Christmas Cards

It was a tough decision for me not to write a lengthy letter to include with Christmas cards this year, especially since there are a number of people who always say how much they appreciate it.

Last year I was very happy with our purchase from Cardstore.  I got a sweet Black Friday deal, and this year was no exception.  In addition to the sale prices, they also offer free addressing on the envelopes and free stamps – score!  You can have them mail the cards directly to the recipients, but since I like to have the kiddos decorate them and include some words of my own, I had them mailed to me.  They came packaged nicely, along with a layer of what looked like recycled paper confetti – which was so pretty I included them with the Christmas cards!

I chose pictures from throughout the year and we printed some highlights from our year directly on the inside:

Took the kiddos ice-skating for the 1st time. Not entirely sure what we think of it yet – that ice is pretty slippery!

Finally cut Josiah’s lovely blonde locks. *sniff sniff* He’s such a big boy now.

Expanded the garden, adding 5 more raised beds, grew lots of veggies & managed to freeze & can some of its bounty.

Got an early start with the camping season & had a blast visiting a variety of CT campgrounds, including a stay in Mystic. We visited Deerfield, NH for the 3rd year in a row – fun, as always!

Gwen was excited to learn she will be a big sister (again) soon… & even more excited when she learned she’ll be getting a baby sister. We’ll see how she feels about that as she gets older.

Mommy volunteered at VBS & the kiddos had a great time. I don’t think I could be a full-time teacher of other people’s kids! In similar news, we embark on another year of homeschool & Mommy’s patience gets tested a lot.

Added 2 bunnies to the family. They’re still getting used to us.  Nothing compares to your childhood pets, I’ll tell you that much. We keep threatening to put ‘em in the soup pot!

After undergoing treatment for lyme, Josiah had surgery to repair his hernia. He was such a trooper!

Among our Summer fun: trips to the farmers’ market, strawberry- & peach-picking, Big Apple Circus, more camping, canoeing, playing outside, picking fresh veggies & having picnics.

Coerced into finally finishing the addition – yes, I actually have a living room ceiling after all this time – in order to re-finance our mortgage.

Gwen got a visit from the tooth fairy after losing her 1st two teeth around her 5th birthday!

Hoping to buy a new (used) car before the baby comes!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

All that anticipation and preparation and Christmas is all over!  Isn’t that life?  We take so much time getting ready for an event and then it comes and goes – snap! - like that. 

We had  a wonderful holiday with family.  Last week I took it easy for preschool but we still did some educational activities (more on that later).  I wanted to take another week off, especially since Daddy took some time off work, but I was afraid if I kept putting it off it would be harder to get back into the routine of things!

It turns out that it was a good thing Phil was home.  He saw that I had a flat tire and when he went to change it out discovered that the rear axle of my car had disconnected due to rust damage.  I crossed a couple bridges visiting Nikki just before Christmas and was envisioning getting into an accident or stranded on the bridge.  I’ve been a bit upset about the whole thing since we initially thought we would have to buy another vehicle right away, and I didn’t want Phil to be working on projects during his time off, but there are definitely blessings to be counted.  So, my car is currently out-of-commisson, and I’m waiting for my mom to come over so she can help me run errands. 

We sent out our annual Christmas letter along with cards this year, and as I always do I figured I would post it here for those interested.  Happy reading! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Annual Christmas Letter

Greetings Friends & Family!

I feel there must be a way to scientifically prove the phenomenon that time seems to fly faster the older one gets, and of course even faster towards the end of the year.This year has been chock-full of events both big and small that will leave their mark and memories on the pages of our lives.

First of all, how did I get to be THIRTY?!  In October, Dan and I celebrated this milestone birthday by livin’ it up at a local farm – stuffing our faces with good potluck grub, going on a hayride, feeding the donkeys, traipsing around the fields, and amusing ourselves in various ways.What a great time with friends and family, just kicking back, having fun and celebrating life.

