Thanksgiving from A-Z, 2010 Edition

Five years ago I was bored one day in November and decided to write a blog post about Thankfulness. I decided to use the alphabet and come up with one thing for each letter that I was thankful for. It was a really fun exercise! So I made a new list the next year. And a new one the next year. It has become my favorite blog-related tradition of the year, and below is my 2010 version. If you missed the previous year's lists and want to read them they are linked in my "Favorite Past Posts" sidebar. If you happen to make your own list, let me know--I'd love to read it! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A: Adventure Gifts

Charles and I began this tradition pretty much from the beginning of our engagement, and it's a tradition I love. Instead of shopping for each other for holidays, birthdays and anniversaries, we started doing something fun and cool and a little more involved than a normal date night. We started going on adventures together--because we'd both rather have the memories and experiences rather than random gifts from each other. So this year we began by celebrating Christmas together with a drive up to Solvang (Santa Barbara wine country) for a night in a bed and breakfast and wine tasting. We celebrated our first anniversary by driving up the CA coast and exploring Hearst Castle and spending a night in a bed and breakfast and then hiking a great waterfall the next day. Charles' birthday found us attending The Lion King, my birthday gift was tickets to Peter Pan (the play). I am so grateful for these opportunities!
a beach picnic on the way to Solvang last January
anniversary trip in central california
B: Baptism
Does it make me a complete theological nerd if I have a favorite sacrament? Well, I do. It's baptism. And this past year I had the opportunity to be present for some pretty holy moments surrounding the baptismal font. Back in February I got to fly back to Rhode Island for the baptism of Lily, which was very special. That morning I helped give her a bath and explained all about original sin drowning in the waters of baptism....she just squealed and splashed. I think she knew it was an exciting day :) (and her mommy might have walked in and said "um did I just hear you talking about original sin with my 4 month old??" yes, her aunt Sarah is a nerd...)

Then in June three of our high school students were baptized as part of our confirmation Sunday, which was very cool. Two were immersed in the baptismal pool on our patio and one was sprinkled during the worship service, and all 3 were beautiful moments. I am thankful for God's gift of new life, for God's ability and willingness to wash us clean in the waters of our baptism, and I'm thankful for the tangible reminder of water as we do our everyday washing that we are cleansed anew each day.

C: Couple Friends
We've been so blessed with such great and faithful friends around here, and it has been so fun sharing life with them throughout this past year. It will be extremely hard to say goodbye to these friends when we leave, but we are SO grateful for their constant on-going love and support in our lives--how they have helped us process big decisions we've had to make, and shared many meals, rounds of Settlers of Catan, and various other adventures. We look forward to hosting them all at various points when they journey to Seattle to play!!
dave and tera berry jenn and josh guntherryan and alethia white
D: Dad's Financial Wisdom
It's been a big year this year as far as dealing with "grown up" financial decisions and issues. Student loans, job hunting, health insurance hunting, house hunting/buying, retirement investing etc have all been part of our last 12 months, and we are so grateful that my dad spent 27 years of his life working in this exact field! Every time we've seen him for the past year, and several other times via phone conversations he has spent hours helping us look at all our finances, figure out the best ways to invest them, the most important things to pay off first, how to figure out what the most important areas to put money are etc. Both of us are SO grateful for these patient hours spent looking over all our accounts, statements, and budgets and offering guidance. It would have taken us so much longer to get all this straightened out without his help, and we feel secure and have so much more peace of mind knowing he has our best interest in mind when offering counsel.

