Mason Christmas Letter and Pictures 2013

Greetings Family and Friends!

We write this year's Christmas letter from our new home.  Last January we looked at this home in our quest to find a home with a little bit more open space for our family.  God provided and we moved in last March.  We are snuggled next to the Tortolita Mountains on the edge of Oro Valley and Marana.  Indescribable sunset views to the west, city lights to the south, and mountain views of the Tortolitas and Catalinas to the north and east.  We have close to 6 acres of desert space.  We were blessed to find dependable renters for our home on Copper Queen the very day we closed on this home.

The courtyard leading to the front door

The front of our new home...pueblo style 

We had quite a few of these visitors this summer.

Skylar surprised this bobcat hanging out on our front wall



This is the view from our backyard every single night.... the colors are always changing.

Kody is in 4th grade at Painted Sky.  He is in Mrs. Bennett's room right next to Meta's classroom.  Recently Karl chaperoned the field trip to Kartchner Caverns and Meta was thrilled to ride the bus and tour the caves with both Karl and Kody.  Many of Kody's friends are in Meta's class.  Kody adopted Bandit this fall from Az Border Collie Rescue.  We adopted Duke from the same place just before Christmas last year.  Bandit and Kody are working together in the same 4H dog project with Hannah and Hope.  Kody and Karl are Weeblos in Cub Scouts.  They've enjoyed camping, archery, fire building, and other outdoor activities.

Kody blows his way to victory in the Raingutter Regatta

Kody and Bandit meet for the 1st time

Kody quadding in the mountains near home

thawing out together on a cold day

learning to canoe at Weeblos Woods Weekend

Hannah is a freshman at Ironwood Ridge.  She has a full load of pre AP classes and has also joined the marching band as a member of the color guard.  It was an extremely busy fall season with football games and competitions every weekend.  She made her Aunt Marcie very proud as she learned how to twirl the flag and run with jazz steps!

Ironwood Vanguard Color Guard

8th grade graduation from Coronado

Hannah and Hope at the Fair

As a junior this year, we're so thankful that Skylar can drive to school this year.  She is also taking a full load of AP classes.  She is co-editor of the Iron Quill, the school newspaper.  Last month she was able to join the newspaper and yearbook staffs at the National Journalism Conference in Boston.  She said it was just like the Comicon...without all the costumes!   Skylar is also in 4H photography project.   Almost every day Skylar rides the quad from our house to the barn where she has trained for many years to ride her leased horse, Jose.



Our Driveway

Skylar and Jose at the Pima County Fair

Skylar experienced autumn in Boston!

Karl is still working at Honeywell this year.  Last summer he was able to travel to India for 2 weeks and China for a week to meet with his colleagues.  Because we live a little farther away, he doesn't ride his bike to work.  He does, however, enjoy riding the trails in the Tortolita Mountains straight from the house.  We've been able to explore many of these trails and roads as we walk the dogs or ride the quads around. Karl is Kody's den leader for Weeblos. 


Karl, Kody, Earl, and Sandy at the Blue and Gold Banquet.



visiting Mysore near Bangalore, India

Meta is teaching 4th grade at Painted Sky.  She has recovered from the surgery to remove all the hardware in her hand from the accident last year - 9 plates and 30 pins.  She has regained most of the function but can tell when the weather is about to change.  Meta and Karl make time to ride motorcycles and quads together.  They enjoyed a long ride to Las Vegas over fall break.  The family still rides with Sky Island Riders either on the scooters or the big bikes.  Meta was able to fly to Spokane along with Suzie from Richmond to spend the weekend with Nancy and the Casadys.  It was a weekend full of Sisterchick chatting, eating, laughing, and loving. 

gearing up to ride to Vegas

quadding up the back side of Mt. Lemmon

Viva Las Vegas

Sisterchicks in Spokane

say goodbye to 9 plates and 30 pins

wandering Las Vegas and we end up at the Eiffel Tower

Karl and Meta are blessed to be small group leaders for middle school students at The Blender, Grace's Student Ministry.  We meet every Sunday night for fellowship, a meal, Bible study, and small group accountability.  Skylar and Hannah enjoy the high school small groups.  Karl is finishing his term as chairman of the Foundations Team, Grace's spiritual leadership team.

