Merry Christmas 2009!

Just one week left until we turn the calendar page to start the year 2010. It is amazing to think back over 2009 and see how much our family is growing. It seems that each year we are growing closer together, under the care and amidst the blessings of God, our Father. That is not to say that we don’t have our own trials and tribulations. We have had our share of arguments and horrible days, but during this time of reflection, as I take a step back and look at my family, I am feeling especially blessed.

In a year where a lot of you have gone through some really rough times, our prayer is that you are finding time to spend with family and friends and that you are reflecting on the real reason for this season. We also pray that you feel God’s loving hand in your lives and that you see and feel His abundant grace.


Here is our annual Mazza Monkey update:

Cassidy is now 16 years old and is a junior in high school. Highlights from the year included a birthday trip to Disneyland, an affirmation celebration (where friends and family encouraged her with blessings), and running in her first 5k. Cassidy loves San Dieguito Academy, the same school that Paula attended from 1986-1990. She excels at Photography, earning two first place ribbons at this year’s San Diego County Fair, and playing the violin, participating this year in several recitals, a high school worship band and with members of the San Diego Symphony at our church’s annual Christmas concerts (See video over at YouTube...Ally is also in the children's choir). Cassidy is still working on getting her learner’s permit and is looking forward to getting her driver’s license next summer.

Emily will be turning 12 in January. This year, I get to take her to Disneyland for a day. Emily is now a 6th grader at Flora Vista Elementary (where Paula also attended as a child). She enjoyed a week at 6th grade camp and the highlight of her softball year was helping bring home the 12 and under championship. She has continued her leadership at church as part of the Shout Team and loves the weekly Quest program. In the next year, Emily is looking forward to branching out into musical theater and drama, graduating to the Fringe Junior High program at church and moving over to Digueno Middle School in the fall.

Anthony is now 10 years old and is in 4th grade. He had a blast attending Quest at church and also going to his first Indian Village camp (without his parents) up at Forest Home. His baseball team was called the Sand Gnats this year and he discovered that he really likes playing catcher. He is an avid reader and video game player and really likes to conquer those games as quickly as he can. This year he has also been learning to play the electric guitar. He is looking forward to the Pilgrim Overnight trip with his classmates and playing baseball again in the spring.

Alison is 8 years old and is in 3rd grade at Flora Vista Elementary. We celebrated her birthday this year by taking the entire family to Disneyland. It was a milestone year for her as she rode Space Mountain for the first time. It is now her favorite ride! Ally played softball again this year and had a lot of fun, but in 2010 she is most looking forward to learning how to play the piano. In the next year, she will be going to her first Indian Village camp and also moving up to the Quest program that Paula leads at our church.


Paula loves her job in Pre-Teen Ministries and has been blessed to attend seminary, working towards her Master’s degree. Due to lack of financial resources, she had to take a break from her coursework during the latter half of the year, but she was recently awarded a grant that will allow her to return to her studies in January. Highlights from Paula’s year include running in the Iron Girl 5K in Del Mar and meeting the members of the band Newsboys when they rehearsed at our church campus. She had a lot of fun taking kids to Forest Home this past summer and is looking forward to many more crazy adventures with her Quest kids in 2010.

This year started out pretty slow for me, but it has blossomed into a very, very busy year. I continue to work at Tax Compliance as an Implementation Specialist. Outside of work, I continue to volunteer as a small group leader with the high school ministry at our church, expanding that role this year to include leading a worship band that includes high school students and teaching on several occasions throughout the year. It has been fun to rehearse and perform with the band, which includes Cassidy on violin. In 2010, I will be celebrating 10 years as part of the worship team at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church. What an amazing and fun time it has been to lead God’s people in worship and celebration. I am looking forward to continuing in these ministry roles in this next year.

Our family highlights in 2009 included a camping trip to Idyllwild, California in April and a return trip in June for a weekend with good friends. Paula and I celebrated our 12th anniversary with a fun “stay-cation” in San Diego in June. A week-long stay at Forest Home was a highlight of July and then we all went to see a production of “Wicked” at the Civic Theater in downtown San Diego in August. For Thanksgiving this year, we traveled to Williams (Arizona) to visit with Grandpa Lou and then went to Las Vegas and Disneyland. We had a ton of fun geocaching along the way. Check out geocaching.com for more information on this fun activity.


I have not been keeping up with our picture library, but you can always go to our Flickr website and view pictures from past years. Who knows, you may see new pictures pop up there from time to time!

It is our sincerest wish that you all have a very Merry Christmas. May God bless you richly in 2010! We look forward to hearing from you…