E: Elizabeth Jane
I became an aunt again this year! Elizabeth Jane (Jane) was born September 30 in Japan, and next month we get to go over to Japan to meet her! (And see our other awesome nieces and nephew!) We are so grateful for this little bundle of sweetness being added to our family, and Aunt Sarah can't WAIT to go spend lots of hours snuggling her over Christmas!
F: Fantastic Fellow Bloggers
I love the blogging world. If you're reading this, you probably know that :) I enjoy reading others thoughts on various topics and there are a couple that I truly adore and get so excited when I see a new posting. I am thankful for these following individuals who make me laugh, think, reflect, and grow through their words. If you haven't read these blogs, definitely check them out. These are my Top 10 Favorites for 2010 in no particular order:
Kristie Vosper
(an acquaintance from First Pres Burbank who I adore, and kind of have a "friend crush" on--I wish we actually were able to get to know each other)
Dirty Sexy Ministry
(two female Episcopalians who blog about ministry, faith, and life from a feminine perspective. I adore them)
Six Year Med
(a pediatric resident at a busy children's hospital--I think in Seattle--she writes with such beautiful honesty and rawness and will make you cry almost every time she posts)
Clatter from the Kitchen
(a childhood family friend Allison who loves cooking in her apartment in Portland. She'll make you hungry for delicious, organic, homemade food and will have you laughing over stories of mishaps and her wit)
The Contemplative Cottage
(Susan, an acquaintance from Bethany Pres in Seattle always inspires me to slow down, look around more carefully, and savor the little things in life like a cup of hot chocolate, a great book, and a fire in the fireplace)
Thriving Mama
(Sara, an acquaintance from the Fuller world posts delightful and healthy recipes, homemaking tips, and stories about life as a homemaker)
You're a Grown Man
(both Charles and I love this guy's writing, tackling different topics about manhood, and about growing up to be a mature, responsible man--you'll laugh, I promise!)
Rachel Goble Carey's Adventures in Photo
(she is a Fuller grad who lives/works with The Sold Project in Thailand)
Josh Gunther's Photography Blog
Beauty from God
(This is Praise's blog that she kept before she died. I've always been a reader of hers, but after she died I began reading back through her archives. Read her words. You will be inspired. She was truly a beautiful soul)

G: Girl Time
I have loved my time learning to be a youth volunteer this past year. It's been a growing process, I don't think I was very good at it when I first started! I'm learning the balance between knowing when to speak and when to keep my mouth shut and just listen. I'm learning to let loose and play more. I'm learning that dancing really does make life better. I'm learning that teenage girls will talk about almost anything if they think you will truly listen and not judge them for whatever it is they say. I'm learning that God is at work in their lives even when I don't always see that--sometimes He surprises me with the ways He moves! I am so so grateful for the chance I've had to be with these girls, and I am so sad to be leaving them.

H: Husband
I have a pretty phenomenal husband, who I get to know a little better each day. I am so grateful for his willingness to listen, his ability to encourage me, the dreams we share for our future, for his strong arms that he lets me fall asleep in each night, and for his desire to always learn more and grow more in our relationship. I am so so proud of the ways he truly desires to learn from any situation. I respect his ability to look at things so differently from me, and to gently nudge me out of my comfort zone when that is needed. He is my number 1 cheerleader, constantly standing up for my right to live out my calling to minister in whatever context I find myself. I am so grateful for his forgiveness when I am having a terrible day and accidentally take it out on him. I deeply respect his desire to provide for his wife and his future kids not only physically but also emotionally--and he has shown me throughout difficult moments in the past year that he is "man enough" to sit with me and hold me as I cry. I love that he makes me laugh, even when things feel the opposite of funny. God has blessed me with such a gift in him, and I am so grateful.

I: I Believe
As part of the Presbyterian ordination process each of us needs to write our own one page Statement of Faith and then defend it in front of a committee of pastors and elders who can ask you anything they want about your theology. (And no, just copying The Apostles Creed doesn't work!) I was so overwhelmed at the beginning, it was tough to start! But once I got going, I had a blast--this was such a fun assignment for me. Then I found out that one of the pastors on my committee is also a systematic theology professor at Fuller. I have to be honest, when I heard that, I was a bit nervous. A professional theologian is not exactly who you want going through your statement of faith with a fine toothed comb asking you questions about your theology! I read my statement to my committee, was asked I think two questions and was told by the systematic theology prof that it was "refreshing, well written, and one of the best he's seen." Guess I didn't need to be too scared! It was such a good experience--having to succinctly describe what I believe about God, Jesus, the trinity, the Spirit, creation, humanity, the church, the sacraments and other such things. I am grateful for this opportunity, and for the chance I've had these past 5 years to be working out what I believe and why.

