Joy and Peace in 2012!

A belated Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year!

The holiday was filled with the usual joyful chaos of the season—making last minute lists, braving the stores, cooking and baking up a storm, wrapping presents, and eating and drinking way too much. We spent Christmas in Texas this year, and though it wasn't a white Christmas, it was peaceful to be at home, and decorate the house with light and love!

Now, it’s New Years--a time to reflect back on our blessings and adventures and look forward to new experiences together. I hope you’ll take a second to wade through a year in review with the Nortons, not to be confused with Dave Barry’s year in review, which is undoubtedly much funnier.

We began 2011 in NYC spending time with Billy's family. After returning from NYC, we went back to work and school, resuming the busy routines and schedules we somehow keep. January brought a wonderful visit from my dad and his wife, Elizabeth, and we all visited the Texas State History Museum in which we were indoctrinated into the legends and traditions of this big state. As Steinbeck once wrote, "Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word." Don't worry--we don't want to secede, nor have we purchased giant Texas shaped belt buckles (though I will say that living in Texas seems to have had a profound impact on Will).


We do, however, appreciate all of the visits from family this year, as it helped us stay connected, despite living in what sometimes feels like no man's land.

Granddad and Elizabeth at the Texas State History Museum

Titi Dee, Uncle George and Najla at Aquarena Springs

Hanging out with Granddad at Canyon Lake, TX

Uncle Andrew and Aunt Brie at the Riverwalk in San Antonio

Grandpa and Abuelita on New Year's Eve

There are a lot of things we enjoy about living in Central Texas. While we miss discrete seasons, we did manage to get snow this winter, though those of you who live in states with real snow would've laughed to know that one inch of snow shut down the schools for an entire day! Still, when you live in a drought-ridden place, any precipitation is a good thing!


I continued on the tenure track as an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Texas State University-San Marcos and stayed busy writing and researching in the areas of adventure therapy, ecopsychology and social work. In addition, I wrote and was awarded a $90,000 grant to help expand and evaluate our support services for Texas State students who aged out of the foster care system. This year I also traveled for work to several professional conferences and research forums, and was able to reconnect with wonderful friends in New Hampshire, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Jacksonville. Finally, I continued my work as a Graduate Mentor with Prescott College's Adventure Based Psychotherapy and Ecopsychology programs, allowing me the opportunity to travel to Prescott and work with students specifically in these areas in which I am very passionate. Here I am hard at work on my fall trip to New Hampshire! :)


Those of you who know me, know that I pour a lot of myself into my work. I continue to enjoy teaching and feel honored to mentor my students. I am deeply engaged in my areas of scholarship, and I am also committed to serve the organizations that nurture me professionally, like the Association for Experiential Education, Outward Bound and the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Research Cooperative. Still, I never want my work to be a distraction from my family, but rather hope that "because I have work to care about, it is possible that I may be less difficult to get along with than other women when the double chins start to form." (Gloria Steinem) Ha!

In order to maintain a semblance of work/life balance, I have continued to have fun adventures which included an urban adventure race, three sprint triathlons (one that Mahalia and I did together!) and a 1/2 marathon! It's amazing to me how pushing my body keeps my mind clear and my soul at rest.






Of course, Billy and I also spent some wonderful time outside with the kids--hiking, climbing, camping, and skiing. Most of all, though, 2011 was the year of the road trip. We enjoyed wild Texas during spring break at Canyon of the Eagles in the Highland Lakes region of Texas. In July, packed in our minivan, we braved 22 states in 29 days and were blessed to visit some of our favorite places and reconnect with so many of you! The main part of our trip included spending a week with Billy's family at Long Beach Island on the Jersey Shore celebrating his parents' 40th wedding anniversary! We also packed in the minivan again at Thanksgiving, driving 17 hours (each way) to Colorado to see friends and family! I say, the family that road trips together, stays together!

Climbing at Enchanted Rock State Park

Vanishing Texas River Cruise, Canyon of the Eagles, Texas

Guadalupe State Park, TX

Long Beach Island, NJ

Skiing at Loveland, Colorado

In the midst of all of our adventures, Billy stayed busy teaching at Hays High School. He taught sophomore English (the most noble of all) and a teen leadership class in which he uses experiential education to foster life skills and build community. He is loved by his students and they seem to really take his lessons to heart, especially when he teaches Orwell's 1984. Notice the art work by one of his students...a striking resemblance, no?

This year, Billy also had the opportunity to present professional development workshops to faculty and was more involved in curriculum development as well. Though he doesn't yet have administrative ambitions in public education, his leadership and skill set is being recognized more in his district. Billy is also the faculty sponsor for the Hays High School Ultimate Frisbee Club (no shock there!) and the Gay/Straight Alliance, no small feat in a fairly conservative school district! The students who don't always 'fit' in the traditional, big Texas high school setting, seem to gravitate to Billy--somehow sensing he was once one of them. :) Along with work, Billy continued running, and finished the Austin Marathon in February! He also enjoyed time climbing, hiking and birding with the kids.

