2003

Season’s Greetings

Well, it’s that time again to update everyone on the going’s on of the Norton family…we hope that you and yours are safe and well and avoiding that nasty flu bug. We have had quite an amazing year filled with work, play, travels, but most importantly watching our little monkey, I mean daughter, grow! She is fourteen months old now, with lots of strawberry red hair, pierced ears, walking and talking, laughing and crying, and in general being the world’s cutest baby. I know, you’re hoping this isn’t going to be one of those annoying holiday letters where the parents dote on their children, but c’mon, it’s our first! Her repertoire of words is extensive now, including ball, bug, boy, book, bird (yeah, we only have the letter “B” Lamaze book!), but she also says momma, dada, gaga, nene, and our favorite: panda. 

This year started off with a bit of a scare. My mom, who is Mahalia’s nanny, and lives above us in our apt. building, had to have emergency surgery. We all pulled together, and lots of family and friends pitched in to help watch Mahalia while my mom recovered. God is good and mom healed quickly…but I learned, it truly does take a village to raise a child. Having my mom sick made me realize even more how important she is to us. It has been such a gift to have her here in Chicago with us, seeing her interact with Mahalia, helping us in any way she can, and teaching Mahalia her first curse word!

Billy continued his work this year teaching high school in the Chicago Public system for a small school called Best Practice. He has taught freshmen English and reading and often comes home to regale us with entertaining quotes from his students’ papers. Not mocking mind you, simply pointing out some of the more creative spelling and grammar of today’s youth. I went back to work after my maternity leave part-time, still at the Jesuit high school doing social work. The part-time work has enabled me to keep plugging away at my PhD program in clinical social work, which at times seems like a colossal waste of time, and at other times seems like it will open a lot of doors for me in the future.

Our year was filled with travel… to Wisconsin for the xx ski ½ marathon, Indiana, New York, and DC to visit friends and family. When we were in NY in May, we gathered with family and friends for a Christian dedication, a ceremony in which we presented Mahalia to God and publicly named her godparents. We also did a dedication ceremony with my family earlier in the year, and felt that both gave us the opportunity to consider the more spiritual aspects of our lives together as a family.

In the summer, Billy and I both got back in the field briefly working for Outward Bound again, and in total, we were at base camp in the amazing Northwoods of Minnesota for a month. Afterwards, we decided we’d do something really crazy, so we flew from MN to Denver, rented a car and drove from Denver to LA and back over the course of three weeks. We bought this HUGE tent from Costco and stuck Mahalia in her pack-n-play in one “wing” of the tent. We weathered rain, lightning, heat, cold, visited 8 National Parks, but also treated ourselves to some cheap and air-conditioned hotel rooms, and a lovely B&B in Taos. We fell in love with the desert southwest and hold the trip as one of our most special memories. Mahalia handled traveling really well, sleeping in the car and in the tent pretty well. She mostly loved playing in the dirt, with rocks and sticks and flowers, and sitting in the Virgin River in Zion NP. The apple does not fall far from the tree.

As you can see, while summer in Chicago is certainly better than winter in Chicago, we choose to get the hell outta dodge and get some peace and perspective. We have certainly needed that this year, as we have been going NON-STOP. We went to two great weddings in September, had family visits in October for Mahalia’s one year party and Billy’s second marathon (!!), and then traveled to Vancouver and New York in November. Billy and I presented at a conference for experiential/outdoor education and therapy. We got to talk about the work we do for Outward Bound, and were really honored to do this and meet a lot of great people. Vancouver is also my new favorite city, and if George Bush gets elected again, I am thinking about becoming Canadian (although Mahalia would end up talking funny). Sorry to get political, but we are planning on being more active in this upcoming election season, and hope to see some positive political change in our blessed nation.

We have been attending a wonderful, socially active church and trying to be more prayerful and centered about our lives, which often means SLOWING DOWN, a tough task with a 1+ year old. Still, we have found this year of adventure to have put us deeply in touch with our gratitude…for family and friends, for God’s beautiful earth, for meaningful work and good health which enables us to do that work. We are constantly aware of and amazed by the amount of suffering in the world, and we hope to both enjoy the world and help save it!  Thank all of you for the gift you are in our lives…and yes, as I’m sure you figured out by now, Christine wrote this year’s holiday letter…far too sappy, far too long, and far too small of font to be from Billy.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Happy New Year.

We love you, Billy, Christine and Mahalia