J: Job Interviews
One year ago, we had absolutely no idea what was ahead of us as far as job hunting, and discernment went. We weren't sure who should be applying for jobs, where we should be applying, how we would know what church was going to be a good fit, and how in the world God was going to work all this out. We started 2010 with me applying for various non-ordained ministry positions. I did some phone interviews, even had a church want to fly me in to interview for a youth director job. The problem is that this job would have required me moving out of state about 6 months before my husband could join me, and that didn't feel good to me. So I turned them down. This summer Charles found a few positions on line that looked interesting, so he applied for them. In August he did phone interviews with both churches and both wanted to fly him in for second interviews. So September found us traveling quite a bit, wrestling with the huge decision of where we would go should we be offered both jobs, and maybe loosing a little sleep over the whole thing! I am so incredibly grateful for the way that God's hand has obviously been in the midst of this entire process. We've seen His nudges along the way, we've felt his peace as we've made decisions, and we've watched our marriage grow stronger as we have had numerous conversations and attempted to discern together where we were being called. The fact that the church in Seattle was willing to wait until January when Charles would be done with seminary was amazing to us, and only one of many ways God has been showing us that this is the place He has chosen for us. To have a job lined up 4 months before graduation is almost unheard of in seminary, and we are beyond grateful and blessed for the ways God has been taking care of us in this process.

K: Kickball
It had been a long time since I have had the opportunity to play with the red rubber kickballs that characterize elementary school recess. Until I started going to youth group on Wednesday nights :) Now, kickball, 4-square, and dodge ball are my new favorite games...I am grateful for the chance to kick back, run around a gym, and just play once a week.

L: Lenten Experience
For Lent this year we decided to attempt living as vegetarians for six weeks. I'm not sure that a vegetarian lifestyle is something I want to pursue 100% but I loved the chance to become more aware of what we put into our bodies, where our food comes from, and how much variety there is out there in the food world. We get so stuck in our everyday diets that we forget there are new things to try. So I learned how to make a few new things that have added a lot to our diet now. We spent time watching things like Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, we watched documentaries like Food Inc and Supersize Me, and spent a lot of time talking about health, diets, and nutrition. I am grateful for the bountiful ways God has given us to nourish ourselves.
Charles' new favorite lunch--pita stuffed with hummus and lots of fresh veggies. He eats this almost every day :)
M: Megan
This past year I have had the chance to see and talk to my sister so many more times than in the past many years combined probably, and I have truly loved that. I have loved that we're getting to know each other as adults. I love that I can call her with random questions. I am so grateful for all her advice and help in this house hunting process, as we think about starting a family, as we think about decorating and setting up our home, and as we make decisions. Megs sees things just differently enough than I do that it is so helpful to have her opinion--I commented one night to Charles that she had said something about the house hunting process that totally turned a light bulb on for me--because I was stuck in my normal thinking pattern and she added such a good perspective. She is an incredible mom to Lily, and that has been beyond fun to watch. I am also so grateful she's willing to share her daughter with me, and will sit on video chat with me so I can watch Lily play and babble with her even though I'm sure Megan has other things she could be doing. (and that she'll call and leave a voice mail and let Lily babble and screech into the phone for awhile just so I can hear her voice--I have all those messages saved for when I need a smile!) I am so thankful for her love, support, and friendship for all these years, and for all the visiting we got to do in 2010!
N: Northwest Trips
I have been back and forth to the Northwest a LOT this year! I found myself in Portland in January and twice in October, and I was Seattle-bound twice in May, once in July, once in September, twice in October, and once in November. That is a LOT of Southwest plane tickets :) I have loved so many opportunities in 1 year to return to this gorgeous place--to see friends, to wander farmer's markets, see fall colors, enjoy delicious coffee and wine, and feel my heart leap at the sight of mountains and water. I am beyond excited to spend the next chapter of our lives back in a place I adore so much. Come visit and I'll show you why I am so grateful for this amazing place!
O: Openness
One thing I forgot about being in high school is that high school students think about relationships with the opposite sex all the time. They want to ask questions, they want a glimpse into marriages that are not their parents because they are starting to get to a place where they are imagining their future relationships. On my very first day in youth group a group of girls gathered around because they wanted to see my engagement ring (at the time we were the only married volunteers). They began firing questions at me "where did you meet? How did he propose? What was your wedding like? When are you having kids? Do you fight with each other?" We quickly realized we needed to have a conversation with each other about what we were going to share with others about our relationship, because apparently we were going to get asked! We decided to be as honest as possible, always making sure to speak of our spouse with respect and honor, leaving only a couple areas of our relationship out of bounds for conversation with students. I've been amazed at what's happened since we've started sharing openly when students ask questions. One girl told me "my own parents' marriage is a mess. Yours gives me hope that someday if I am willing to learn about myself and work hard on a relationship I might have a good marriage too." Another said "I want to serve with my husband too, I like that you guys are always here every week hanging out with us together, I don't know any other couple who does that." I am so thankful for the conversations I've been able to be a part of because kids know we'll be honest and open with them, and I am thankful for a husband who sees this as an important part of ministry.

