To Newsletter or to not. (Happy 2009)

We decided to not.
The one year I wasn't pregnant and got around to doing a newsletter was great. I like sending them out to our distant friends and relatives and catching them up on things. While I considered the idea for 2008, I realized that there haven't been any major events worthy of newsletter-type news. So I'll just make a little recap, in case there are readers who are interested in what's been going on.

January - said goodbye to our best friends (who happen to be relatives) leaving for missions; said goodbye to our baby daughter Grace. Discovered I have a genetic mutation that causes blood clots, which increase risks in pregnancy.

Feb - March Shoveled snow.

April - Took a nice little away trip to Baraboo, WI, stayed in a great bed and breakfast and rode roller coasters and bumper cars and go carts. Without kids. :o) (That was probably the highlight of the year for me).

May - Mostly did my best to hide out at home and avoid people. Found out we were pregnant (I think. It might have been in June). Also discovered a second gene mutation unrelated to the first one, which also causes blood clotting. It's a miracle Arlene came out like she did. (And, I must add through the year, she was a source of great joy and wonder as we watched her develop a personality and start being able to communicate better.)

June - Two cousins, a youth pastor, and a Czech exchange student visited for a few days. Attempted to save my parents' basement from the raging Cedar River Flood, which overtook our city and left a lot of damage. Fortunately, my parents' basement has recovered. Some of the things that were down there... not so much. A few things are still MIA meaning we aren't sure if we threw them out or put them somewhere else before it flooded. That water was nasty.



July-August Daniel spent most of his free time helping out with flood recovery. I went to Montana with a sick 1 1/2 year old and my parents. Will not do again without Daniel along. But I did enjoy the fair with my cousins and got to hang out with my grandparents, which is always good.

September-Oct - Daniel worked. A lot. I kept busy with regular home stuff. Nothing very interesting.
Nov - My brother came home from his cruise ship tour and visited. His girlfriend from Peru also stopped in for a week, and we all enjoyed getting to know her also. Arlene turned 2. Got a visit from my aunt and uncle and a couple of cousins I hardly ever see. I wished they could have stayed longer.

Dec - Daniel spent two weeks in California for work. It was cold here, and it snowed a few times. In the middle of his being gone, I went to Minnesota with my small group. We had a great time seeing Triple Espresso and shopping (well, they had a great time shopping. I would have been done after an hour). When Daniel got home, we got to spend a lot of time together as a family and enjoying each others' company. We listened to Christmas music and celebrated together and then with our families. Things were simple this year. It was one of my favorite Christmases since we've been married.

It's kind of been a hard year, which you probably know if you read the blog much. So, we're definitely looking forward to 2009 with a finished attic (hopefully), and a new baby girl!

Chrsitmas Song

I got really close to being able to write a poem the other day, but when I started, it just didn't come out well. I think the poetry is slowly seeping back in, though. It's been gone a while.
But, I like to post something at Christmas that I've found meaningful or deep, and this year it (again) comes from Todd Agnew's Christmas album: "Do you See What I See?" In it, he and his friends sing songs that come from different perspectives of people in the Christmas story and, as he said, "All these people just having a little piece of their puzzle, but knowing that some how that piece of the puzzle has to do with the fact that God has entered their world." I really like it and recommend it.

The song written to Jesus (since it would be hard to write one from his perspective as a baby) is really cool and always gives me goosebumps when I first pull the album out every year. I'll sure be asking Jesus some of the same questions one day.

Did you Know?

Were Mary’s the first eyes you saw
Or did You remember choosing that shade of brown?
Were You surprised at the shepherd’s crazy story
Or did You know You wrote the song the angels sang?

What was this life like for You?

Did You know?
Did the cross cast its shadow o’er your cradle?
Did You know?
Did You shudder each time Your hammer struck a nail?
Did you know?
How much heaven and how much earth
Were in this baby at His birth?
Did you know? Or did you wonder?

Did you remember the brightness of Your glory
Or did You just notice it was cold and dark here?
Did You know Your name or did you have to be told?
Were You just a baby or were You as old as time?

What was Your life like?

Strangely, "Santa" Switched Spells Satan

I needed to include that line as my title. It's from a poem I wrote freshman year with my friends. The assignment was to use alliteration. I think we did great. Maybe some day I'll post the whole poem.
So, I suppose I should give a spoiler warning. This post contains information which may scar you for life, if you don't believe in Santa. (But I suppose I might have scarred you already by calling him Satan).

Anyway, today I was thinking about Santa Claus. My parents never even hinted that he was real or gave gifts to us in his name or anything like that. I was the cruel kid who tels other kids that Santa isn't real with such conviction that they probably went home crying to their parents. but that's another story.
All I was really thinking about was how in the end, parents end up giving Santa all of the credit for their hard work. They were the ones who stood in the cold lines on black Friday waiting to get their Tickle-me-drive-your-car-superstar-creep-me-out Elmo toy, and they were the ones who had to find super hiding spots, and they're even the ones who wrap it up and write "from Santa". Then, they go to all the trouble of making cookies with their kids to keep up the santa facade, and they have to get up at unseen hours to put the presents under the tree, quietly enough that their children don't notice and wake up and have Christmas ruined for the rest of their lives.
It's a lot of work. And Santa shouldn't get the credit for it, since there is no Santa.

Then I wondered what would happen if we so easily gave God the credit for our work and treasures and talents like some people give to Santa. Just thinking.