Christmas Traditions

M and I had a great Christmas here in Portland. We enjoyed a few old traditions and made a few new ones. One really awesome thing that has come out of living 3,000 miles away from our family (and subsequently, our families' traditions) is that we had the opportunity to really look at our lil' twosome and decide which traditions we wanted to begin for ourselves and the children to come.

We started our Christmas before Christmas by celebrating the advent. We began this tradition last year. Here is our advent "wreath."

Several years ago our church here in Portland, Imago Dei, began a movement called Advent Conspiracy. Our Pastor Rick McKinley wrote a book on the subject. I would recommend that you all check it out - it's pretty amazing. This year, we tried to make all gifts that we gave fit into the model of being relational. I'll write another post that describes what we gave and how we went about it.

Christmas eve was filled with tradition. M decided that Christmas eve needed to begin with breakfast at 5am. So, we went to IHOP, ate breakfast, and just talked for hours. Granted, we talk everyday, but this was really amazing. We also made calls to M's family to participate in their tradition of "Christmas Eve gift." I spent the day making ginger cookies and finishing up some Christmas projects for my family. That evening, we read from Luke, prayed, and sang 12 days of Christmas...along with a ton of other Christmas carols. We then enjoyed coffee and cookies, as we opened our Christmas Eve gift from Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Sue.

Christmas morning we woke up, and proceeded to our pile of gifts. We then decided to open one gift, make our Christmas breakfast, and call the families. Christmas brunch has been a tradition for the past 4 years that we have been married. In Athens, we shared this time with our friends, Heather and Randy - we missed them a lot this year.

After Christmas breakfast we finished opening our pile of presents - we are continually humbled by the generosity of our families. We've tried to get them on board with Advent Conspiracy...we've succeeded with my sister and her family....but my momma's love language is gift-giving. For her, this is a relational act - and conservative compared to some past Christmases.

After breakfast we watched a few Christmas movies and enjoyed each others' company. We made a wonderful, vegetarian dinner (consisting of a lot of side dishes), watched more movies, had a wonderful time of prayer, and went to bed.

Merry Christmas {2009}

Dear Family & Friends,

A very merry Christmas to each and every one of you! As usual, we have gone back and forth for the last 11 months about whether or not to send out cards - until December 25th is upon us and it is too late. Thus, the e-letter.

M and I have had an awesome and eventful year, full of highs and lows. Thank God; He is constant. For those of you who don't know, we found out we were pregnant with our first child in late January. Our little one really served as a wake-up call spiritually - to not live "safely," but to live recklessly in Him. We listened to God's call and began planning to leave all we knew to be out West in Portland, OR.

We miscarried our little one in March, but stayed the course and continued to plan for what God had. M graduated in May and we soon left on our first real adventure. No jobs to speak of, no promise of a job soon coming. M began studying for the BAR and I began to look for a teaching job. Within a week of M taking the BAR, I was offered a job with the Portland Public School District, teaching at 2 different schools. It has been the most challenging job I have had yet - but rewarding and surely, a blessing.

The day after M took the BAR, we found out we were pregnant with a second child. God is so good. Early on in the 2nd pregnancy, we knew that we had been originally pregnant with twins, but one did not survive. Soon after, the second baby would follow. Again, shaken - but looking towards Him. God continues to teach us through these losses.

God placed us in a wonderful church family and community (Imago Dei) that has challenged us in many ways and continually reminds us of what it is to be Christlike. M continues to use his wonderful gifting to play bass for the worship team (and is loving it).

M and I are excited to be where we are. God is teaching us loads and bringing us closer to Him - something that I'm not sure would have happened had we chosen to be comfortable instead of faithful.

Grace and Peace be with you - We love you all very much,

L & M

For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. ~John 3:16