Austin Marathon Start!

Hiking at Canyon of the Eagles, TX

Climbing at Enchanted Rock State Park

Most of all, Billy is a loving and devoted husband, father, and uncle...whether dressing up in 'futuristic' garb for the Girl Scout Daddy/Daughter dance, visiting his new niece upon her birth, or going out on 'date nights' with me, he is always supports our family and keeps everyone grounded and grateful.

Getting ready to leave for the Girl Scout Daddy/Daughter Dance!

Uncle Billy with Baby Zeina

Date Night!

Mahalia is in 4th grade and turned 9 (!) this year. She has a zest for life, shown by her playfulness, wit, intellect and love of adventure. This picture says it all...

Mahalia stayed busy this year with soccer practice, games and tournaments! She played academy soccer in the spring, and rec soccer in the fall; though she finally decided in the end that soccer is not for her. We were proud of her efforts and perseverance (though relieved not to have to be soccer parents anymore)! :)

Along with soccer, Mahalia took up dance and theater, and has decided that she would like to attend the Juilliard School and study acting after high school. Hilarious that a nine year old could have that much clarity, but it will not surprise me if this is actually the path she pursues. She can be quite determined (understatement). Whether cooking new recipes while playing Chopped, performing messy science experiments in the house, figuring out how to do math problems in her head or staying up late to finish reading a big book, she amazes me with her focus and tenacity! Here are some pictures of a few of her 2011 adventures...

Bridging from a Brownie to a Junior in Girl Scouts

Finishing the swim during her first triathlon!

Celebrating her performance as Berlioz in the Aristocats at theater camp

Boogie boarding at Long Beach Island, NJ

Horseback riding in Manchaca, TX

At the Alamodome to see Katy Perry in concert

Will is in 1st grade and turned 7 this year! He is becoming a terrific reader and loves getting outside riding his bike, skateboard or scooter or playing war games with the neighborhood boys! Will does Tae Kwon Do and loves practicing his kicks and punches in the living room--often narrowly avoiding his baby sister's head!

Will absolutely loves nature and went camping with me at Guadalupe State Park this summer. He has also taken to bird watching with his dad. He even got a bird book and binoculars for his 7th birthday. They go around the lakes in Plum Creek or to local trails, and he is getting quite good at identifying birds that we see!


Will also attended basketball camp at Texas State this summer, gearing up for this winter's season. Though still growing, he is scrappy, and is developing a love of the game. Could a parent ask for more?! :)

Will is a kind boy who is very curious about the world. He has a lot of insight about human suffering and fairness (though he will be the first to rip a toy out of his baby sister's hands)! Ah, the paradoxes of human nature. Much like his sister, he is happiest outside, climbing trees, playing and finding adventure. Here are some special moments of Will's year!

Rock climbing at Enchanted Rock State Park

Enjoying the climbing wall with Mahalia at Mid-South AEE conference

Canoeing with dad in the BWCAW

Tree climbing in the neighborhood

Wendell Jane is now 18 months old and into EVERYTHING. Good lord! She is that child who must stick her finger in the light socket and put stuff in her mouth--rocks, cat food, dirt, you name it! :) She is curious beyond measure and loves being outside and climbing things like her big brother and sister. She has mastered the art of the shrill 'death scream' but also delightfully sings her ABCs, Elmo's World and the Barney theme song. She loves her big sister and big brother and is also tormented by them. Here are some photos from 2011 that seem to capture her essence...amazing how young one's 'essence' emerges, eh?

Future Princeton Tiger?

Hipster
Mischief!

Play time!

Exploring nature in the BWCAW

Enjoying the sand at Long Beach Island, NJ

At Mi Tierra in San Antonio

On the slide at Will's birthday party!

Our big girl at Christmastime!

Finally, our holiday update would not be complete without news of Gadie (my mom's grandma nickname)! She continues to live with us and help us with the kids, laundry, cooking, cleaning, and life in general. As we have said over and over, "Everybody needs a Gadie!" More than that, however, she remains one of our best friends, and we love sharing adventures with her too!

In a blizzard in Central Park

On the porch with Will & Mahalia

Giving Wendell a bath in the sink!

