from my sister and saw San Francisco with her, went with some friends to Yosemite National Park, and ate many delicious oranges from the orchards nearby.
February - The abundance of citrus fruit during the growing season in California starts to make me sick as we find out that I am expecting - 7 weeks along! - and morning sickness kicks in. I didn't suffer very much, but I do recall eating many MANY bowls of Corn Flakes (as it was something I could count on keeping my stomach settled) and becoming very woozy at the smell of citrus fruit. Not a great thing while driving through the orchards...
March - A visit from my parents was a great time for sharing the exciting announcement in person! Homework and hanging out with friends on campus filled the middle of March. And the last two weeks of the month were spent on bed rest due to a complication/scare with the pregnancy. These were very busy weeks for Nathan as he was doing full time classes and homework, plus doing everything around the house that I couldn't do.
April - We shared the news of our pregnancy with the world on April 1st. Yes, this date was intentionally chosen. During the first week of the month, we also had a visit from Nathan's parents. We drove out to the coast with them, saw Monterey and the aquarium there, and drove down the coast on highway 1. It was a very beautiful drive, but the ups and downs and curves were a little much for my already (morning) sick stomach. Nevertheless, I remember the trip with fond memories. The end of the month included more and more homework, for both of us, as the end of the semester nears!
May - Our time at seminary comes to a close as we have decided not to return to Fresno for another year. All the last assignments were handed in and we packed up our car for the return trip to Canada. The goodbyes were hard as we had truly grown to love our neighbours in the Court, where we lived, like family. Once back in Canada, we joined our things in storage at Nathan's parents' house. This became home base until the end of July.
June - Nathan took a week-long intensive course in Winnipeg. While he was in class, I visited with many old friends in Altona. We also spent time with family, both my side and Nathan's.
July - We got some quality time with Nathan's younger brother while his parents were on vacation. We also watched their house and dog for them. By the end of the month, we were antsy to have our own place again so we moved into our rental house a few days early. The moving days were full of sore backs and swollen feet. By this time I was 34 weeks pregnant. Not ideal for lifting boxes and hours of unpacking!
August - Nathan continued to do homework. By this time it had been a year with little/no breaks in the homework load for Nathan. This month he was trying to complete as much as he could before baby arrived.
September - Finally we arrived in the month baby was due! We were expecting the baby to come early, due to my size and the baby's size, so each day of September dawned with great hope and excitement that this may be
the day. Alas, due date came and went and September passed by with no sign of baby. Nathan had a little more in life to distract him from the wait. He is currently working at the local Bible college as a teacher's assistant - for credit counting toward his Masters - so September was the month this started. He also continued to squeeze in as much homework as he could before baby arrived, though eventually the wait became too much of a distraction for even him.
October - Eight days into October, on thanksgiving weekend and the anniversary of our engagement, we welcomed Levi Jonathan into our family. He was in no hurry to greet the world, but I must say, he was awfully forgiving about being rushed out so "early". He has been a content baby right from the beginning and, after losing his initial 6oz off his birth weight of 8lbs 2oz, has been growing like a weed. Of course, like any baby, he does have his fussy moments...
November - Nathan hit the books after a few distracted weeks with Levi coming home and figuring out life as a family of 3. This month the goal was to try to stretch out our night-time feeds in an effort to get a little more sleep. Also, trying to convince Levi that midnight is not an acceptable bedtime for someone so young was high on the agenda. But overall, November was a great month of family time and routine.
December - this being December 1, I can only write what I anticipate the month being. Nathan talks about making some serious headway with his thesis-writing. There will also be a visit from Nathan's grandma who will be visiting from Ontario. I also anticipate that there will be lots of family time... with our little family of 3, with Nathan's family, and with my family.
And that brings 2010 to a close. So from Nathan, Levi, and myself, have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed new year.
There, that wasn't too long, was it? ; )
