Christmas letter 2010

Dear Friends and Family-

Well, God has continued to keep us on our toes for yet another year! Those of you who’ve read our past three Christmas letters know that we haven’t had a ‘slow’ period in our married life yet! Our 2007 letter was all about blessings and how grateful we were for all He’d provided—graduations, promotions, 1st home, marriage, travel, etc. And then our 2008 letter was about wondering where He was taking us as all the blessings seemed to be disappearing—unemployment, selling our house, and relocating to Texas.

Last year’s letter (2009) was proof that we had come through the darkness and back into the light—we’d bought a new house (our 2nd), both had jobs, Sena had finally gotten some health concerns resolved, we were able to take some amazing vacations (thanks KSA for the free flights to Ireland!), and we bought a dog (Georgia Mae). Life seemed as though we were finally ‘hitting our stride’ and we hoped that we’d be bored for the first time in our marriage--we wanted time to be spontaneous, to sit on our new front porch together, to enjoy family and old as well as new-found friends, to enjoy our neighborhood pool, etc. God, however, had other plans! In early 2010, we discovered Sena was pregnant! So what we hoped would be an easy, relaxed, bored year—sprinkled with lots of traveling—became the year of Preparing for Little Spofford.

While the pregnancy went well (as in, no complications or issues), Sena was SUPER sick throughout most of the beginning which made life with a new puppy while still working downtown at El Centro College incredibly difficult. At the end of spring semester, she was informed that there would no longer be a teaching position available for her (they were restructuring), and while angry at first, she’s been grateful to God for closing that door since about mid-summer. Once Austin was born, she switched careers from Stay at Home Wife to Stay at Home Mom (aka C.O.O.), and is loving it so far! Talk about change—three different positions in a single year!

Seth is still working at Michaels and thoroughly enjoys using his skill sets to help the company improve its operations in a variety of ways. It suits him well to be able to creatively problem solve different situations the stores might be facing all while getting to use an Excel spreadsheet to prove his point. ;-)

And while we didn’t get to take some of the big trips we’d hope to take (think: rented cabin on a beach somewhere by the ocean, New Zealand, long weekend to Seattle, trip with friends to Charleston, etc.), we did manage to spend time together doing a 9-day road trip in which we got to see some of OK, KS, CO, NM, and west TX. It was a great time, and since the theme of the vacation was relaxation as well as the fact that we were off-season, we got to spoil ourselves on some really nice hotels! We even went for a hot air balloon ride in CO!! Then, over Labor Day weekend, we drove down to Fredericksburg, TX (a quaint little town in southern Texas which is full of fun shops) for a one-night getaway. Thanks again to Seth’s job, we got to have a fairly cheap trip as he had hotel points to use, and so our hotel stay (and breakfast) was free!

We continue to love our church, our Sunday school class, our neighborhood, our house, our dog… our married life together. Both of us continue to be active in our surroundings—Sena’s involved in the neighborhood’s organization, we’re the Welcome Team co-chairs in our Sunday school class, Seth’s active in our neighborhood’s Crime Watch organization—as Block Captain and doing patrols, Sena participates in a monthly Book Club, and we both enjoyed our neighborhood’s pool again. Besides spending our time in all of these ways, we were busy prepping for Austin’s arrival which involved lots of time and gallons of paint!

The past year might not have been the bored, slow-paced life we had imagined, but it’s been wonderful just the same. God continues to show us that our life together is going to be one fun-filled adventure after another, we know He’s guiding our path every step of the way, and we wouldn’t change a thing! (But, is it selfish to hope for one year to go by without some major life change? ;-)

Merry Christmas and God Bless!!!

Medical Resolutions

The name of this post might be a little misleading. ... I simply mean that Seth and I have both had some medical issues resolved recently, but typing that as a heading didn't seem witty enough. :-)

Ok.. Seth first. For as long as I can remember, he had this semi-strange looking mole on his neck. I never thought much about it until the last couple years or so when Glamour kept doing stories on moles, cancer, and what to look for. Well, this particular mole was 2-tone, and wasn't round. According the the Glamour articles, these are two signs to watch for, so I mentioned to Seth that he should probably get it looked at. We discussed it fairly infrequently over the last year+, and then last spring his uncle said something about it.

We were at a family birthday celebration, and Seth was sitting on the floor (playing jungle gym with the kiddos, as usual) when his uncle (who was sitting on the couch behind him), made a specific mention of this particular mole by pointing to it and saying "You oughta get that mole checked out." (I'm not certain, but I believe this uncle has had his share of mole removal for cancer scare purposes, and well, frankly, he's the kind of guy who doesn't say something unless he's serious, so regardless of his experience, I launched into Further Pressure Mode.)

