New Year's Eve Baby

Happy 23rd Birthday to my "first" and most beautiful daughter.
I am so proud of everything she is, does and has become.

Christmas Past

A few of my favorite Christmas memories

1982

It was  Christmas Eve day and a typical snowy, blustery winter storm.  My dad hopped in the car with my sister for a quick errand to the grocery store, only a couple miles down road.  But even before he finished purchasing the milk and eggs, mountains of snow and drifts blocked the way home-too much snow even for our 4 wheel jeep to handle.  Walking home was out of the question with my little sister who must have been about 9 that Christmas.  My dad and Kate spent Christmas eve and Christmas day just a mile down the road with our friends, trapped in an ironic situation by snow and wind, while my mom and I waited at home together.  I remember my dad calling on the phone singing, "I'll be home for Christmas..."  and I remember sitting by our wood burning stove, drinking hot chocolate with my mom...waiting.

1988

This is the Christmas I was engaged to Dale.  Dale flew from Santa Barbara to Colorado on the day after Christmas and joined our family's traditional ski trip in Keystone.  He met much of my extended family and we celebrated our engagement and my parents 25th wedding anniversary together.  That was a starry-eyed Christmas.

1990

Our first of many Christmas' in Hawaii.  Christmas 1990 is a sad and happy memory--our first Christmas after my mom died in April of 1990.  Dale and I were only celebrating our 2nd married Christmas, and Kate was a junior in high school.  We were all too sad to take up our usual holiday traditions, so we packed up and flew to Hawaii where we turned a blind eye to Christmas and immersed ourselves in the sand and sun.  We skipped the snow and cold, but exchanged that for lots of rain storms.  I think we saw the sunshine for about two our of 14 days in Maui.  My memories that Christmas are swimming on Big Beach in the pouring rain, playing lots of tennis in between the downpours and sitting up late playing cards with Dale and Kate.  I'm so thankful we went to Hawaii that year.  It turned what will always forever be a sad memory into one that can still makes me smile.  Notice in this picture that Dale hasn't left the 80's.  You can laugh at his hot pink swim suit and pink hat!  My Christmas shirt is pretty "hip" too!

2002

My dad's 60th Birthday.  Our 2nd Christmas in Hawaii--this time Phil  and Dori are included.

2008

Our 3rd Christmas in Hawaii--adding kids to the picture!

1998

Christmas in Morocco in 1998 was another of my most memorable.  Kate and Phil were living and working in Morocco that year, and Kate bought me a ticket to come visit for Christmas, so off I went, leaving Dale behind to celebrate Christmas on his own with his family.  Kate, Phil and I shopped in the markets of Rabat, celebrated a Ramadan feast with one of their friends (who dressed us up like Moroccan brides and gave us makeovers and henna tatoos all evening) hiked in the mountain near Marrakesh and ate bastila and kebabs at a little restaurant for Christmas eve dinner.  On Christmas day, Kate and Phil travelled with me on the train 2 hours to the Casa Blanca airport, where I boarded a plane and spent Christmas day flying over Europe on my way home.   (This picture is of me and Kate dressed up in our costumes. (You can see how happy I was =:(  by the look on my face). 

2003

This Christmas is so memorable for one reason only.  For Christmas, Dale and I bought 2 round trip and 3 one way plane tickets to/from  Bujumbura, Burundi.   December 2003,  the court date to adopt our children was finalized.

2004

Our first Christmas with our children.  This Christmas was a dream fulfilled.

The Love Dare

I wanted to write a little bit about the gift I gave Dale for Christmas this year.  Starting back in October,  I began quietly working on this project   I was inspired by some conversations I had with a couple of my women friends, to commit myself to this 40 day journey. My goal was to consciously work harder at demonstrating my love for Dale.  ..."let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:18)   I recorded each day's love dare, my successes, failures and honest thoughts for Dale to read in a journal that I presented him for Christmas.


This was an exercise in self-improvement.  Taking time each day to think focused thoughts about my relationship with Dale was so worth it.