Phil grew up going to Deerfield Fair in New Hampshire, a tradition he had yet to share with me… until this year.  His parents gave us one of their slide-in campers, which he jury-rigged to the back of his flat bed truck.  We camped on the fairgrounds for the weekend, and had such a great time with our little family seeing the fun sights of the fair.  Gwen’s favorites were the kiddy roller coaster and host of yummy offerings, the pinnacle of which would have to be the humble yet decadent ice cream cone.  My favorites were all the animals, especially the babies… and watching the delightful gleam in my children’s eyes as they Took It All In.  Just spending three whole days with my family felt like a guilty pleasure, as we are often so busy we don’t get the chance to chill.

Using the slide-in camper for a couple weekends, we realized that – while we love this camping thing – we would like to pursue our dream of purchasing a fifth wheel camper.  We didn’t want to make any hasty, irresponsible decisions, but were fortunate enough to find an immaculate secondhand camper that was too good to pass up.  We are now the proud owners of a fifth wheel!We’re dreaming of all the good times our family will have in this little home-away-from-home, and it occurred to me, “Great, now I have two houses to clean!”

While some of the things on our life checklist seem to get checked with apparent ease, other things remain stagnant despite expended effort and prayer.  Both Phil and I have been pining for a change in vocation – he trying to get on a paid fire department, and I trying to work from home.  There have been a number of promising opportunities, but nothing has panned out.  We are trusting in God’s provision and perfect timing; He never fails us, despite the disappointment we feel when open doors slam shut.

Tucked in-between the humdrum day-to-day activities and pockets of disbelief and disappointment are the much-needed moments of refueling.  Among many other special moments, here are some of the highlights: Daddy builds us a tire swing (this is a big deal!), I attend MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) for a while and meet a great group of women, Daddy buys a Jeep – the Ultimate Toy, Josiah gets his first taste of Del’s, we go canoeing on Wood River with Dan and Jenn, Mom and I trek to Confreda Farms for herbs, Jenn and I go peach- and apple-picking at Narrow Lane Orchards and concoct yummy goodies with the spoils, we score a dollhouse for Gwen on the side of the road, the kiddos and I take our first trip to North Kingstown Beach with one of my best friends Nikki and her son Elijah, Phil and I celebrate nine years of marriage and spend the day together in Mystic, and last-but-not-least I made a conscious effort to change my eating habits and lost about thirty pounds.  Phew! 

Sometimes the miraculous can be seen in the every day busyness, and being home with Gwendolyn and Josiah has afforded many of these moments.  I love seeing things through their eyes, watching as they study something, figure it out, and learn something new.  From the blossoming of Gwendolyn’s vocabulary and understanding of concepts, to her capacity to pretend play and make up silly stories on her own.  From the studied expression on Josiah’s face when in deep concentration and the huge grin that appears when he masters putting an object in a container or climbing the whole staircase, to the barrage of giggles that assail us when we tickle his tummy or help him down the slide.  Their birthdays are two days apart, and I can’t believe I’ll have to get used to my big little girl being three whole years while at the same time accept that my baby boy is officially one year and no longer a baby.  While at times they can be challenging, maddening, induce hair-pulling and general hysteria – I can honestly say that I love them with all of my heart and am so glad God placed them into my arms.

Change is always bittersweet for me.I know change can be good, but sometimes I just want security and comfort in the familiar.  The same weekend that we celebrated the kids’ birthdays, my Grandma Edna went to be with Jesus.  She had been failing for a while, and just this year diagnosed with lung cancer.  It was only a matter of time, and we were praying that she would go peacefully in her sleep… but you’re never really prepared for the end.

These things have a way of making you want to grab hold of them, of the Good Stuff, relishing them and treasuring them while you can, knowing that time is slipping through your hands and will be gone before you know it.  Praying that you will take hold of that which is most dear to you this Christmas season, and thank God for the Treasure of his Son Jesus, whom He graciously bestowed upon us all.

Karla, Phil, Gwendolyn, & Josiah

merry christmas & happy new year!

if you haven’t received my christmas card with accompanying newsletter, you may want to skip this… or else it will be entirely redundant. and as this isn’t on pretty snowflake stationery, it won’t be as fun to read. hehe. in any case, the following is this year’s content of my annual newsletter:

Each year when the holidays roll around, I’m amazed at the speed with which they have arrived. And the dead accuracy on the bull’s-eye of my unpreparedness… if that makes any sense. But you get the idea. I usually take the time to write little tidbits throughout the year as important events and happenings come and ago; that way, it’s easier to put this together. However, I have procrastinated in this respect – perhaps due to the fact that nothing has happened. I like to think that I’ve been insanely busy and amazingly productive and simply have not had the time; one of my New Year’s resolutions should be “Stop Fooling Yourself!”