P: Presbytery Process
It's been quite the year of meeting with my Seattle committee on preparation for ministry (CPM), I think I met with my smaller committee 3 times, my church elders once, and all of the Seattle Presbytery once. Some people hate the ordination process in the PC(USA), but I have had a fantastic experience with my committee, and really with the whole process in general. I've learned a lot, it's been really good to be forced to reflect on various questions they asked, and while it's nerve wracking to stand before a committee of pastors who have the freedom to ask you anything they want, it's still a great experience. I am grateful for the chance be encouraged and supported by these pastors who don't really know me but have communicated time and again they are excited about being a future colleague in ministry with me.

Q: Quiet Nights at Home
In the midst of a year where Charles was still a student and always had a lot of homework, random quiet nights where he would decide to ignore his studies for a few hours and we'd relax together became some of the highlights of my year. Usually this was spontaneous, when we realized we didn't need to be anywhere and he could afford to take a night off, and I cherish the memories of these nights. My favorite was actually Oscar night last spring. I wanted to watch, he needed to study, so I started watching it on mute (using closed captioning) to not disturb him. He got sucked in, closed his book, we decided to make a run to Trader Joes for take out food and wine, and had a delightful evening. Other favorite nights of the year that I am very grateful for are nights spent watching The Office, making our own NCAA tournament brackets and tracking the teams, watching Jamie Oliver's food revolution and lately reading together. Most involved sushi and salads from Trader Joes :)

R: Reading List
If you're a regular reader you know that I created a list last year of 28 books to read in my 28th year of life, and that this was a very fun experience for me. I loved being intentional and thinking about what I wanted to read throughout a given year, and I loved getting to go back at the end of the year and writing a recap of each book I read. I have another list going this year of books I'm reading between now and my 30th birthday next September--we'll see if I make it! I am thankful for the diversity of literature that exists in our world, I'm thankful for the freedom I have to read anything I choose, and to think freely about the things I read.

S: Sixty Years
In August we headed out to Colorado for five days celebrating with my Dad's family the 60th wedding anniversary of my grandparents. We had a great time playing with cousins, telling all kinds of old stories that I never grow tired of hearing, rolling on the floor laughing as my dad and his siblings recounted all kinds of crazy mishaps and adventures they had growing up, and honoring Grandma and Papa for the legacy they have given us. I am thankful for the example they've set in loving their family and one another for all these years.

