Christmas 2009

Dear Friends and Family,
I’m sitting down with a new year and apparently a new font to write what is supposed to be the Templeton Family Christmas letter for 2009. However, given the timing of this letter, I’m inclined to refer to it as the Holiday letter or the New Years letter. Regardless of the title, the content will probably be the same but the salutation may need to be adjusted for the timing of the letter. Our intent with this January letter is to be the last Christmas letter you receive for the year, after all the other ones have come down from the refrigerator or laundry room door, and therefore it is received as not just another check-the-box Christmas card but rather a highly-anticipated, cherished reminder of the most wonderful season of the year. Or you can just read the letter, laugh at me for being so late, and throw it in the recycle bin with the intent of diverting at least this one piece of paper from your local landfill.
Additionally, I’ve been asked to increase the font size this year since we’re all getting a bit older and our vision is not what it used to be. Hey, speak for yourself, but I’m willing to make this minor accommodation for you, the reader.
You may or may not recall that 2008 did not include a Templeton Family Christmas / Holiday / New Years letter. For those of you who had received one in the past but didn’t get one last year, you were not alone. For whatever reason, my computer keyboard and I were just not feeling the love for publication last year. I received several anticipative comments, emails, and letters both last year and this year regarding “looking forward to the family letter”. Some of them seemed a little bit hostile and demanding. There’s nothing like some threatening looks and comments to get the ol’ Christmas-spirit juices flowing to write. Therefore I considered it in my best interest to coordinate with my keyboard so that we could feel the love. No, really…this is not being coerced. It’s all natural.
So let’s see if 2008’s events can find a place here before we recall the most recent twelve months.
Nope, I can’t seem to recall much from that far back. I do remember that it was a most challenging year for us in our business: a theme echoed by many across the US. We had purchased the NW Arkansas Pump It Up business in 2007 with plans to open an additional location in Fayetteville. Instead we decided to close the existing location in late 2008 and to not open the Fayetteville location. Same deal for 2009. So much for the economic stimulus plans of the federal government. We still have our Tulsa location operating.
February 2009 brought us one of the worst ice storms ever encountered in NW Arkansas. Much of north Arkansas was without power for days or weeks. Our electricity was on and off for several days, but largely unaffected compared to many others. My mother came to stay with us while her power was out for a couple of days, and we had a bit of a bunking party with another family joining us for a couple of nights until their power returned. We were fortunate to have power and to be able to open our house to some friends and family. We truly felt blessed and protected by God.
On a much lighter note, the three kids continue to keep us busy and entertained. Lawson turned 10 in October (now in 4th grade), Georgia turned 8 in July (now in 2nd grade) and Ruby turned 3 in October.
Lawson and Georgia are continuing to pursue their soccer careers in 2008-09 including playing in one of the local competitive leagues this year. They have both met new friends or rekindled previous friendships on the pitch. We traveled a little bit with their teams this year but their teams are still about one year away from truly having road schedules. We’ll see if we stick it out for that. I’m missing coaching their teams but Beth would say that my coaching merely moved across the field from the players’ bench to the spectators’ bleachers. I, on the other hand, feel that I have been quite reserved in my sideline insights and guidance. Their official coaches are certainly better at both playing and coaching the game than I am and the kids are certainly developing more skills because of that.
Lawson has apparently retired from baseball. He played basketball last year but is sitting out in 2009. He’s voiced a little bit of interest in football as he’s seeing some of his friends playing but frankly Beth and I have not exactly been encouraging that route. Sometimes our kids have interest in the sport du jour. He continues to develop in his soccer skills with the new league. That will probably be his athletic focus going forward. Oddly, it may be “too late” to get into other sports at 4th grade. Things are certainly different from when we were growing up.
Lawson has also picked up golf and begs his daddy to take him for a quick round of 9 holes. Many fathers would envy such a request. It is lost, however, on me. Although I do enjoy spending the time with him and driving the cart.
Lawson continues with scouts and church activities. He’s in Webeloes this year and the requirements are certainly stepped up for the scouts, and therefore the parents. It seems like we have lots of tasks to accomplish for every scout meeting, which seem to happen more and more frequently. I guess this is the year to separate the sheep from the goats. We may be hearing more “bleets” than “bahs”.
Georgia has continued softball and basketball along with her soccer career. She’s quite an athlete. It probably has something to do with her tagging along with Lawson in the neighborhood with all the pickup games of the various sports. She’s right handed but kicks with her left foot, which is a little bit of a distinguishing characteristic at her age. She has a solid left kick and we’ve started jokingly / optimistically referring to it as the “scholarship leg” when discussing the location of various on the field injuries.
