The Slightly Less Official Christmas 2007 entry

I wrote the Official Christmas 2007 entry on Simon's blog, b/c more of our festivities & holiday spirit centers around him anyway. But here are a few pictures - Christmas Eve dinner, the tree with all the gifts, our "casual" family holiday photo, and the Christmas moon over our backyard and Christmas lights. After the pictures, I've copied & pasted the text from our holiday letter this year. That will answer a few questions you might have after having read a few other entries. Happy Holidays!

Greetings family – those by blood and those by choice –

Another sunshiny year has passed for us in our beloved Silver City! Southwest New Mexico has served us very well for 4 ½ years now – providing family and friends, spiritual & academic & professional growth opportunities, and feeling very much like “home.” Lately, however, our attention & energy has shifted as we begin setting things in motion to move back to the Grand Rapids, Michigan area for our long term “settled” home. As we anticipate moving possibly within the year, we also reflect on how our lives have been enriched not only in the past year, but in our several years here in Silver City, New Mexico.

This year itself brought about few big changes, but it was a year of building on all that happened last year. Adam is still plugging his way through school online with Western Governor’s University. He’s had some rough classes this year, but is excited about the semester that just began. For the next 6 months he will be working on the initial Education classes for his teaching degree – and he can’t wait for these courses. They promise to be fun and challenging in a relevant way. 3 semesters down, 4 to go! Then a semester of student teaching and he’s on his way to career #2 for his young 31 years.

Unlike the second half of 2006 where Adam’s self-owned & operated Deep Dish Tile experienced a business drought, this fall has been almost TOO busy. Work had been slow, with mostly small jobs earlier in the year that didn’t earn as much money for his time. Summertime found him actively looking for gainful employment, but the search proved relatively unsuccessful. As we were beginning to feel discouraged, some local men who own two apartment complexes approached him & asked him to tile every apartment as they were vacated throughout the next year(s). We thought at the time it would only be 1-2 per month, but it’s been 4 or 5, and they’re not small! Adam’s starting to feel like maybe his body doesn’t love him for doing hard physical labor, so he’s that much more inspired to get his degree done.

I completed my 3-year term on the Board of Directors for our Silver City Food Co-op, and subsequently was elected for another. After completing my 1-year term of being board President, I opted not to make myself available for election to that position again – it was more work and energy than I could handle with my other work and parenting busyness. After just a few months, however, I chose to resign completely. Primarily this is due to the fact that we are hoping to move within the year, and it’s better for the Co-op to have someone with more energy & less distraction to offer. Being on the Board taught me a lot about working with people and was an invaluable experience.

I mentioned in last year’s holiday letter that I had begun researching seminaries for my next road of education. I’m still hoping to pursue seminary, but I’m realistic about it probably not happening for several years yet. Not only is it a lot having Adam in school, but if both parents were in school I’m not sure any housework would ever get done! Plus, I’m really enjoying this time as Momma to Simon, and hope to have several more years of at-home-parenting before jumping into the next goal. I still meet with my Spiritual Director, though not every month. I’ve backed off on several of my involvements as I prepare for Baby #2 at the end of May. It’s hard work keeping up with a busy 2-year old and being pregnant at the same time!

This brings me to Simon – our joy and little stinkbug all rolled into one! :) We celebrated his 2^nd birthday a few days before his actual day (Dec. 1) because Grandma Lizzy & Grandpa were here from Michigan. We had a fun party with presents from all the family & extended family. At one point he said “no more presents,” so I think we’ve learned a lesson about pacing the excitement when it comes time for Christmas. He learned to walk a little later than the “curve” – I think he was about 16 or 17 months old. But he’s got it covered well by now – the next challenge is learning to ride his new tricycle from Grandpa & Grandma. And he’s always been ahead of the “curve” with words. Simon is an expressive, chatty kid. He’s great fun to talk to and hang out with, and he’s highly capable of expressing his desires and preferences. We have a Tuesday morning standing play group at our local Community Built Park that Simon loves. Swings, slides and friends all at once! I’m not sure he quite understands what it means that he’s going to be a big brother, but he loves babies to the point of excessive patting & hugging & kissing, so we’re thinking he’ll adjust pretty happily as he does with most everything.

In February Simon was baptized, our dear friends Rob & Tyler Connoley became his doting Godparents, and we became members at our local United Church of Christ. In March I was asked to be the secretary. It’s a dear little church with an inclusive, loving, serving congregation, and we truly feel part of a family. The secretarial work is all done from my home computer & phone, so I’m still able to be a full-time Momma, which is my truest and best job.

Other high points of the year include the 4^th of July parade in which we walked with the PFLAG group again and a July vacation to Michigan that encompassed 6 days at a beautiful (and large!) cottage on Lake Michigan with the whole family. While there we celebrated twin nieces Anna & Rachel’s first birthdays, and Simon got a cake just for fun – because his cousins did. When my parents (Rozebooms) were here for a visit in February they were able to attend (and sing a duet in) the worship service when Simon was baptized. With their help we completely remodeled our office/TV room that doubles as a guest room. And Adam DID finally finish the bathroom he had gutted, so we now have a really lovely northern “wing” of the house.

I “resigned” from my Monday night knitting group in order to join our local Community Chamber Singers choir (which rehearses on Monday nights) – and singing again has filled my soul in a way nothing else can. Singing is my joy – my spiritual connection. At our winter concert on December 2^nd I even sang a solo for one of our songs. Adam said it made his skin tingle. I guess that’s better than making his skin crawl! :)

As we round the corner for another calendar year and welcome the light returning back to the Northern Hemisphere after the Solstice, we anticipate a busy and exciting “homecoming” year. We look forward to welcoming a new baby late in the month of May, and we look forward to relocating back to our hopefully long-term home of Grand Rapids, Michigan within the year. Again this summer we are excited about the whole family (plus husbands & FOUR children) congregating at a Lake Michigan cottage for a week.

This holiday season, especially as we look down a road full of changes and new beginnings, we are deeply grateful for our health, our love for each other and our child(ren), and the truly beautiful family we’ve become part of here in Silver City. While we are thrilled to be moving back, our hearts break at least a little bit at leaving so many things and people that we love here. Between December of 2005 and December of 2007 we lost an uncle and two grandmothers. But even as we are saddened by our losses, we rejoice to know they are free of the struggle to live that had become their final months & weeks. We celebrate knowing that our children will grow up with most of their extended family within a short drive, so they too will know their aunts & uncles & grandparents & cousins. We’re grateful for the unstoppable journey that each new day is, and for our sweet Simon who drives us ever forward in creativity & playfulness and increases our joy constantly. And we find ourselves living each day in hope as we anticipate the advent of our Lord.

Joy and Peace to you this holiday season –

Adam, Bethany Joy & Simon Gerard Lange