Every November I sit down to write our Christmas letter. Some years are good, some not so good, but God is always good. 2019 was full of joy and sorrow. A wedding, new grandbabies, and too many funerals of friends we loved.

But let’s start with sweet joy… Jake and Lacy welcomed baby Lily in February and baby Abby joined big sister Kara and Cami and Drew in July. Lacy graduated from nursing school with Lily in her arms in April and now is an emergency room nurse at Adventist Hospital in Marysville. Luke and Alex married in September in a beautiful evening ceremony in Granite Bay. Scott officiated the wedding and we all danced the night away until the DJ shut us down.

As I write this letter our grandkids are enjoying their first snow days while cutting Christmas trees up at Apple Hill this weekend. Yay for winter weather ending the fire season here in California.

I love this time of year when frost quietly turns the fall days into winter. Usually, football is over by now but not this year. Three out of our younger four boys made it to championship games. Pictures are worth a thousand words so here are some pics from the season.

Garry’s 12 U team lost their championship game but what a great season. Joey was an assistant coach on Garry’s team and Scott coached Christian’s 8 U team, along with being the freshman defensive coordinator again this year for Sutter High School.

As I write this letter, John and Joey’s varsity team is headed for the section championship playing Paradise, yes, the same Paradise that burned in the horrific Camp Fire. All season long we have worn Paradise Strong stickers on our helmets. Now we will face this team on the field. We wish Paradise the best and are hoping for an incredible game between these two smalltown rivals. ESPN has been following Paradise’s season so you may even see us on television.

Joey, a freshman, got moved up to JV at the beginning of the season and bumped up to varsity last month. He lives for football and John is very proud of Joey playing middle linebacker behind John playing noseguard. John may be the smallest kid on the line, but they call him Mighty Mite for a reason. He’s strong, fast, and savors football now in his junior year of high school. I’ve become a devoted football mom searching for the warmest wool undergarments because football in November is pretty darn cold. Scott enjoys coaching. We so love being a part of our Sutter football community.

Harvest season found us working hard in our orchard. We lost most of our early fruit to a cold and stormy spring, and our late fruit was on the light side this year. It’s hard to make it just farming. Scott is also teaching and I continue to write. My fifth book was published this year and I’ve begun to do some traveling for writing retreats and speaking engagements. The boys really miss me when I’m gone. Here they are welcoming me home from my AZ. retreat in October. Christian is in the pile, you just can’t see his face. My latest book Farming Grace became an Amazon best-seller when it released in September but nothing is better than these boys’ hugs when I get home.

We took several wonderful trips to Fort Bragg before and after harvest season and welcomed a full lake at the cabin this past 4th of July. Our trips are fast and furious with football and our fruit harvest governing our getaways. These quick, little vacations are full of laughter and the boys’ feats of danger. They jump off of everything. It’s amazing Scott and I haven’t turned gray yet raising our Bravo team. Scott calls our first three kids the Alpha team. He labeled the second batch of Bicknell babies Bravo team. No wonder all our boys want to join the military.

Scott and I adore being grandparents. We are Papa and Poppy, though our grandson Cam calls both of us Bobo. He’s trying to say “Papa.” It’s so cute! Our grandson sure reminds us of his daddy, Luke at this age, one gear, all go. Luke has always done everything fast and is now on his way to Military Intelligence school most likely in February 2020, then it looks like language school in Monterey.

Luke also passed his flight exam and hopes to become a helicopter pilot like Scott once he graduates from learning another language for the Army. Here he is on his wedding day holding Cam. We are very proud of Luke. At 22, he’s the same age Scott was when we married.

I’m amazed Scott and I are on our 31st Christmas as a married couple. It feels like we’ve been together all our lives. We enjoy farming with our family and are incredibly thankful for all the Lord has done for us these past three decades.

We wish all of you a bright and merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the Lord bless and keep you. May he shine his face on you and give you many more sunrises and sunsets, faith and family, joy and sorrow. I have learned it is sorrow that strengthens our joy. The days of sadness give way to happy times that we savor more after suffering. May we all appreciate our happy days with the ones we love and Jesus always near. Peace be with you this Christmas.

P.S. We won the championship game against Paradise and are headed for the bowl game. Cold and wet but so fun! Playing the bowl on my birthday weekend in December. No place I’d rather be than watching our boys play football but going to need a rainproof jacket for the next big game.