I don’t think that I’m always the best at showing you how much I love Dale; I know that I often respond out of the stress in my life, and I know that I could work on being more Christ-like in the way that I demonstrate my love, and as such, this project turned out to be a lot harder than I ever expected it to be.  In fact, it was one of the hardest things I‘ve done all year.  It wasn’t hard because of Dale; it was hard because of Me.  It was challenging to stay motivated and disciplined to keep going for 40 days.  I didn’t always succeed each day, and some weeks, life just got in the way.  But, those setbacks only made me more determined to finish this project because I saw clearly how our lives as pastors and parents so easily overtakes the most important priority in my life—my marriage.  More than anything else, over the past three months, I was confronted with my own  flaws and foibles.  Working on this project was humbling and eye-opening and also, encouraging at some points, and I'm so glad I completed it!    And the continuing challenge... now I have a long list of New Year's "goals" to put into action. 

Holiday Accidents

Yep.  That's my MacBook--drying out from my coffee spill yesterday.  I'm just waiting.... and hoping....and praying...

It's Face Time

Today, Abel and Ciza had a banner day.  They both bought new i touch devices.  Ciza and Abel have been asking (begging, pouting and everything in between) for the privilege of owning an i touch.  For many reasons that I won't detail here, Dale and I have said NO.  But, as it goes, every firm NO eventually becomes a reluctant YES.  Between their own savings and a few gifts from the grandparents, both boys were able to make their coveted purchase today.

It made for a very interesting day.  First of all, on the way driving out of the Mac Store parking lot, Ciza made a profound observation.  He wisely commented, "You know what?  I realize that the anticipation of wanting something and waiting is a lot more thrilling than actually buying it." 

Next, in the car on the drive home, Abel realized that the i pod touch has the capability to use Face Time.  He can video conference with other people who have i phones!  Watching the smile on Abel's face when he discovered this feature made my whole day. His sheer joy at this discovery was worth a million bucks. 

So, all day long, Dale and I suffered quietly as Abel called us on his "face time" every 5-10 minutes.  He called us from his bedroom loft, from the backyard, from the bathroom and from the same room!  But the kicker was when Abel and Ciza both called me to offer a "digital" good night from their bed.  The usual routine in our house is that after the boys turn out the lights at night, I hear a holler from down the hall, "Mom...come say goodnight"  But tonight was different.  I was lying in my bed and the phone rang.  Up popped Abel's cute face to say good night.  I hung up, and the phone rang again.  This time, it was Ciza, saying goodnight from his bed. 


For better or for worse...I guess we are a perfect picture of a contemporary family in a digital age!

Everything Wonderful

A Christmas filled with everything wonderful

Candlelight Christmas Eve service at our church

EARLY  Morning Sunrise at the Mission

Our Athlete

Our Snuggle Boy and our Model

Our Santa

Artwork by Ciza

Christmas Vacation

Christmas vacation

I just got home from the grocery store and some last minute mall shopping.  Phew.  I'm exhausted.  In fact, I almost fell asleep in the line at the mall!  I always prepare for Christmas way in advance.  I don't like to do anything at the last minute, so around June time, I always start saving and thinking about Christmas--picking up little trinkets here and there, making shopping lists and strategizing my budget.  But, inevitably, there are last minute details to take care of.  Unfortunately, I can't shop in September for groceries for our Christmas Eve dinner!  

Up until today, I have been intensely focused on others.  I have 97 high school students who needed my attention and planning, I have at least 15 students who were counting on me to write eloquent letters of recommendation, raphodizing about their wonderful qualities, so they can have a chance of going to Stanford or MIT.  We had a number of church events to celebrate Christmas with our neighborhood, our church family and our friends. 

Now, we are four days away from Christmas, and I told my boys today, "The next 4 days are family time."  But  "family time" also involves shopping and baking and wrapping and cooking, among other things.  So...

Today I

Wrote some thank you notes

Helped Abel clean some muddy straw from his chicken pen

Started driving with Dale to deliver Christmas packages in Simi Valley, but then turned around after we got caught in a bad traffic jam (mission not accomplished)

Ate the most delicious olive tapenade and tomato sandwich on our way home, at a new Deli 

Stood in line at Macy's for 30 minutes. Listened to Abel complain about how hungry he was, and the ladies in front of me, argue with the cashier about the sale prices

Researched a new recipe for potato breakfast casserole. (Christmas morning!) because I can't find my usual cookbook 

Made a grocery list.

Printed my grocery list.

Lost my grocery list.

Decided to go to grocery story without my list and try to remember everything I needed.

Performed a private Christmas Concert in my car: Audience of One.

In a little bit I will

Make spaghetti for dinner.

