Christmas Baking

Yoder and Kloders

Winter Concert

James played the violin for the first time on stage, which was very exciting.

Ode to Joshua

Recently I've been feeling especially grateful to be married to Joshua.  While this blog may seem outward-facing (for the entertainment of the reader; or, you know, bragging), I use it mainly as a recording of our family's history and a reminder to myself to write to stay in the present moment and look at old posts to appreciate the moments we have shared.  Therefore, with this combination of feeling overwhelming love and wanting to remember why I especially love him these days, here are a few thoughts on the subject:

• The mantra that still goes through my head when I think about Joshua is "He is out of my league" which is what I told my mother after our second date.  While this may seem self-effacing, it is more that I still marvel at the fact that Joshua, who is the best at taking care of others, chose to spend his life with me.  
• Joshua is dedicated. This dedication may put him in funny situations when the balance is off (see: past jobs) but it is the best for a marriage.  There is nothing I could do or say or become that would get him to leave.  Instead of taking this lightly, I try to be deserving of this devotion.  
• Our house is exactly as I imaged having a house when I was a child and young adult.  I love that we don't have matching sets of things, it is small so that we are always interacting with one another but still comfortable for our daily needs, and that I can move the furniture around often.  In fact, the living room has had three configurations this month.  Joshua is always pleased with whatever happens, including the 20+ plants that move around in the living room, which makes me so happy.  
• Not only does Joshua encourage me to pursue the right career and educational path, he always reminds me to think of creating balance in our lives.  

And two items that I love about Joshua that also drive me slightly crazy: 

• Joshua is a tireless workhorse.  He spends all week being devoted to work and all weekend moving through household chores.  He leaves little time for fun or downtime.  This is awesome in that I will never be the wife who is wishing for assistance.  However, I worry that he never takes a break -- what does that do for his mental and physical health?  
• Because I'm not great at reading people's expressions, I am often attracted to folks who wear their emotions on their sleeves.  Joshua is an open book, which makes it easy to know where his is at a given moment.  However, at times, this creates a situation in which both of us are trying to take care of each other, based on the emotions we are sharing.  Interestingly enough, during precana (the couples counseling that Catholics attend prior to marriage) the counselor noted that this would be our biggest challenge based on our Myers-Briggs results.  

While Joshua and I are more opposites that we imagined we were when dating and engaged, I'm so grateful for our relationship and marriage.

Happy Birthdays!

Celebrating our December birthdays: Nana, Alma, and James

Alma's birthday party

Happy 10th Birthday, Alma

Our strong, thoughtful, and emotionally-intelligent daughter has been in our lives and instructing us on what matters most for a full decade.  Her birthday celebrations included a pottery painting party with some school friends, a family celebration that included a Star Wars movie, homemade pizza, and cupcakes with Oreo icing, a day of mall shopping with her Nana, and a family party that she shared with her brother and Nana a week later.

The most memorial moment of Alma's birthday was her delight in giving James some homemade gifts that were intended for his birthday.  Knowing that James feels sensitive to seeing her rake in a big pile of gifts, she made him a silly book about Minecraft (a video game he is hoping to receive from Santa this Christmas).  Even she listed this moment as the highlight of her special day.


These are the sorts of memories I will carry forward from Alma's childhood: her thoughtfulness as she delights others in creative, meaningful ways.  We love her dearly and are so grateful to have her passionate and kind energy in our family.

Randy! MoMA!

I was in NYC for a work meeting and, as I walked by the NY Times on 5th Avenue, I decided to text our former South Philadelphia neighbor, Randy, who is an editor at the NY Times to see if he had time for lunch.  Happily, he did! 

Not only did I get to have lunch in their cafeteria with an old friend, but he gave me a tour of the Times, which was awesome.  It was so quiet in the office.  For some reason, I thought it would be much louder.  I guess my only experiences with NY office buildings were financial, which are often quite loud.  It was so great to see Randy and catch up for a bit before I had to run off to my meeting.

After my meeting, I was able to visit the newly renovated Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).  I don't think I've ever been to the MoMA even though I love modern art.  It was great to take myself on a date to look at art (and people looking at art) and go out to dinner by myself.