We worked in a variety of camping trips over the last two years including family trips, scout trips, and even one quick father-daughter trip. I am so happy that our family has been able to get out in the woods occasionally although sports and other activities tend to limit the available time to do so. This year we had a cold camping trip in the spring to Gunner Pool and then an impromptu summer trip to Blanchard Springs later in the year. For those of you familiar with north central Arkansas you will know these two campgrounds are just a few miles from each other and are both on the crystal-clear, see-to-the-bottom, North Sylamore Creek. With our summer trip, the kids were able to finally have a great camping trip complete with full swimming activities and bluff jumping at our favorite campground: clear water and warm weather with a limestone bluff just waiting to be scaled and from which to be launched. I had some serious flashbacks of those identical activities when I was their age and my family camped at the same campground. Beth, on the other hand, had no such flashbacks but instead had visions of ER visits at Stone County Memorial Hospital. I hope my kids will have similar lasting memories of these trips (the swimming part, not the ER part).
Destin, FL had to make do without our tourism dollars in 2008 but they were pleased to see a portion of those dollars return in 2009. We vacationed a bit closer to home in 2008 including a trip to Branson. At least that’s what my calendar has on it as I looked back on the year. We had a good time on that trip introducing our friends the Ducketts to the Las Vegas of the Ozarks. Sites seen include the official Roy Rogers museum, 18 holes at Thousand Hills Resort, Branson Landing shopping strip, and a weak substitute for fresh Florida seafood at Joe’s Crab Shack (not exactly like Destin). I’m not sure if we should expect our guests to return with us next year.
I do remember a great time in FL in Summer 2009 with “the usual suspects”, then an additional short trip to Branson later in the year…and I remember some details of both. FL once again saw me and the two older kids challenging the waves on the wave runners. (Georgia said: “And once again, I was scared.”) This time we were joined on the waves with the Hughes family, too. No injuries but certainly some over-the-bow and in-the-face waves.
Ruby is full blast and keeping up with her “bubby” and “sissy” on most fronts. She currently attends preschool several days a week which allows Beth to work part time at the CPA firm. Ruby has some of her summer school classmates joining her during the school-year at Creative School. Both Lawson and Georgia previously attended Creative School so she is following in their footsteps. If they had sororities in preschool Ruby would be a “Legacy”. Ruby has just recently started calling Beth “mother” instead of “mommy” so I guess that means she’s fully grown up now (Ruby, not Beth).
Ruby’s third birthday this year was at a local park in blustery winds. Her favorite Spanish-speaking explorer was the theme (that’s Dora, for those of you aged beyond this demographic) and the party even included a map, a treasure hunt, and Swiper the Fox…who looked alarmingly like Lawson. The high winds certainly did add another level of complexity to the event but, hey, what’s a do-it-yourself kids’ party without an unanticipated complication?
Both 2008 and 2009 Christmas seasons included family festivities in Fayetteville and weekend trips to Little Rock for our annual gathering of friends from Little Rock’s Trinity United Methodist Church’s young singles class from a couple of years decades ago. It’s always great to spend time with family during this time of year (certainly not limited to this time of year) and to see our friends from across the country and across the years.
Beth really loves the Christmas season and the related decorating. 2008 decorations were a bit sparse but 2009 returned with enthusiasm. She even finally convinced me to install the hooks around the front door for her to hang the 50% lighted garland strand (new from Walmart). She and the kids also hung some lights on some of the bushes and trees along the front of the house. Beth has apparently been coaching Ruby because Ruby kept asking me “Daddy, can we have lights on our house?”
In the interest of brevity (too late) and getting this letter completed in a timely manner (similarly too late), I think I’ll try to offer some closing thoughts. Bear with me here. If you’re not a Believer in God and his son Jesus Christ you may not be interested in this next part…but maybe you should be.
The past couple of years have been difficult for many. Financial, health, family and untold other difficulties have been challenges to many people we know. We may feel like we have faced more than our share of difficulties, but I also know that my Father in Heaven has orchestrated a plan that is much bigger than any of us. We cannot comprehend His works but we can study His words. During 2008 and 2009 I was led to be a part of a small group of men who sought to become closer to Jesus Christ through deliberate study, discussion, and prayer. This journey has changed my life over the course of about 18 months, and will hopefully change my life for eternity. We still, of course, have plenty of daily challenges and I still do not comprehend His plan, but I embrace His words in John 3:16 (an old favorite) and Romans 8:28 (a new favorite).
Enjoy your 2010, which by the way is NOT to be referred to as “0-10”. Expect another dissertation from me in about a year…or so. Our contact information has not changed but we’ve added some Facebook info if you’re into that sort of digital media stuff. If you’re really bored, I posted some of my previous letters there, too.