Painting the Blender Room is an all night event

We enjoyed the Phoenix Comicon on Memorial Day weekend.  The girls brought friends for the weekend.  Skylar sported a gray face and orange horns as Homestuck characters.  People were afraid to blink around Hannah who was a very convincing Weeping Angel from Doctor Who.


Don't Blink, It's Hannah!

Skylar sports the Homestuck Look

Star Fleet Rocks

After VBS in June, we flew to North Dakota to spend some time in Grand Forks and at the cabin on Maple Lake with Earl and Sandy.  We drove across North Dakota and spend a week with Kristi and Lee in Montana.  We got to see Aloha loving life in the pasture.  When Skylar called her name, Allie came over for a snuggle and some grain before running off with her new horse friends. 

celebrating a small town 4th of July parade in Scobey, MT



Masons at the new airport in Grand Forks

Maple Lake Memories

Skylar and Aloha



Maple Lake

We are so extremely blessed and want to thank our Lord for His provision and protection.  He demonstrates His unconditional love for us in so many ways.  As we celebrate this season, let's all take some time to praise the One who came to earth and put on human skin in the form of this tiny baby born in Bethlehem, lived life so we could see how it's supposed to be, and then redeemed us so we could have a relationship with God Almighty.  Our hearts are full.  Love to you ~ our family and friends.



Karl, Meta, Skylar, Hannah, and Kody



Mason Christmas Letter and Pictures 2011

       Moshi moshi! Meeson Sukaira desu.  (“Hello!   I’m Skylar Mason.” in Japanese.)

Now for the part of the show where Skylar summarizes a year in the Mason family through five paragraphs! 2011 has been particularly eventful.

            Meta got her “big girl bike”, a Kawasaki Vulcan, late last December. She named it T’Kahr (Vulcan for “teacher”), and enjoys riding it or Stella with Dad and the scooter club. They took their motorcycles on a road trip to Colorado and back, exploring new sights and making new friends, in June. We bought her a Volkswagen Beetle—a cute little blue car named Dory—for her birthday, and she enjoys the change to a stick shift. In October she started teaching full-time at Painted Sky, after a fourth-grade teacher left on maternity leave. Her class takes up most of her time, but she loves every second of it!

T'Kahr prepares to leave Albuquerque for the cold drive back to Tucson... Meta bundled up!

           



tackling the teeter totter at the scooter rally in May



            Karl couldn’t keep up with Meta and T’Kahr on his little Buddy scooter, so he bought a BMW motorcycle and named it Scotty (the ultimate Beamer. Get it?) in January. They had a wonderful time on their Colorado trip. When they returned, he got a promotion as a Chief Engineer at Honeywell. It’s a position that allows him to manage several programs, and he enjoys it a lot.

Karl and Scotty on our grand adventure up to Colorado.... no itinerary...just pack and go. 



Karl with his new Fat Tire cruiser he won in a contest.  He still bikes hard core mountain too....





Lil Anthony's before the Gaslight Theater with our small group



             I (Skylar) am 15 and now a freshman at Ironwood Ridge. My classes are hard but a lot of fun, and I’ve met some great new friends. I’m still riding my horse, Aloha, and blogging every day for fun. Recently I’ve taken up anime-style art and photography. At school, I’m learning Spanish and Japanese, which are both challenging but immensely rewarding. Next summer I’m getting my permit (fore! Everyone off the roads!), which should be an interesting experience. J I’m hoping to help Mom and Dad out with the carpooling once I get my license.






Skylar is thrilled she made it through the reading of her Confirmation Essay in church! 





Aloha comes back to Tucson after being evacuated from Hereford during the June fire. 



            Hannah’s 13 now and active in both school (7^th grade) and 4-H. She’s in the Coronado chorus, and enjoys singing at concerts and festivals. She also shows Hope, her King Charles Spaniel, at 4-H shows and the county fair. In her spare time, she loves to hang out with friends, watch anime, and cuddle with her puppy.



Hannah after Christmas concert



Hannah and Hope at the Pima County Fair



            Kody is 7 ¾ (don’t dare call him 7 ½!), and a second grader at Painted Sky. He loves video games, hanging out with his friends, and playing with Legos—in fact, he’s in the Lego Club at school. He also enjoys riding his bike with Dad, and every McDonalds run is a treat.   Kody started Taekwondo earlier this year and is already a green belt.  He also broke his arm rollerblading the week before we went to Disneyland and had Mickey and Buzz sign his cast. 



