A Tale of Two States

It was the year of firsts, it was the year of lasts, it was the age of decision-making, it was the age of indecision, it was the epoch of arriving, it was the epoch of leaving, it was the season of sunshine, it was the season of overcast skies, it was the Spring of ending, it was the Fall of beginning, we had everything before us, we had everything behind us, we were all going direct to New York, we were all going direct from Montana--in short, the period was so full of change that a report on it must be received in the superlative degree of extremes only.

There was a green house with a front porch on the valley floor in Montana; there was a blue house with a back deck on the Allegany Plateau in New York. In both states it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the Yates household that things in general were about to change forever.

It was the year of our Lord two thousand and nine. Here we abandon Dickens since we are not detailing the bloody battle of two nations but merely the great changes in the Yates household over the past year (and because literary juices have been exhausted).

Lasts:
Last job interview for Rebekah (the interviews started in November 2008)
Last Easter picnic in Missoula
Last semester as a TA for Rebekah
Last semester as a student for Rebekah
Last six months in our first house
Last ride up Going to the Sun Road as Montana residents
Last degree completed for Rebekah
Last bike commute to school

Firsts:
First climb up to the M with the Johnson family plus the Yates parents
First time selling a house
First moving trip across the country
First time buying a house before seeing it
First semester as a full-time professor for Rebekah
First time living in a ski-in, ski-out house
First time living less than four hours from her sister for Rebekah since 1996
First walking commute to school
First anniversary divisible by five
First cross-country moving trip for Möbius (the cat)

In this year of many lasts and many firsts, we are grateful for the love and help of friends and family and the constancy of our God. While this is clearly not our first time celebrating the miracle of the Incarnation, we pray that we and you will again be awed by the wonder of God become human, dwelling among us, that we may see His Glory.

Merry Christmas!

Note: This post is still subject to editing and picture additions, but we're publishing it now so we can still call it a Christmas blog.