We had a very sweet, simple Christmas here in Duluth. Pete was away working, so it was really great to have most of my family arrive on Christmas morning. All the cousins had a lot of fun opening presents, eating cookies, and watching ships pass by. We even had the last pieces of our furniture delivered just a few days before Christmas, so we didn’t have to sit on the floor to eat!
(I’m not sure why my photos aren’t loading as clearly as they should. I’m trying to figure it out since these all look really great on my computer but not on the blog.)
My mom, my sister Becky, and her little guy, Stephen.
Merry Christmas, dear friends! We’re so thankful we can share our journey with you here on the blog. We’ve had quite a few adventures in the last year! We certainly didn’t think we’d be celebrating Christmas in Minnesota, but we know God has guided us for what is best for our family. We praise God in the exciting, joyful moments, and we praise Him in the unsure, unexpected moments. Merry Christmas to you and a very Happy New Year!
As we pulled our Christmas decorations out of our storage unit right after Thanksgiving, we laughed in absolute delight over what we found! I honestly couldn’t remember what we had kept in storage, what we took and stored in Kenya, and what we gave away until we opened our small Christmas bin. Each little item we pulled out was a sweet reminder of Christmases passed. The night before, we bought a beautiful (very artificial) pre-lit tree, which was our first full-sized tree in three years. Pete put the tree together and I fluffed the branches while the kids snuggled on the couch in their new Christmas jammies.
In the thirteen months we were in Kenya, our fair city got some cool new stuff: a few restaurants, a couple stores, and a trampoline park! Winter here can get pretty long – like, super long – so we’ve needed more quality indoor play spaces. Pete has taken the kids on a few outings to jumpity jump since the temp dropped about six weeks ago. They all love it!
Pete and I first thought of the idea of dressing as Bert + Mary Poppins a few years ago, but it was never quite the right time to make it happen. This year, we knew the kids were just the right age to play their roles as Jane + Michael Banks, so we couldn’t miss the opportunity! With the motivation of a little Halloween party in mid-October, we got to work getting the costumes ready! (Okay, let’s be honest, I did all the costumes. I LOVE putting costumes together! Most of our pieces are things we’ll wear outside of dressing up or are things we already had. I know without a doubt I’ll wear this Mary Poppins hat the next few months. Or not, but it was totally worth the DIY project!)
‘Tis the season for school books and backpacks and sharpened, number-two pencils! I’ve always loved this time of year. The air gets cooler, the leaves begin changing colors, and school buses are bumping up and down the streets. Just last week, my mom told me I cried at the end of each school year because I wouldn’t be going to school for the entire summer. Perhaps that’s why I got my teaching degree! Now that we’re fully transitioned back to life in Minnesota, it seems right that we’d all be starting school again.
Yes, by all I do mean all. Pete and I were the first to hit the books when we began our first class with Dallas Theological Seminary a few weeks ago. We’ve talked about doing seminary together for years, and this finally seemed the right time. We applied shortly after we learned we’d be coming back to Duluth and were soon accepted into the Master of Biblical and Theological Studies program. We’re taking just one class this semester as we get used to everything again, and we’re already loving what we’re learning. The program will take anywhere from two to six years to complete, depending how many credits we take each semester. We’re really looking forward to all of it!