Some of you may know that I survived a harrowing accident involving my car and… well, the trunk of a tree. Gotta love the New England winters and the dense foliage on either side of the highway! My main concern upon impact was not my leg pinned under the dashboard; no, it was looking around at my new car in ruins, wondering what Philip’s reaction would be when he learned of what I had just done to one of our long-awaited expenditures. The reason I sit here today is because I no longer have the use of my legs, so all there is to do is sit around every day and… naw, not really, I’m fine. What ensued was a short stint with some fancy crutches and some amusing hobbling around for a while. In addition to the fact that – despite outward appearances – I really am fine, I am happy to report that we did finally locate and purchase another Ford Explorer. And this we got the color right (blue!).

Despite the time earlier jibe about keeping busy, both of us are in fact finding ways to occupy our time. Philip still has his full-time job at Hardwood Design in Exeter, which he thoroughly enjoys (to find out more about the company – and perhaps order a custom stairway! – visit their website at hardwoodesign.com). He often has side jobs on evenings/ weekends, and has been fortunate to have a network of customers lined up. If that weren’t enough, there’s always the faithful standb: his second “full-time job” at the volunteer fire department here in town (unfortunately, the pay sucks). In fact, he missed his own surprise birthday party this year because of his extreme dedication to this cause. I try to laugh about it, if only to save face.

After much though, consideration, and deliberation (I had a lot to think about!), I finally quit my job at the hotel. It’s a long story, and I don’t have enough holiday stationery, so let’s just say that it was extremely stressful and not worth the pay. I still work part-time for a dentist in North Kingstown as a secretary/assistant, a low-key job which I enjoy, and for which I am actually appreciated. Because we don’t make a habit of entertaining, some people are of the notion that I know how to keep a clean house (perhaps that’s also due to the fact that I used to be a housekeeper). To balance out sitting at a desk for a few hours a day, I clean about five homes regularly. I can’t seem to get away from domestic chores, no matter how hard I try! If anything came of my baking skills I’d really feel like Suzy Homemaker.

The addition to our home is ever-changing, as each completed step coincides with the amount of funds trickling in (which would also explain why it’s not done yet). Some of the highlights: roof shingles, red cedar siding shingles, plumbing, re-modeling of existing bathroom, bar-top counter in half of kitchen, new wood stove. I asked Philip when – realistically – he thought it might be done, and he said within the next two years. That seems like a long time, especially since it has already been an ongoing project for four… but they have flown by. Living in a house that is a constant project can be frustrating, and I’m just waiting until I can pick out new curtains and furniture and move in already!

At the end of May, we drove to Indiana with my family to attend my twin brother Dan’s graduation from Taylor University. It was an outdoor event, and those of us who were unwitting enough to leave the house without straw hats and ski masks ended up with lobster-hued skin. I was in immense pain for a few days afterwards, and still have a minor tan line from the shirt I wore that day (“tan” meaning a darker shade of pale).

Inescapable milestones: we are each a year older (hopefully wiser, but not holding my breath), and have put up with each other for a grand total of four years. Hard to believe, I know. Also, we have acquired a cat! We got her as a kitten, so were able to witness the full extent of her playfulness. And I use that word loosely, to include such aspects as “destructive tendencies” and “inclination to climb walls.” She is white with black patches (or the other way around, if you prefer). We picked her out from a small litter; I loved the fact that she had a black patch in the shape of a peace sign on top of her ahead. Calling her “peace” felt strange, so I looked online for synonyms and finally settled on “Nala” – isn’t that purty?

Each year I tell myself to pare down the newsletter, restrict it to one page. And despite the crucial editing process it never happens! Probably because I have a tendency to blather on and on and on and on… I still haven’t gotten around to the obligatory wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous (yadda yadda yadda) holiday season – but there you have it. Christmas plans are still up in the air, but doesn’t the mystery just add to the fun? Wishing you all the best…

With Love,
Karla & Philip Curry