So, this summer, Seth finally had a physical for the first time in about 5 years. He's not generally ill, and hasn't had any specific complaints during that time, so he wasn't willing to sacrifice the time and effort to go. Well, upon getting pressure from not only me, but his uncle too, he made an appointment. The Dr (a family doc) recommended he see a dermatologist about the mole, and referred him. (And, as expected, the rest of his physical was perfectly normal. :-)

He went to the dermatologist for an Allover Mole Check appointment. She immediately removed the mole from his neck as well as one from his back and sent them both to 'the lab.' I was both saddened and thrilled with this news. I was saddened because I had encouraged him to make this appointment and he left shy of some skin and several hundred dollars (so, I felt like Great, what have I done to my husband!?).  The back one came back fine, but the neck one came back "Pre-C-word." This made me even more glad he'd had the appointment, but I was now facing some fear because they wanted to take more of his neck's skin as a result.

He went back this past Monday for the second appointment, and they performed his neck surgery. We had been jokingly calling it his "Neck Hacking" appointment, but all humor left the situation when he came home with a swollen incision about 2.5 inches long and a bit bruised and woozy. So, if you see him in the near future and wonder about the huge bandage on his neck, don't ask to see what's underneath. He goes Monday to have the stitches removed. I believe that all things Seth-mole-related are finished now and that taking the extra skin was just a precaution and that the Dr. considers this case closed. Thank God!

Now onto me. ... I asked for prayer regarding my medical situation last week, but was intentionally vague about it. A lot of faraway family and friends read my posts and though I was worried enough to ask for prayer, didn't want to broadcast news until I felt like I had news to broadcast. Hopefully that makes sense. And I haven't posted an update since then, because I felt certain family members needed to hear it directly from me, and not passed from one family member to another from what they'd read on Facebook.

Anyways... So, for as long as I can remember, I've experienced what felt like a double-beat to my heart. It's like: beat, beat, beatbeat, beat, beat, beat. It wasn't very often, and never caused any problems other than my needing to catch my breath directly afterwards. I mean, this happened so infrequently (like once a year or something) that I'd never mentioned it to any Dr. Ever. I think I might have only ever told 2 people about this, period, because it just seemed so insignificant. Seemed (past tense) being the key word here...

Over the last few months, it had been increasing in frequency to the point where it was happening several times a week, and leaving me more out of breath than 'usual.' Part of the increasing difficulty to catch my breath is obviously because my lungs are being squished from the inside, and I assumed that the increase of the double-beat was also related to pregnancy. One night while laying on my left side (which they recommend for pregnant women), it happened and it took me so long to recover that Seth told me I had to mention it to my OB.

I mentioned it to her at my next appointment by saying that I was fearful I hadn't been completely honest with her about my medical history, and that there's something I need to talk with her about. I tell her basically what you've just read and her immediate response is that she's going to refer me to a cardiologist. So, my non-routine appointment last week was with this cardiologist. (Before I go on, I must mention how perfeclty wonderful this Dr. and his staff were to me. If anyone in DFW needs a referral to a heart guy, this guy was AMAZING!)

So, I get there, and they do an EKG (which was a much-less complicated test than I imagined it would be). The Dr. comes in and says "You're too young to be here, what seems to be the problem?" I explain the increased double-beating, and he starts going over a laundry list with me of things it could be. Genetic this, genetic that, this other thing, and oh, unlikely but there's this to look for too, etc. He pulls out the results of my EKG (several squiggly lines on a piece of paper), and points to all these different parts of it which assure him that I don't have this or that or this other thing. "This is very good news!" I'm thinking. He then says that there's one more thing he'd like to check for and wants to know if I have time for an ultrasound. "Just like your other Dr. does, but I'll be aiming a bit higher up" he says. (Told you he was great!) But then I'm thinking "Oh, not so great news."

So, I'm swooped off to the sonogram station, and the tech does all sorts of angles, getting all sorts of measurements and readings and whatnot. I'm sore from laying on the funny bed thing (it had a part where the bed gives way so she can get to the left side of your body while laying on your left side. if that makes any sense..), but otherwise feeling perfectly fine. I'm then escorted back to my room, and he quickly comes in to go over the results. It's again more of this is fine, and this is perfect, and this is exactly how it should be, etc. So, I'm wondering... where does that leave me? What's causing the double-beat thingie that I experience?

He flips over my results and starts to draw what he calls 'the crudest drawing of a heart ever' (but it was actually oblong like an actual heart, not like the love kind of heart, so that seems like a great drawing to me!). He explains that there's this part of the heart responsible for directing the heart (like a conductor of an orchestra, he says) telling the heart when to beat, and keeps everything on schedule. This is called something-node. And he explains that sometimes another part of the heart can put out a half-beat in between the regularly-scheduled beats and this is what I'm experiencing. It's called PVCs--premature ventricular contractions. Because this little half-beat is off schedule and not full-strength, I experience the shortness of breath.