Send my boys to youth group and collapse exhausted onto the couch and surf the Internet while drinking Apple Cider with a Diet Coke.  (and probably nibbling on the insane amount of cookies and candy sitting around our house).

Not a bad way to start vacation, I guess.

A Little Hospitality

You might think that hosting an open house for 100 people would be stressful or worrisome.  All day yesterday, my friends inquired with sympathy, "Have you been working hard all day?"  I just smiled.  Really, all I did last night was show up at my own party.  Our wonderful maid, Ana, cleaned the house squeaky clean on Monday; and my friend Ruth volunteered to make all the food!   She showed up with pans and pans of delicious tamales, rice and beans, set it all out on the table and replenished the food all night long.   I think everyone agreed we ate some of the best tasting tamales in Santa Barbara, last night. (She even cleaned my kitchen afterward!)

Let me pause to say a few words about tamales.  I've always been vaguely aware of the Christmas tamale tradition, but it wasn't until I moved to Santa Barbara that I realized what a huge deal tamales are around the holidays. Stores stock mountains of corn husks and pallets of pre-made masa, the corn-based dough that forms the bulk of the tamale. There's someone in almost every office whose fund-raising group sells tamales by the dozen every December — and believe me, there are plenty of takers, even among folks who usually make their own everything. Why? Tamales are heaven's food.  And no wonder.  I looked up the ingredients this morning and read that the recipe calls for pounds of lard!   I've never actually tried to make tamales myself.  There's really no need when it's so easy to buy the real deal in this town...

It's been a while since I entertained so many people all at once in my home. I love entertaining. Hospitality does not have to involve a lot of time and effort really.  All day yesterday, I was remembering my mom and how much she loved to entertain.  I have very fond memories of the parties my mom used to put on for her friends, and I can still see her in my memory, laughing and relaxing once the party started!  She was a wonderful example for me.  Hospitality, is also one of those characteristics that seems to come with the job of Pastor's Wife...  "contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality." (Romans 12:13) It could be one of the more demanding parts, but I chose to make it a fun part of the job!

We had a full house last night--standing room only.  One friend asked me, "What is the most number of  people have you fit in your house before?"  I answered, "Right now!" 

And today we have at least 10 lbs of sweets left over!  After everyone was gone and the last dish was cleaned up in the kitchen, I commented, "What in world are we going to do with all these sweets?"  Ciza quickly chimed in, "Eat them, of course!"  

So here's to the holidays! 

Plenty of leftovers!!

Happy as a Duck in Water

"Happy as a Duck in Water!"  Whoever originated this quote sure knew a lot about the nature of ducks!  They absolutely love being in the water, and while today is a miserable, soggy day in Santa Barbara, our two Cayugas are in duck heaven!  I've been watching them all day from my kitchen window as they've been swimming happily in our yet to be completed duck pond.   We are the proud owners of a big dirt hole in our back yard. Last winter the hole filled up with rain water and stayed that way all through the rainy season.  Summer came and went, and here we are again--rainy season is starting, and we still have a large dirt hole in our backyard, and now it's full of rain water AGAIN! 

But, at least this winter, the ducks are making good use of it--completed or not.  The boys dug the pond a year and a half ago (July 2009), and as things go around here at Swanson Acres, we might possibly finish the pond in another year or 2!  We are not known for our speedy attention to house projects. 

So, while I'm still only dreaming of a beautifully landscaped pond, surrounded by water lilies and bamboo, our ducks don't know the difference.  They are happy and splashy in the muddy mess at Swanson Acres! 

Happy Birthday Dad

"Any man can be a father.  It takes someone special to be a dad". ~ Anne Geddes.

Dear Dad, Happy Birthday from your Best Birthday Present Ever!

Today is known as your birthday! What a perfect day to give expression and appreciation, for the love and care I have received from you.  I have, in my life time, met and known many fine fathers, and read about many great men, yet, I can truthfully say I am glad I am your daughter.

My memories of you are crammed with vivid recollections of delightful experiences we had together--from my childhood to the present. So many special times I cherish spending with you.  Many of those times, together on our birthday--waking up in the cold, early mornings and loading the car with our skis, anticipating a day on the slopes with just you.  Or in my adult years, just enjoying wonderful birthday dinners together.

