I have been silent on the blog for a while. Much has gone on since I last digitized my life for you, so let me catch you up on what you missed.

Nathan's 1st Birthday - 12/04/2009

Nathan turned 1 on December 4th, and we couldn't be more proud and thankful for him. God has truly blessed us with a beautful son, and he had a great time opening presents, playing in the fake snow we bought for his birthday, and sharing time with everyone that loves him so much here in Arizona. There were lot's of guests also, and we are thankful for their presence.

Nathan misses his Papa J, Tutu, and Auntie Sarah and Uncle Wes. He told me personally that it wasn't the same without them there. :)

Prior to his little party, we were blessed to have Jim Durham (who orignally took our family pictures in Feb last year) take his one-year photos for us, and Jim, if you're reading this, we still owe you money! Below are some digital memories from the party and a couple of his 1st B-day pics.

This picture is really cool. Jim plays around with Photoshop a lot, and has a great passion for photography. There were a lot of great pics, but I thought you might enjoy this one a lot.

Next on the agenda - Merry CHRISTmas, 2009

Because our budget was $0.00 for Christmas cards this year, I took the picture and we found a deal online for free photo Christmas cards. We were limited to 100, so for those of you that didn't get a card...I'm sorry we're broke :)

Our Christmas was filled with family and friends. Scott Richard (My Bro-In-Law) came out from Ohio and visited, and we had a great time eating and talking. My San Diego Chargers won, and overall it was a great day, but most of all, it was a time to reflect on the birth of God's son Jesus, and how his birth was the start of a miracle of mediation and eternal fellowship with God.

I remembered many things about Christmas growing up, but along with our tree came the Nativity Scene, carved in wood and memories. It always reminded my materialistic heart that there was more than just tinsle and fatty-clause. lol

I miss my family. I am lost without their connection, and while the year has gone by and Skype has made communication possible, I have still felt distant and lonely. I cling to the hope of a coming visit, and pray that they know how much I love and need them in my life. I am a lucky man.

Merry Christmas from Chris, Stephanie, and Nathan Corbaley. May the wonder of His son's birth bring new hope and a brighter tomorrow to you and yours.

Most recently - HAPPY NEW YEAR! WE WELCOME 2010 WITH HEARTS AND MINDS OPEN

So what could have been better after an amazing holiday season? What could have made the new year's eve night worth just a little bit more? Here's my story:

I got home from working at Costco and started to get sleepy. Around 10:30pm I decided that I was too old to care anymore about staying up till 12, and really I needed to take my stretched-paper-thin self to bed. BUT, my quest for rest came to an abrupt end when Stephanie wouldn't let me fall asleep.

A playfull argument ensued with her winning by beating me senseless with a pillow until I got up. Amidst a tired night I took out the trash and tried to keep busy with tasks until 12 rolled around.

You need more background than this though to fully understand the story. We were house-sitting Joe and Jenn's (Stephanie's brother and his wife's house) on that night, and Jenn has a younger brother named Chris. His truck was parked outside in the driveway, so I assumed he might be by sometime that night. ALSO, I was still half asleep...

Back to the story, I took out the trash. When I stepped out the front door I saw a car drive by and heard someone say "there's Chris". So I immediately thought it was some of Chris' friends coming by to pick him up, or say hello. So I looked up casually, and saw a bearded man running wildly up at me. As shocked as I was to see this, I was more interested in telling him that I wasn't who he thought I was, but then I noticed a familiar smile behind the dark beard, and a build of a man whom I had become dear friends with.

James and Cindy Roy, friends of ours since we were married, drove out that night, over 9 hours, to surprise me and Steph (Stephanie was in on it BTW). My first reaction? "What are you doing here!" I felt so grateful for their drive and desire to spend the evening with us, and we were blessed to have them out for 2 nights here at our humble apartment. We spent the following day going through old traditions of breakfast, adventures, and gellato...so delicious! To date they are the only friends who have visited us here in Tucson, but maybe this year will hold more surprises for us, and we are coming out to Cali in June, so hopefully we will see you all then.

So what else do you want to know? Here's a short list of upcoming events to look out for more blogs:

1. I have started seminary as of today. I still don't have my books in the mail, so let's see what happens.
2. We are taking a family vacation to Hawaii in from February 3rd to the 15th to visit and meet my neice Ruby Jude Childers for the first time. Oh yes, I'm very excited, thanks for asking!
3. The San Diego Chargers finished the regular season with 11 straight wins and are poised to make a run at the Superbowl. Let's just wait and see what happens.

If you are reading this, you are loved and missed by us!

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