A Merry Christmas Newsletter

I’ll admit, I’ve seen the year “2001” a few times this year and wondered, “Wait, is this the year I enter college? Or the year I have a one-year-old?” Figuring out which side of the “0” the “1” is on has been a challenge, so it is will gladness that I bid adieu to this confusing year. How was 2010 for you? And did you call it two thousand ten or twenty ten? Do we know what to call this decade yet? Early two thousands? Twenty hundreds? The zeros? Ponder on that.

As I reflect on the past year, we have plenty to be thankful for and also some things to be annoyed about. Let’s talk about it.

January started out with a bang. Adam’s first bike race resulted in a nasty crash and a broken collarbone and rib. It was his second time with the collarbone break. Doctors waited for, oh, three months to do surgery on it (none could be done for the rib). No biggie! He just had to sleep sitting up, deal with incredible pain, and sit out the entire racing season. He was broken in more places than his bones: his heart. Cycling is his second wife, so he suffered greatly the first half of this year without his beloved bike time. Now he has metal in his shoulder. That’s fun.

With his arm in a sling, he kept busy in after-work hours typing up business school applications and essays. He decided to go back to school to get a master’s degree in business so he could essentially ditch the world of accounting. He got into University of Washington and we made plans to move from sunny land (Irvine, Calif.) to rainy land (Seattle, Wash.) in August. How did I feel about this? Great. I was looking for a way out of California. If you think 2001 threw me off, try 80 degree winters. Is it May or November? I never knew.

Southern California did bring us many wonderful friends and opportunities, so our four years there were not wasted. It was lovely, in fact, and we never took for granted living close to the beach! But life marches onward and upward. Right before we left Irvine, I started an interior design business with a friend which we operate online. It’s been a dream of mine, and she was just the gal to help me go for it. It’s now what keeps me happy during Sienna’s naptime.

Speaking of our little Birdie, she turned one in May and learned to walk in August. Watching her learn new things is a daily thrill for us. She just entered nursery, runs, babbles with conviction plus a few words, and can be found climbing up in my rocking chair and quietly thumbing through her books (she’s gifted). I realized this year that sleep training is a farce (to my frustration, then relief, then full acceptance). I realized that a Sunday nap for myself can mean the difference between Scranton Strangler and Responsible, Loving Mom. I realized that a hug and kiss from your own little child is better than … sushi. Mmm, maybe they’re the same.

Speaking of sushi. I’m pregnant! And I’m not supposed to have any. This means I need extra hugs and kisses from my small child to remind me again why I’m going through all the sacrifices of having another small child. Baby #2 is due a month after Sienna’s birthday, which will put them at a nice two years apart! No word on gender yet, but we’ll find out soon!

Now that we are comfortably situated in an upstairs apartment in a triplex in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Seattle, life is considerably different than it was a year ago. More wet (yet much more sunshine than we anticipated), more urban, more eclectic, more time entertaining a toddler who has dropped her morning nap and … less time with Adam. We take the good with the bad and call it all good. Even if some of it is annoying.

The best thing in life continues to be our knowledge of the gospel and of Christ who makes the dark days bright. We hope you have wonderful holidays. Merry Christmas! And Happy New Year Two Thousand One One (that’s how I’m going to say it, anyway).

Adam, Martha and Sienna Ware