I am totally kicking myself. Hard. Earlier this year, Jason made it quite clear what he wanted for Christmas. A no-brainer, right? It really should have been. It’s just that I didn’t want to get him the five-disc ultimate collector’s edition of Blade Runner. I can’t explain why, exactly, I just really, really didn’t want to. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him to have it; it’s just that I didn’t want it to be his Christmas present from me. I wanted to get him something more, I don’t know, “wifely,” I guess.

So I didn’t get it for him. (And true confessions here, I didn’t have any better ideas . . . or any ideas at all this year, so my poor husband’s Christmas from me was, well, just lame. Ugh.) He got it for himself instead. No problem, I thought.

But then it came in the mail today. And he was soooooo excited about it (I have no doubt he’ll be posting pictures and whatnot soon). And even though he admitted that he was overdoing his excitement just a little to rub it in that I wasn’t the one who bought it for him (he’s not above it), it still made me sad that I had stupidly missed an opportunity to bless my husband. I still would have thought it was a little ridiculous, and I still would have rolled my eyes at him, but I would have secretly been proud that he liked his gift so much. It would have been so easy, and I’m guessing that his joy would probably have outweighed my frumpiness about the gift I didn’t really understand. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

When it comes to most creative endeavors, I find that I am far more interested in the planning stages--especially if there is some sort of mock-up involved. Whether it be a laid-out quilt or a half-finished painting or a first draft of writing, a bunch of paint chips or carpet samples or homemade “blueprints,” I love all the hanging threads and rough edges, so to speak, before they are smoothed out into the finished product. My theory is that the rough draft, the concept drawing, has so much potential, and the unfinished bits are easily transformed in the mind into the ideal version. Although a finished project holds its own satisfaction, it somehow makes me a little sad when the (almost endless) possibilities have all been determined and fixed and all the loose ends have been tied up. (No fair pointing out mixed metaphors here.)

All that to say, I’m excited about where we are in the whole nursery planning process. My mom came down yesterday and helped turn our ideas for the Totoros and Catbus on the walls into paper mock-ups.

And we also bought fabric to make the bedding and stuffed it in the crib to get an idea of how it will look.

Soon my dad will come down and paint the walls, Jason’s parents will turn our paper mock-ups into wooden wall hangings, and the fabric will be transformed into crib bumpers and curtains, but for today I am loving the possibilities, the fact that we’ve finally gotten started, and the promise of how cool it might all turn out to be.

We actually wrote a holiday letter this year (our first), but we never got around to taking a picture or, um, sending it out. Here is what we would have sent out had I been more on the ball.

We thought that 2005 was an eventful year for us: after all, we got engaged, got married, bought a house, Renae quit her job and started working from home, all in just eight months. However, 2005 has had nothing on 2007, as far as new things constantly popping up, whirling us around, and sending us off in new directions.

As many of you have heard, we found out in July that Renae is pregnant with our first child, a boy whom we have already named Simon Wesley. Needless to say, this has been the biggest surprise – and joy and challenge – of the year. We’re absolutely thrilled and delighted, and a wee bit scared. We’re entering the third trimester as I (Jason) type this, so just a few more months. If you would be praying for us during this time, we’d greatly appreciate it.

Please pray that Renae would receive strength, health, and encouragement in these last few months. We’re thankful that Simon has been healthy through it all (even if Renae has spent a fair amount of time so far hunched over the toilet). Please pray that he’ll continue to grow and remain healthy and strong – and that his arrival in March would be without complication. And finally, pray for Jason: we begin Lamaze class in January. ‘Nuff said.

In addition to Simon entering our lives, we also celebrated our second anniversary this year. Marriage is still as wonderful – and challenging – as ever, and somehow, God always has something new to show us about this relationship of ours. We traveled to Seattle to celebrate the event and revisited some of the areas that we’d seen on our honeymoon travels.

Jason’s company renamed itself to Firespring in October, and Jason received a promotion. He is now “senior web developer” and is looking forward to the upcoming months as new staff comes on board and they begin tackling new projects. Both of us continue to work as freelancers as well, Renae as an editor and Jason as a web designer. And this year, we made it “official”: we started our very own corporation, Red Bicycle, Inc.

One of the coolest experiences of the year, Simon notwithstanding, took place in June, when we traveled to Bushnell, Illinois, to attend the Cornerstone arts and music festival. Jason made the trek to Bushnell many times in the past as a festivalgoer, but this year he was a speaker. He gave the introductory lecture at Flickerings (Cornerstone’s film festival), speaking on the topic of Japanese pop culture, and also led several film screenings and discussions. It was an absolute blast: we saw some great films, met a lot of a cool people, saw some good bands, etc. The only downside, in Jason’s opinion, was that the festival put us up in a nice hotel; he was always used to “roughing it” on the festival campgrounds.

Earlier in the year, we traveled up to Rochester, Minnesota, to attend the annual L’Abri conference. The conference has a special place in our hearts – it’s where we met – and we always enjoy the wonderful teaching offered by the conference’s many speakers. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to attend the 2008 conference – it’s a little too close for comfort to Simon’s arrival – but we look forward to many future conferences.

We’ve also been very thankful for the community in which God has placed us. We’re surrounded by many good friends who are a constant source of joy and encouragement. Every Tuesday, a group of us gets together for a revolving community dinner, which is always a highlight of the week.

2007 had its share of loss and tragedy as well.

Jason’s Grandpa Morehead passed away in May, and we traveled out to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, to attend the funeral. It was the first time that Renae had met much of that side of Jason’s family, and it was good to see the old family farm again.

Then, in June, our church burned down. Sadly, they were unable to save the eighty-year-old building and demolished it a few days later. This was very hard for us: we were married in that church and we had looked forward to our children growing up in it. And it’s still hard for us: every time we look out our back window, we see the empty lot and we remember what was once there.

Our church body spent the next couple of months meeting in other buildings throughout Lincoln. However, as of December, we have purchased a building and have our own facilities once again. Although it was hard, the fire has also been something of a blessing for our church, forcing us to shed what was unnecessary and draw closer to God and one another.

What’s more, a church plant back at the original site is currently in the planning stages, with an initial launch in the spring of 2008. We are very excited about being part of this and seeing what God will do, but we are nervous as well. Suffice to say, there is much prayer going on.

We look forward to 2008, as it promises to be a very exciting year as well. A new baby boy, a new church, some new career opportunities, and more are all on the horizon. We look forward to all that God has in store for us, and we continue to trust in His providence and grace.

We wish all of you love, peace, and joy during this season, and beyond.

God’s blessings…

Jason and Renae (and Simon)

P.S. If you want to keep updated on our lives throughout the year, check out our websites,
http://theonegrand.com/ (Renae) and http://opuszine.com/ (Jason).