Relaxing with Wendell at Cypress Creek

It's obvious that we have much to be grateful for...most of all, one another, our health, good jobs, quality education and healthcare for our children, and the basics, like food and shelter, that so many people do not have, especially in this very tough economy. In the midst of much turmoil, war and activism in the world this year, we have tried to do good in our own small corner. We have tried to role model caring for the world in our work, our volunteerism, our involvement in our church and by taking care of one another. Still, it feels we fall short and lose perspective so easily at times. It also feels like the problems of the world are insurmountable. It is here that we turn to our faith and those things that inspire us. And this leads me to Harry Potter...

While this was the year of the road trip, it was also the year of Harry Potter. On our travels, we read books 1-3 and then spent the fall reading books 4-7 (and watching all of the movies). It was time well spent as a family and led us on a journey about friendship, adventure, bravery, purpose and above all, love. The kids, of course, took on the personas of Harry and Hermione for Halloween (note that Wendell is a unicorn, the purest of all creatures).

As a family, the amazing stories, places and tales embedded in the Harry Potter books have become part of our lexicon, and we are reminded of the words of Albus Dumbledore this holiday season and always: "Do not pity the dead. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love." This is indeed a hard world we live in, but we have an Eternal example of love given to us this Christmas and always, and we have no other alternative than to follow that example of love-- Christ's example of love--forever. Even in the face of suffering and fear. It is our hope.

We love you and wish you joy and peace in 2012. You also inspire us...

With love,
Christine, Billy, Mahalia, Will, & Wendell Norton

Happy New Year!!

Though we know most of you would be just fine if the holidays passed without getting another long year-end update, we wanted to take the time to send our love and greetings in the usual Norton fashion--reflective, uplifting, and hopefully not too long-winded! Better late than never, I say...

It's not surprising that this year's holiday letter is somewhat belated, given the craziness of 2010. What a year it has been! First and foremost, we give thanks for the birth of our new baby girl, Wendell Jane, born on 7/7. Named after writer and agrarian philosopher Wendell Berry and my departed grandmother Jane Lynn, she is truly our little "surprise blessing!" She has rocked our world in more ways than one and we delight in her big blue eyes and toothless belly laugh and smile!



The first part of 2010 was spent adjusting to the pregnancy and working hard to get the house ready. My mom moved downstairs, the kids moved upstairs, and we added a crib to the guestroom. Once again, we experienced the generosity of so many friends, family and co-workers who chipped in to help us replace all of the baby "stuff" we'd gotten rid of some time ago! The second half of the year was spent convincing ourselves that sleep is overrated and trying to figure out where to put all of the new "stuff!"

I celebrated the big "40" this year and was delighted 1) to have had Baby Wendell when I was 39 (after all, "I'd rather be 40 than pregnant!") and 2) to have family and friends join me for a perfect wine country tour in the Texas Hill Country! The day was complete with a picnic lunch, wine tastings galore and even a grape stomp!



I continued in my second year on the tenure track as an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Texas State. I have grown to love teaching even more, especially as I begin to teach returning students in our MSW program that I taught in undergrad. I have formed really meaningful relationships with my students and feel such a sense of satisfaction in playing a role in their personal and professional development. I also edited and co-wrote a book called "Innovative Interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health" (available on Amazon--hint, hint) and was awarded the Dean's Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Activities. This was a huge honor and enabled me to "suspend the tenure clock" for the 2010-11 school year due to the new baby.

Work opportunities have opened other doors as well, and I have been able to write, travel and present at numerous conferences in LaJolla, Memphis, Portland (OR), Las Vegas and Houston. I also got to travel back to Northern Minnesota to do some consulting for Outward Bound's youth-at-risk programs. As always, my travels offered exciting adventures in amazing places, networking opportunities and a chance to recharge my batteries and reconnect with old friends. Baby Wendell was my traveling partner this fall and has so far visited 8 states in her first six months! Here I am pregnant with Wendell on the beach in LaJolla...


And another favorite of me and Wendell hiking at Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge...


And finally, one of my and Billy from Hoover Dam outside of Vegas...


Speaking of Billy, his year has been very full as well (work, 'new' dad, sleep deprivation, and all that!). He continues to teach sophomore English at Hays High School, as well as a Teen Leadership class where he has mastered the art of community building via experiential education and group work! His students are transformed by the relationships he builds with them and inspired by the combination of his critical thinking and playfulness...whether challenging them in the classroom or on the ultimate field, Billy continues to empower his students to fully engage in LIFE! One week he was playing ultimate ("for educational purposes," he claims) and was playing while carrying a cup of coffee. A student threw a leading pass and instinctively, Billy tossed his coffee to the ground and laid out for the disc. One of his students took the time to capture this moment on his ipad. To me, it speaks volumes to Billy's influence as an amazing teacher!


