Our 2006 Christmas Letter and Picture

For those who don't make the semi-short list, we apologize and offer this picture and letter. Merry Christmas!

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Christmas 2006

Dear family and friends,

How amazing that another year is drawing to a close. We are thankful for all it’s meant to us.

Our work with Communality continues to be both enjoyable and challenging. As we complete eight years of involvement and service, we are both honored and humbled to count these folks as coworkers and friends. Billy had a busy time coordinating the startup of our community’s new project, the One Horizon Foundation. It’s devoted to mobilizing cooperative action for the common good. Feel free to check out the website, www.onehorizon.org. He also continues with the administrative and pastoral work at Communality, and has joined the University of Kentucky’s Institutional Review Board. From Bahamian incorporation guidelines to research proposals, there’s always interesting reading in his backpack.

Maria continues to work with our community, coordinating its involvement with the New Monasticism movement. She also traveled to England in July to resume her doctoral studies in theological ethics. She’s really enjoying her work but looks forward to its eventual completion. You can follow her thoughts on work, motherhood, and other tidbits on her blog, www.temperance-girl.blogspot.com.

Miranda did more things than can be listed here, but the highlights include learning to walk (and scamper!); learning various words, some sign language, and unmistakable body language; spending more time with family and friends and seemingly enjoying her bits of independence; starting “preschool” and doing well there; and finally, finally sleeping through the night! She loves swings, slides, and swimming pools; dogs and cats; wheat pasta, cottage cheese and grape tomatoes; Baby Einstein and Teletubbies; reading “My Little Fire Engine” and “Rainbow Ride”; and dancing to classic country and Stevie Ray Vaughan. We are enjoying parenthood more than we could have imagined, despite its many challenges.

John completed one year of employment at Gattitown USA, a pizza and games parlor here in Lexington. He has done well overall and we are proud of his dedication. He continues to befriend everyone he meets and enjoys playing with Miranda. Soon he may be teaching her soccer!

Ellery and her husband Creig have a very active house with their girls Lauren and Ava; when we visited at Thanksgiving, it was tons of fun. Ellery has restarted her classes in interior design, and Maria is looking forward to getting lots of free advice when we finally get our new house. Creig’s business is going very well, although he had to take a few days off to deal with a ruptured appendix (ouch).

Maria’s mother Mary is enjoying Denver and continues to do well in her job in home sales. (Someone said she’s the best associate they have… just a rumor we heard!) She did manage to get to Texas twice in October, a goal we’d all do well to emulate. J

In between his oil contracts and her ordination studies, Maria’s father Bill and his wife Pat are staying busy coordinating the renovation of Canterbury House, the Episcopal campus ministry at Texas Tech. They traveled to the Antarctic in 2006 and are headed to Greece and Cyprus in 2007. Those passports are smoking!

We have been blessed to have Billy’s sister so close and have enjoyed watching Miranda bond with “Aunt Tracey” and the kids. Our niece Jessica began her college career this fall at Lindsey Wilson College and is doing well. Her brother Travis also entered his freshman year of high school. We are really proud of them, but we must be too young to have them in the big leagues… right?!

If you are ever in Lexington (and if we ever get a new house!), please know that our door is open, as is your invitation to stay. And as 2007 approaches, may the peace of the season be yours.


Love, peace, and blessings to you,
Maria, Billy, Miranda, and John