Our year started out a little on the wild side. I can't say that in most ways it has slowed down much at all. I guess we kind of like living with a lot going on and enjoy the adventure, soon it just starts to feel normal. Of course we have plenty of lazy days to mix in there but even then, it seems like we are always thinking or planning for the next thing. Such is life. You will probably notice that much of what we did this year revolves around the ministry of our church. That is because, it has become our whole life, and I don't say that in a negative way. We ARE the church and He has chosen us to be in this place for "such a time as this." We count it an honor and most of the time a joy to serve with our whole lives and it involves almost everything that we participate in. Here is a year in review of the happenings at our house:
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| Thank you Los Alamos. We made a lot of great discoveries and memories with you! |
January: Most of you may recall that we sold our house in lovely Los Alamos, a bit of a miracle due to the nature of the market, the neighborhood that it was located and the interest of realtors to show it. The buyer chose to make his move right around Christmas last year, thankfully we were out of town visiting Jamie's mom, so he had all kinds of access to have it looked over from top to bottom and bottom to top...a very thorough purchase on his part. He picked it, HOORAY! We couldn't be more thankful for the choice he made because it allowed us to move forward with our own move without having the house to hold us back.
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| Our new home for now in Santa Fe, New Mexico |
February: Our family of five plus one pooch loaded up everything we own and traveled an hour south to the stunning city of Santa Fe. We could not have accomplished this without the incredible help of a few dozen of our friends. I think they were sad to see us go but equally glad to be finished lifting and dragging and hauling all of our stuff...note to self and warning to others-having 800 square feet of storage space in your basement for ten+ years can be a very bad thing. Two weeks post move Jamie's mom had a stroke that greatly affected her short term memory and she spent several days in the hospital in Albuquerque before being moved to a rehab facility here in Santa Fe. It was a little crazy there for a few weeks, not knowing what this would look like for her and for all of us. Certainly God knew what He was doing and knowing that, has made the transition easier to handle.
March: Our family began to settle in to this new life. We met a few people, started meeting on Sunday nights in our home for LifePoint Church...A Different Kind of Church for the City Different. We had really put feet to the decision that we had made to follow God in His plan for us to plant a new church here. Now what?
April: We had our first semi-public outreach event in our neighborhood by doing a brunch/service/ egg hunt at our home. We invited the neighbors directly surrounding us to come and eat and hang out with us. We had some fantastic friends and family from out of town that made this event even more fun, and though not too many neighbors participated, we got a good taste of what doing this type of ministry would be like. The following week a mission team from Los Alamos joined us to spend their Spring Break working with us to start meeting our community. We held a block party event at the end of that week that was a lot of fun and we were able to meet even more of our neighbors. During this time, Jamie's mom made the decision to continue to live in Santa Fe and we helped her move to an assisted living center here.
May: This month brought another exciting neighborhood event. Our church did a Kite Festival in our neighborhood. About thirty kids and their families came to make and fly kites with us. Jamie spent a lot of his time hunting down the unfortunate kites whose strings either broke or were let go. We learned a lot about flexibility and had a great time with our kids. May also brought baseball...the game the boys in this family love. Our boy played on a local team and had a great time. We got to meet even more families through this experience and got a better feel for the people of our new town. There's nothing like a kids' sport event to show the true colors of parents, coaches and kids. I'm proud to say that our coaches were kind and supportive and helped everyone learn a lot about the game. It was a great season!
June: Oh summer! How I miss you, as the beautiful snow falls outside my window. June brought a lot of work mixed with fun. We held several events and had a few canceled at the last minute by people who aren't sure about our presence here. We learned even more about being flexible and that our reactions to people who may not agree with us speak volumes about who we are. We had a couple of movie nights in another neighborhood near us and learned that it is always good to know when the sprinklers will be coming on!
July: July is the beginning of birthday season around here...within two months from the 14th of July to the 12th of September, every family member is celebrated. It can be fantastic, exhausting and unfortunately expensive...I for one breathe a sigh of relief when it is finished. Jamie and I celebrate together since our birthdays are a day apart. We all took a quick trip to Texas this month, got to tour the Rangers' stadium and go to a game. The kids and I hung out, swam, shopped, watched movies, and went to the LEGOLAND Discovery Center while Jamie attended a conference. It was a great little getaway.
August: You always bring the bitter and the sweet! The bitter for me is the end of summer. The sweet for the kids this year was getting to go to school. I guess in many ways it is sweet for me too, but every year I hate to see summer go! I love Christmas, but for me, summer is the "best time of the year". Anyway, our kids started school and have loved going. It was a pretty smooth transition for almost everyone. Our dog Annie loves driving them to school every morning. As soon as I put my shoes on she follows me all over the house until we get in the car. A few birthdays were sprinkled in, including our oldest daughter turning thirteen!
September: More birthdays. Our son turned nine and the baby girl isn't a baby anymore, turning six this month. Everyone moving full speed ahead as the school year begins to tick by one calendar date after another. Jamie and I jump in with both feet getting to know parents and teachers at the schools the kids attend. School and everything that goes with it has become our life now too. Meeting people and making friends for the kids and ourselves, hanging out in the classroom and helping with fund raisers and living in our community. The little girl started and fell in love with ballet this month. She isn't the most graceful one but she tries hard and feels lovely in her leotard- precious.
October: You were such a blur...the only things I remember much about you was having my parents come for a visit, dressing up at the end and our oldest daughter going to her first dance, making me feel older than I like and prouder than I think I deserve. We had a queen, a famous pirate and red riding hood briefly make an appearance at our house. They looked awesome!
November: Thankful, so thankful for so many things. It was a good month to remember all we have and get to experience in this life. We were able to travel with Jamie's mom to visit her brother and family in north Texas for Thanksgiving. It was a much appreciated break from the usual. The weather was terrific and everyone had a good time. As always it was so great to get to be with family and rest, watch football and eat delicious food. Thank you Jack and Judy for letting us come!
December: You too are a blur...I can't believe you are almost over. Two weeks with sick kids and the month just flies by even though, those were the longest two weeks Of.My.Life. Strep and Croup for the two youngest had me housebound and feeling the pressure of getting things ready for Christmas. But, here it is regardless and I'm basically caught up, everyone is better, the kids completed their first semesters of school here and the year is almost complete. Tonight we will welcome new friends and old into our home to celebrate the birth of the King of kings. We will worship Him and eat traditional New Mexican food. It is going to be great!
2013, you went by so quickly. I will remember you fondly as the year that we jumped in with both feet and were not disappointed. We're looking forward to what 2014 will hold.
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