Christmas Letter Edition 2019

¡Feliz Navidad 2019!

My all time favorite hymn is "For the Beauty of the Earth". We had it as a congregational hymn in our wedding. I have sung the John Rutter arrangement at Concordia and at Camp Metigoshe. I sing it when I'm on a walk and am overwhelmed with the beauty of nature or my cup is overflowing. I cannot sing or hear it without tears in my eyes. It starts like this:

For the beauty of the earth

For the beauty of the skies

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies

Lord of all, to thee we raise

This our joyful hymn of praise

Here's a link if you'd like to listen: For the Beauty of the Earth

We have been surrounded by the beauty of the earth as we have traveled this year. We have also been surrounded by love from friends and family, old and new on this journey. We have experienced so many ups and downs, it has been quite the roller coaster but we are riding the twists and turns and we are grateful for the lessons we have learned and for the people, love and faith that have kept us going from one day to the next.

As the calendar turned to 2019, we had this crazy, 20 year old idea in mind to live abroad, so much of this year has been planning, preparing and making that dream come true. It was not an easy task, to say the least, but has proved to be well worth it. I have to admit that it has taken us months to feel comfortable here. We have had a lot of tears and many days where I just wanted to book tickets back home and live in an apartment until our renters left our house. But through those really scary, sad, and lonely times, we grew stronger, more resilient and learned that we CAN do hard things.
Here's a little about what everyone has been up to this year:

As I am proofreading, I realize that this letter has gotten a little long. You don't have to read all of it, Pete Schleif.

Solvei is 16 and got her driver's license and her first job in 2019. She LOVED driving (she isn't allowed to drive here in Mexico) and really enjoyed working at the local outdoor pool, scanning people in and fixing treats for hungry swimmers. She also was able to travel to New York on a mission trip through church (there goes all that hard earned money) and she and I drove to Chicago to see Hamilton which was a 16th bday gift from my parents. We loved it. Her two favorite activities have been choir and tennis. She is able to keep up on tennis here in Mexico through a club a few nights a week so will be ready for her senior year tennis season when we return.

New York

Greta is 13 and if you were looking for her at home, in Northfield, you might find her on a bike ride, reading a Warriors book, drawing, playing Mario, making music on one of a number of instruments, swimming at the pool or in a lake, or hanging out with friends. She played in both band (percussion) and orchestra (violin) last school year and also continued to take piano lessons. She hopes to continue band and orchestra next year in 9th grade. This summer she participated in a theater camp and loved that. She continues to play piano in music workshop in Mexico at school and has found a soccer team to play on as well. She loves being in the water, especially the pool and the cenotes that are numerous in our area.

Kayaking in Cozumel

Odin & Soren just turned 9 last week. They are missing their neighborhood buddies from our street. They spent the spring and summer riding bikes, shooting hoops, playing catch, Annie Annie Over, water fights, lemonade stands, frog catching and playing community baseball. They started piano lessons last year and I continue to help them through their books here in Mexico. They both love Minecraft and LEGO. They have joined their school soccer team and are both luke warm about it. Their teammates have been playing since they could walk so its been a learning curve for them, but they are making great strides.

Baseball Buddies

Odin loves anything sports. His dream is to become an American Ninja Warrior and is always looking for new ways to train for that. He got a Kindle reader for his birthday so now doesn't have to fight me for mine. We are lucky that Percy Jackson has a lot of books in the series and that the e-book system at Northfield Public Library carries them. He is usually content to stay home and cozy up.

Sand Builder

Soren is in constant motion. He is always looking for someone to play cards, ping pong, go swimming, or kick around the soccer ball. He got hooked on ajedrez (chess) at a resort where we spent a weekend and asked for a set for his birthday (just regular size). He keeps us on our toes and is our best cuddler.

Ajedrez lessons from Dad

Kevin has triumphed over so many obstacles in his health this year. After suffering a concussion last Christmas, he is still feeling some of the effects. He had to have cataract surgery in both eyes in June (perk - no more glasses). And the life changer was being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes three weeks before we left for our new life in Mexico. They told us when he was diagnosed that it would be tough, but we had no idea. Especially trying to figure out insulin along with his other meds for his preexisting chronic diseases. He has found some solutions and continues to try and find the perfect balance in his health. He is still working for the Northfield Hospital doing Data Analytics and has not missed a beat working remotely. As he came to Mexico only knowing the colors and numbers in Spanish, we are all proud of how he is following conversations and picking up phrases. Google translate is helpful too.

Mayakoba PGA

I spent the school year last year juggling a number of jobs, subbing and screening Spanish speaking preschoolers for school readiness. We all enjoyed a spring trip to Washington DC and got to spend time with some favorite cousins. In July we felt surrounded by love and tradition at the Richman Family Reunion in North Dakota. Here in Mexico, after getting everyone settled, I started a job teaching English to kids in China through VIPKIDS. I really like it, especially the part where I teach the lesson, write feedback and I am done for the day. I also volunteer for an organization called KKIS (Keeping Kids in School) which is founded and run by a retired Northfield teacher, Gayle Collins, who has been a life saver for us here a number of times. I am enjoying practicing yoga, reading books, trying some new things and managing all things mom.

Livin' the dream

So, as we are coming up on December 25th, it surely doesn't feel like Christmas in this tropical heat with sand on our toes. This mama is NOT missing coats and hats and mittens and boots and wet socks. I am more than happy to have a year off of weather radar, icy roads and polar vortexes. We don't know what our plans are for Christmas yet, but the kids have three weeks off so we will most likely relax and travel a bit.

We are living in awe and wonder being in a different part of the world; the clear water, the amazing creatures, the lush green of the jungle, the interesting (and mostly delicious) food, making strides in Spanish, alternative ways of doing things, connecting with new friends, and a whole new perspective on the important things in life.

We are praying for many who are living through difficult times and hoping that all of you are finding beauty in the earth and love that surrounds you.

Singing joyful hymns of praise,

Tricia, Kevin, Solvei, Greta, Soren & Odin