Kody earns yellow....then green.  Next stop, blue. 

  

            We’re thankful for so many things this year.  God has blessed us with a new cousin named Baylee, a new pastor at Grace, new ways to get around, new schools and new jobs.  We’ve enjoyed epic times with our family and friends.  We’re thankful for the peace, hope, and joy that comes from knowing Jesus Christ.   We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a safe, fun, Christ-centered holiday season! Know that you’re in our prayers and we look forward to another great year in 2012.  Merīkurisumasu to shin'nen akemashiteomedetōgozaimasu!  (Merry Christmas and a  Happy New Year J







Masons take on Disneyland over Spring Break





then the Grand Canyon over Thanksgiving Break....







Day 7 - End of our trip. New member of the family.

Wow.  This has been an incredible week of special time with Karl, special bonding with T'Kahr, and special moments with God as we revel in what He has made. 

Karl greeted me with a kiss and a birthday card as we woke up.  Before our trip he gave me the sissy bar bag that we would need for the trip for my birthday present!  We had a long day of driving from Farmington, NM to Tucson.  Lunch in Holbrook, DQ in Globe where we filled up our camelbacks and wet our shirts for the hot ride home...evap cooling AZ style.  Sad the trip is over, glad to see our kids.  We pulled in to the house where everyone was waiting for us. 

On our ride today, we discussed that Skylar has worship team practice tomorrow morning.  I suggested we move the "birthday breakfast" they had planned for me in the morning to tonight....  (we usually do birthday breakfasts and the kids missed out on mine this morning.)  At every stop we made, Karl was texting the "kids" to rearrange the birthday breakfast to dinner.  Mom, Dad, Marcie, and Hayden joined us as soon as we pulled in for a cool down swim and waffles for dinner.  After dinner they had a treasure hunt for me....  The first card said,

Happy Birthday, Mom!
Today's your day, it's true
Your family's love for you
Is as wide as the ocean blue!



Your mission, if you choose to accept it,
Is a treasure hunt of sorts
So turn the page and we'll BEGIN!


WE LOVE YOUR GUTS OUT!


 Breakfast Dinner is done, so hurry and run-
get dressed (or not) and go to the place
where you splash in the sun!
Don't get "Crushed" by anticipation!

So since I'm already dressed (this was supposed to be in the morning)  I go out to the pool.  Swimming in the pool is a Crush turtle pool toy (from Finding Nemo)....attached to his neck is a bag with our mail key and a note that reads:

Duuuude, somethin's a little fishy.  I think ya should take the currents down to the mailbox.  Yeah, totally!  Noggin!

So in the mailbox is a stuffed Nemo with a note that says,

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming, all the way to the river outside your anemone.  X marks the spot.  Bubbles.

So in front of our house in the rock riverbed is a large X with a Finding Nemo kickboard.  On the back of the kickboard it says,

All drains lead to the ocean.  So retrace your steps and don't forget to flush.

I go up to our bathroom and sitting on the back of the toilet is a swim mask with an address on the back. Also next to the mask is a bag that says,,

Don't open till you get to your destination.  And another note that says,

Take a ride with your Buddy to find my friend, then come back for your guppies and we'll take a swim!

Well at this point, Karl says the plan changed because we have more people here that want to come so I can't take Buddy the scooter to the address on the mask.  So we pile in to two cars.  I think we're going to my friend Dana's house because it is her street.  As we get closer we turn into the next cul de sac where my friend Betty lives.  We pull up in front of her house and Karl tells me it's time to open the bag.  I do and pull out a car key.  In the driveway is a car with a big red ribbon wrapped around it....  A beautiful blue '99 VW Beetle named Dory complete with custom bike racks! 

Seems Karl has been in chats with Betty about Dory ever since April when they were working at church on a work day....Betty needed to sell since all their kids are now away at college and Karl knew I've always wanted a bug.....  we needed a smaller car to haul kids around that got better gas mileage than the Princess...  So now Dory is a member of the Mason Family!  She's actually the youngest of our cars..... 

Now the girls will have no excuse not to learn how to drive a stick!