Along with teaching, Billy has also been active in curriculum planning and professional development. He has facilitated some teacher trainings and also participated in the Central Texas Writer's Project at Texas State. During the entire month of June, Billy was a student again, sharing his writing, critiquing others writing and reflecting on the role of writing in his classroom. Billy then presented on using writing as an experiential activity in his classroom at the Association for Experiential Education's International Conference in Las Vegas this year (the reason we BOTH got to travel there!). Billy has also been working with some faculty at Texas State on multicultural education initiatives in the Texas public school system, something that is desperately needed (some of you may have followed the 'textbook wars' that took place here this year!). Currently, Billy is training for the Austin marathon in 2012 and ran 17 miles in Central Park when we were back in NY for Christmas! Running, birding and being a dad are Billy's true loves...


Mahalia is now 8 years old and in 3rd grade (going on 25!). She loves school, especially science, math and art, and has also become quite the reader with the Lemony Snicket and Narnia books being some of her favorites. Mahalia is a really active kid-- she gave basketball a shot this year, but seems to have found more of a niche playing soccer. She was invited to play on an academy team this year, and after her first practice, sweaty and tired she proclaimed, "I want to do that because it is SO hard!" She practices twice a week with games on the weekends, which makes Billy and I (gulp) soccer parents. While we do scream and yell from the sidelines, we try not to do so aka Bobby Knight (sorry, don't know any soccer references!). Here's a picture of Mahalia and her Granddad enjoying a well-deserved cupcake post tournament!



Mahalia is in her second year of Brownies and enjoys camp the most (yeah!)--so much so that for her 8th birthday party, she asked for a backyard camp-out! We had 7 girls spend the night in our giant Costco tent in the yard and had s'mores in lieu of a cake! Mahalia also exercised her creative side this year, attending several theater camps, taking violin lessons and singing and dancing in several school performances. The sound of her squeaking violin combined with the screaming baby are driving me to drink but I'm proud of her for trying new things and I love helping her channel her flair for the dramatic into positive outlets! :)

Our little Will is growing up too! He is six and started Kindergarten this year. He and Mahalia are best friends and still share bunk beds, but their relationship definitely has its love/hate moments! (Something this only child is not always used to!) Will loves reading and writing, and loves art and science like his sister. He is very athletic and enjoyed playing basketball, soccer and t-ball this year.




Much like the rest of the family, Will loves being outdoors. He spends most of his time outside and loves riding his bike, scooter and skateboard around the neighborhood. He has a curious spirit and loves the world. He has a great sense of humor, and is able to invoke sarcasm and perfect inflection when we least expect it! It's amazing to watch him grow up, go to school and make friends. We got so used to him being the 'baby' and now he is the big brother! He loves this role most of all and helps take good care of Baby Wendell.

We have great kids, and we thank God everyday that all three of our kids are healthy (everytime I see that St. Jude's commercial at the movie theater, I just start crying!). Still, raising kids in such a complex, scary world is tough at times. While we don't want to overwhelm them, we want our kids to know about the pain in the world, empathize and ACT. In many ways, they do this on their own quite naturally, as evidenced by their lemonade stand response to the Gulf oil spill to save the sea turtles. So inspiring!


Much of who our children are is directly related to living intergenerationally. My mom, Pat (aka Gadie) continues to live with us, helping provide child care and moral support. She is an integral part of our lives and teaches our children many important life lessons. She works part-time as a kitchen designer for Home Depot and enjoys reading, cooking and riding horses when she's not busy watching our kiddos! :) No doubt our kids inherited much of their love of adventure from Gadie who went zip-lining for her 63rd birthday!


As a family, we've enjoyed some wonderful trips this year! We love traveling as a family and sharing outdoor adventures together. We went skiing in Colorado for spring break, kayaked at Amistad National Reservoir on the Texas/Mexico border, enjoyed the beach at Port Aransas on the Gulf Coast, and camped at Inks Lake State Park (Wendell's first camping trip!).




Along with our family adventures, 2010 brought wonderful visits with family and friends, including a visit from my 93 year old grandfather, as well as a trip to DC and NYC for Christmas! This year we also celebrated the birth of our nephew Alex, along with the births (and impending births) of friends' and family members' beautiful babies! We celebrate all of this new life as much as we mourn for those who we lost this year, and we try to "rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who weep."

As we look back on this year, we realize that we were busy (and blessed)! This chaos, however, is mostly happy chaos and while we remind ourselves to enjoy the busy times, we also try and find time for quiet. Our time in church and in nature helps us to find the "peace that passeth understanding." I've always wondered what that really means until I found this beautiful quote: "Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." With life as hectic as it is, this does not always come easily; however, this is the peace that passeth all understanding--God's peace.

We send holiday JOY your way and we know that so much of our joy comes from having loving family and friends like YOU--so from all of the Texas Nortons (and Pat!), we send our love, gratitude and prayers for a very happy and healthy 2011! May God's peace be with you this year and always...