Merry, Merry

When we landed in Santa Barbara a year and a half ago we saw it as a temporary landing spot, never imagining that we would be living long term in our “hometown.” Thankfully, God’s imagination and creativity surpasses our limited perspectives.

After ten months (!) with David and Judy, last spring we settled into a little cottage in Montecito. What it lacks (dishwasher, closet space and square footage) is made up for in quirky charm, proximity to the beach and an excellent school district. Santa Barbara has offered quite the homecoming-- it’s healing our hearts to be surrounded by great friends, our Elmo church family and experiencing the adventures of this special city as a family.

Mark works with Visiting Nurses and Hospice (a well respected S.B. non-profit) as a hospice chaplain. It is a good match for his gentle, listening heart—he provides calm strength and security to his client’s transition to the other side of life. He just completed his fiduciary coursework in record time and will test for certification this spring. With a couple of clients he has already started working with, Mark looks forward to building this business of guiding and protecting those in need.

Leah continues her work with Eat Drink Garden (www.eat-drink-garden.com), the position is a mix of everything—project management, editing, marketing, organizing and yes, a little taste testing. This season is about learning to balance, re-balance, set priorities and just let go of trying to do it all (basically every mama’s mantra). Even with work she truly enjoys, Leah’s most peace-filled, joy-filled moments are when she is at home just being mom. Now that we’re more settled, the hope for the new year is to have the time and space for reading, writing, baking and beach walks.

Ben loves kindergarten-- computer lab, art class, science, reading, music and mime class (yes, you read that correctly)-- he has jumped into every new experience with gusto. Daily he grows taller and wiser, but still wants Leah to sing him “You Are My Sunshine” at bedtime and will hold our hands crossing the street. His favorites are karate, Legos, Star Wars, boogie boarding, negotiating for “screen time” and wrestling with his baby sister. He will forever be our little, bald cutie-pie, yet we watch in wonder as he transforms into a hardworking, enthusiastic big kid.

Clara continues to be a study in contradictions. Her most requested items are Pellegrino and BBQ sauce. Part scrappy tomboy, part cuddly comforter—we try to step back, let her lead the way and watch what happens next. She loves dogs, dinosaurs, arts and crafts, hanging out with big brother, baseball hats and has fallen hard for horses. We’re trying to figure out a way for her to pursue this equestrian passion without resorting to bank robbery. Her thoughtful kindness, love for all things chocolate, resilient strength and those denim blue eyes seem to hold our hearts captivated.

Our life looks different that we ever anticipated; yet we can’t imagine it any other way. There are many moments (some large, but mostly small) that feel like bright signs declaring, “You are in the right place.” It’s far from perfect, settled or even peaceful, but day by day we are given small confirmations that our job is to keep taking steps forward and trust God to show the way.

Any update would be incomplete without a huge thank you to all of our friends and family. Starting over requires a stripping down to the barest part of your self and security. You’ve wrapped around us with the warmth of true love, friendship and encouragement. Our marriage, family, personalities and dreams have your beautiful fingerprints all over them.

Merry Christmas with love, joy and gratitude,

Casa Watson 

Big thanks to the talented Evan Janke for these family photos.