He assures me that there is 1) nothing to worry about and 2) it will likely subside to pre-pregnancy frequency post delivery (it's just that my body has more strain on it in general that's causing it to happen more often) and that 3) if I'm ever annoyed enough by it to want to do something, he can prescribe 'an old beta blocker' that will clear it up. I'm glad to know that my heart is perfectly normal, and I assure him it's not annoying enough to want to take medicine for; I'm simply glad to hear there's not something really wrong with me. He promises that it's not going to lead to increased risk of heart attack or stroke or any other such thing, so I feel MUCH better about the whole thing. I do look forward to it going back to pre-pregnancy frequency, though!

Christmas letter 2009

Dear Friends and Family

Wow, what a year! We know that’s probably a common way to start the annual “Christmas Letter,” but it’s really true for us, we promise! As those of you who received our 2008 Christmas letter know, the last couple years have been in pretty stark contrast with one another. Our 2007 letter was all about our graduations and promotions and marriage and house buying—all very positive things and we were feeling extremely blessed. When we sent our 2008 letters, though, we were in the midst of moving to Texas; we had lost jobs, were selling our house, Sena was job searching, and the immediate future was really uncertain. Life has continued to be a bit unpredictable, but God is in all things, and we have faith that our married life journey has been and will continue to be at His hand and nothing else.

After moving to Texas on Christmas Eve 2008, we lived with Seth’s parents for four months. Living with Kim and David was really quite fun. It was almost like being in college again—there was almost always someone home to hang out with and dinners were ‘fuller.’ Sena grew particularly attached to their cat, Tilly, and almost took her home when we moved out. But, reason won out, and her allergies convinced her that it was a bad idea.

We were house hunting all over DFW almost every weekend, and it took 4 months and one bailed attempt at a house before we finally settled on our current house in Northwest Dallas which is about 15 minutes from Seth’s work. It’s less than 100 yards from a park which is something Sena had really hoped for and has some of the fun, 50s charm that Seth likes so well. It wasn’t exactly move-in ready like our last house, but we’ve spent the last 7 months updating, remodeling, and making it our own, and we’re proud to call it home.

Seth has been with Michaels Arts & Crafts for over a year now and is pleased with his role there. Sena is glad to have him home more--he’s traveling less with this position, and Seth enjoys working to make Michaels a favorite place to shop. Oh, and they are both happy to have the employee discount as it has been one of Sena’s favorite stores for years! Sena searched for a job for 4 months, and after tons of submitted resumes, and several interviews, she landed a job at El Centro Community College in downtown Dallas. Over the past 7 months, she has coordinated a grant-funded program helping under-served high school graduates as well as serving as Adjunct Faculty. She teaches what they call Human Development 1310, but it would more accurately described as Ways to Be a Mature Adult 100 and Sena loves it! Starting in January 2010, though, she’ll be making a switch to sole Adjunct Faculty status which will mean fewer hours on campus, and getting to do exclusively the piece of her job that she loves to do.

In March 2009, the immediate Spofford family (David/Kim, Seth/Sena, and Spencer/Cheryl and three kids) travelled to San Antonio together for a long weekend. It was a great time! Sena was most excited about Sea World as she’d never been to one before, and Seth always enjoys the opportunity to get out of town, and this was with his entire immediate family! One of the most exciting things of 2009 for us, though, has definitely been our 9-day trip to Ireland. We flew through Atlanta which allowed us a wonderful dinner with friends we hadn’t seen in quite some time--it was the perfect way to start our trip. The vacation was amazing in and of itself too—Seth enjoyed seeing all of Sena’s old stomping grounds as well as getting to explore new places together. Both vacations were a blast!

In the midst of all of this, we have found a great new church in Irving near Seth’s work. We are involved in a young marrieds class called Crossroads and have connected with old and new friends there. This, combined with nearby family, as well as getting involved in our new neighborhood (Sena recently planned their community’s Fall Festival) has kept us busy and helped us to connect socially in our new place. Life is pretty much back to ‘normal.’

The most recent update to the Seth & Sena household is the addition of our Labradoodle puppy, Georgia Mae. She was born September 15, 2009, and we brought her home the day before Thanksgiving. She’s a spunky, yet sweet cuddle muffin that melts the hearts of everyone who meets her. We named her Georgia because even though we’re enjoying our new life in Texas, we will always miss the state where we were engaged, married, and were first-time home owners. And this way, we can keep Georgia on our minds and in our hearts for years to come.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Words for Me (or for Others)?

I heard this song on my way home from work yesterday. The words reminded me of so many. So many friends who are going through hard times right now. Lay offs/unemployment, selling houses, hostile work environments, missing family, living with friends/family, and the list goes on and on. I started crying at the rush of thoughts. I cried harder and harder as the song went on. Just thinking of one friend after another about whom I thought: "They need to hear this song!" Friends who need to know that God is with them and stronger than anything they're going through. And who need to know that I'm here to help whenever they need it.