T: Twelve
Everyone knows I adore babies, but this year, in addition to the amazing babies in my life, I am also very thankful for my twelve year old niece. She lives in Japan so I don't get to see her very much (but we do get to see her on Dec. 18!), but I love that I have a niece who is about to be a teenager. She is a phenomenal young lady, who is so kind and caring and so great with her three younger siblings. We haven't gotten to know each other super well, but I am so thankful to get to be a part of her life as she heads in to her teen years. I love that I get to watch movies with her, make her mixed CDs of music I think she might like, and I love that she loves reading as much as I do :) Yes, I am very thankful for this beautiful young lady!
U: Us
We took a marriage class this past year, a group of 4 couples who sat around each week with a Marriage therapist and learned about ourselves. It was phenomenal. We learned about communication, past hurts and how they affect us now, the lessons our parents taught us about marriage by how they conducted their relationship and a lot about personality types. The biggest thing we learned about was our "us." I blogged about what that means here in case you are a little lost, but we talk about our "us" a lot, and we have worked hard this year to make choices that are best for our "us" and that feels really good. I am thankful for Dr. Sharon Hargrave and her teaching and I am thankful for the work we have put in to making our us stronger and I am looking forward to what 2011 holds in store for our "us."

V: Video Chat
I don't know who invented Skype and Google's version of video chat but I am extremely grateful! These amazing inventions have allowed us to check in with our family in Japan (the only complicated thing is the time difference!) and Google video chat lets me see this little face regularly:I've been able to watch from a distance as Lily has grown and changed and learned all kinds of new things this first year of her life. Thanks to video chat I got to watch her roll over, sit up, scootch, crawl, throw blocks, screech, giggle, and her latest tricks--walking and waving hi and bye! Thank you google!

W: Weddings Galore!
2010 was the year of people getting married! We had a crazy number of weddings in one year to both attend and participate in, and we loved getting to celebrate with so many friends as they embarked on this next stage of life together. What was so fun is that every wedding was SO different--we attended a Chinese-American wedding, a huge Armenian celebration, a very ecological wedding in a redwood grove, a wedding with 14 wedding party members on each side, an Indian feast, and a wedding on a boat in Seattle among others. In order of how they appeared throughout the year, here are the happy couples we love! (we have 1 more on New Years Eve as well!)
dave and tera berryjosh and jenn guntherpeter and susan chiueli and jennifer quisenberrydavid and joy mosgofian-koekermegan and harout katerjian brian and courtney babbsandeep and jennifer kumar
X: Xenial Families
Bonus points if you know what "xenial" means! From all the searching I did, it means "hospitable, especially to visiting strangers or foreigners." If you are a massive vocabulary person and think I am wrong...don't tell me :) Living far away from home for the past decade I haven't been able to celebrate many holidays with the people I love the most. However, it has given me the opportunity to celebrate holidays and special events with other family--the Body of Christ family members who have so graciously taken us into their homes and invited us to be part of their families for a day. Last Thanksgiving we celebrated with a family from church, whose two kids are in the youth program we work with. The Superbowl was watched with another family from church. We spent 4th of July with friends from church. Easter was spent with Fuller friends who graciously opened their home to those who needed a place to go. We've received dinner invitations, invitations to go to lunch with families on Sunday afternoons, invitations to join families for their kid's birthdays and most major holidays. We are so grateful for people who recognize that not everyone in their community is able to get home for special occasions, and it is truly a joy to participate in others' family traditions.

Y: Yosemite Trip
In September we had the opportunity to visit Yosemite for 3 nights with friends of Charles' from Florida. We were all awestruck at this incredible part of God's creation, and it was here that I fell in love with hiking and have a very strong desire to see more of the amazing country on foot! I am grateful for delicious food cooked outdoors, a husband to share this with, good hiking boots and camel-back, and the most amazing peaks and valleys I've ever seen.
Z: Zealous Youth Volunteers
One of the great things about being a youth volunteer is the incredible team of people we get to work with loving students at GPC. I adore our team of junior high and senior high volunteers, they make me laugh, they push me on things, they have shown me how much fun it is to introduce students to a life of walking with Jesus. I am so thankful for these friends (a couple of whom are pictured below, from winter camp), and I will miss them dearly.