Here you are on your 40th birthday and my 16th

My 21 birthday

 It's odd to think that this year, I'm practically the same age you were in that photo, and now I have my own 22 year old daughter!

And here we are on MY 40th

And that leads us to today. 

I'm here in Santa Barbara taking a picture with my new IPhone and you are in Hawaii, enjoying the sun and Maui sunsets!  I love you and miss you.  Happy Birthday, dear dad.

Some Christmas Music

Everything I write on here this month seems to be centered around our church.  I guess because, being pastors, that starting on Dec. 1st, our life pretty much revolves around the church's Christmas celebrations.

Today, we had an incredible treat--an amazing musician, Pedro Eustache, who shared some of his unique and passionate music as we worshiped together in church.  He plays woodwind instruments from all around the world.  This link takes you to a sample of  his songs. It's worth listening to.World Music.

2nd Time Around

Today, I am REALLY tired.  Yesterday, the women at our church, hosted our 2nd annual Women's Christmas Brunch.  Last year (2009) I had 75 women attend and this year, we hosted 120 women for a wonderful morning full of good food, music and a Christmas message. I think next year, we will have to find a new space to hold our event!

Christmas is a perfect opportunity for any of us to connect with the real Light of Christmas, and in our culture, is a time when so many hearts long for love and connection.


Recently, I was reading an article about the "Love Bug" virus. Back in the year 2000, a virus attached to an email with the subject line "I love you" spread to 45 million computers worldwide in just a few hours. Why? Because so many people, even tough business executives, couldn't resist opening an attachment that arrived with the subject line "I love you." It was a message that instantly broke through the clutter, slicing swiftly past caution and common sense, to the heart.
 
In the article, an Australian columnist and lecturer Michael Newman wrote:

"It was all over in seconds. Over 40 million computers worldwide melted down from the heart. In lives increasingly experienced via monitors, there's a hunger for genuine empathy and direct, personal contact. People live in a cold, scary and often heartless world. Companies fire them. Spouses divorce them. Institutions stitch them up. Fear stalks the daily news.. . . There is an incredible and untapped need for love out there."

All people are essentially seeking connection. People naturally want to respond to their God-created inner need--a deeply embedded inner desire to experience community, authentic relationship, and the mystery of love. Christmas is so often  attached to deep-seated meaning from youngest childhood, a never-quite-lost connection to wonder and anticipation and joy and celebration, promise and surprise.

Hopefully, the 120 ladies who filled our church yesterday, experienced the warmth and love the Jesus has to offer, and felt rekindled in their spirits and warmed by the experience of community.  I loved planning and putting on the event!  I love spending time with so many wonderful women and I love that I get to be a small part of spreading Christmas blessing to others. 

A New Commitment

Today, was a special day.  Abel chose to be baptized.
He said, "I feel like a new kid, today."

O Christmas Tree

"A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor's."

This thought was the impetus for an idea Dale had earlier this year,  to plan a Christmas tree lighting celebration for the first week of Advent. He wanted to plan an event that would announce the Christmas season to our whole neighborhood and bless our surrounding community with good music and treats.  And so,  it came about on Wed., we celebrated our first New Life Church Christmas tree lighting.  For two hours,  different groups of musicians played sets, one after the other, and beautiful music from local Santa Barbara bands and choirs filled the air and cheered up the neighborhood.  It was a warm and wonderful feeling to welcome people from all of our surrounding blocks, as they wandered outdoors and joined our church family on our lawn, sharing cookies, cider and Christmas spirit.  

Lady Bird Johnson once said, "While the spirit of neighborliness was important on the frontier because neighbors were so few, it is even more important now because our neighbors are so many."    It's true,  our neighborhood is filled with thousands of people.  Some, I pass on the street every day, and offer a friendly wave.  Some, I see and never even stop to say hello--maybe they are walking to work in the mornings, or walking their dogs.  

Dale and I do know all of the occupants of the 18 homes on our street, and we engage in short conversations on occasion, but on Wed. night, I actually had an opportunity to chat more intentionally with some of my neighbors and discover a little more about their lives. And now I feel more connected.  This should happen more often!  Watching the buzz of conversations and joviality among the all the people as they connected with one another, made me realize how much I miss when I categorize my neighbors as passing strangers  On Wed. night, everyone left feeling a little less anonymous, and hopefully a lot more blessed, and I left with a renewed commitment to build stronger connections with the very people I live amongst.