And just as I was nearing my last turn, and the last verse, it hit me. "I know cause I've been there." While I had been thinking about sending it to friends who I thought needed to hear it, they would probably have thought the same thing about me if they'd heard the song a year ago. And the floodgates were so open now, that I had a hard time finding my driveway. If anyone could have used this song in the past 12+ months, people know it was S&S Spofford. And that humbled me. Here I was feeling others' pain and wanting to comfort them. And they had been comforting me only a short time ago. How ironic it felt to be the giver when so recently I could do nothing but receive.

So, I post this with the grace and humility and peace and thankful heart that one has knowing what they've been through in the last year. Some people are still in that 'year.' And for those people, I have one thing to say "This one's for you."

link to a video of them singing it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8UpaifPbqI

lyrics:
The Words I Would Say

Three in the morning, and I’m still awake
So I picked up a pen and a page
And I started writing just what I’d say
If we were face to face

I’d tell you just what you mean to me
Tell you these simple truths

CHORUS
Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You’re gonna do great things
I already know
God’s got His hand on You
So don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say

Last time we spoke you said you were hurting
And I felt your pain in my heart
I want to tell you that I keep on praying
That love will find you where you are

I know cause I’ve already been there
So please hear these simple truths

CHORUS

Say… from one simple life to another
I will say… come find peace in the Father

Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You’re gonna do great things
I already know
God’s got His hand on You
So don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don’t forget why you’re here

Take your time and pray
And thank God for each day
His love will find a way
These are the words I would say

There's Been a Change in "Fall"

So, I think I have a new favorite season. Fall. I never used to like fall, though. Actually, I probably dreaded it the way you dread going to the dentist when you know you have a cavity. The expectation of what will soon occur might even turn your stomach. That's how I always felt about fall.

But now, I LOVE fall. I wait all summer for fall to get here. I count down the days until I can put up the fall wreath that I love so much. I wait anxiously to go buy my Thanksgiving centerpiece and start planning the table tags I'll make. I start burning pumpkin spice candles way before you probably should, but I just can't help myself. I daydream about corn mazes and hayrides and pumpkin patches. (Which makes me giggle right now thinking about the pumpkin Seth bought me for our step last year--the one that was about 2 inches high. He thought he was SO funny. And he was right.) And then I remember him taking me to the patch and getting to pick out our real pumpkin. I remember the corn maze trips with friends which always seemed to turn out fabulous pictures. And the restaurant we eat at beforehand that has the greasy, yummy, southern food. I remember the Thanksgivings spent with friends across our 'friend spectrum.' I remember watching football while laying in the sun that poured onto our couch through the window in the old house. I miss the GT games. And the GT tailgating parties. I miss hearing the whistle of intramural football on the SAC fields. I think about HAC retreats and miss working like that with students. Especially GT students.

Don't get me wrong, I like summer. I like our neighborhood pool. I like the smell of fresh-cut grass. I like the highlights my hair gets after being in the sun. But, none of these things seems to measure up to my fall loves.

I guess this is the difference between living in the north and living in the south, right!? I mean, here, summer is the season that's a little challenging to deal with, and up there, winter is the challenging season. As the attached picture can attest, it is COLD where I'm from. I 'borrowed' this picture from a friend of mine who posted it on his Facebook page. (Thanks, Scott!)

But then, this year, I find myself feeling a little sad about fall. I don't know any corn mazes around here. I don't know where the pumpkin patches are. I want some yummy, small-southern-town food and don't know where to get some. I want to cram as many of us in a car as possible to make the drive. I want the three engineers to put their heads together to help us figure out how to get out of the maze. I want to go to a haunted barn and hold the hands of my friends so hard that we leave imprints on each other. I want to take silly pictures in front of the corn and know that we'll all look great because we always do. I want to lay on my couch in the sun. I want to go on a HAC retreat. But, sadly, all these people are 800 miles away. There will be no engineers in the corn maze, no AM/M hay ride photo, no corn posing, no haunted barn while squeezing each others hands, no Thanksgivings with a random group of great friends, and no GT anything.

I guess I'll have to rely on my pumpkin spice candles, wreath, and my centerpiece to get me through this year. (Yes, I already bought my Thanksgiving centerpiece.) They'll have to get me through until I find new things about fall in Dallas that I enjoy. That's the hardest part about moving from a place you love. You have to find new things that you enjoy, and it seems like nothing can ever compare to your first love.

"Oh, Atlanta, I hear you calling, I'm coming back to you one fine day." Well, at least I hope so.

The temperature at a bank in my hometown in the middle of a WI winter. That's not with windchill, that's the real temperature.