Remember, whenever you're starving for information on Steve & Amanda, go to the site designed just for that — www.SteveandAmanda.com — updated with pictures, news, and humor throughout the year!

The two of us had a hunch we'd like Seattle but were surprised at just how much we love our little slice of the city. Our apartment is a perfect fit, with an incredible amount to walk to within a half-mile radius: To the north is Ravenna Park, an incredible forested ravine that feels like wilderness from a lost time; to the east is University Village, a shopping center where we get groceries and take-out; to the south is the University of Washington, which we visit for plays, lectures, and concerts; to the west is the University District, a city atmosphere with art theaters, thrift shops, and coffee bars. In the center of this bustling neighborhood is our studio, which, being on a hill and on a dead-end street, has a charming view and an amazingly quiet, residential feel. The mountains catch our eye regularly, taking our breath away, even if our Midwestern legs are still not used to the hills, and we love being surrounded by the trees that give the Evergreen State its name. This has quickly become home.

There are even more enticements in the Puget Sound area as a whole; we find our calendar packed with book readings, theater, night classes, museums, restaurants, parks, concerts, comedy clubs, zoos, and scenic drives. A few highlights this year were Amanda's classes in hatmaking and dance (note: those are separate classes), and Steve's cartooning and Thai cooking. We heard one of Steve's favorite authors, Anne Lamott, read from her new book, and saw J.A. Jance, a favorite mystery writer of Amanda's, at the two-day Northwest Bookfest. We won passes to a premiere of the film Frida at the Seattle Art Museum, with a sneak preview of their Mexican Modernism exhibit. Our visit to a practically deserted Point Defiance Zoo made us a curiosity to the animals; we got up close to walruses, sharks, elephants, and peacocks. And we saw childhood favorites come to life on stage with Seussical: The Musical and original adaptations of Little Women and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Make sure to visit www.SteveandAmanda.com to read of even more adventures!

A lot of our adventures this year were in the company of the many visitors we've welcomed to our new home: relatives such as Steve's brother, Greg, and sister, Sharon, and several Caldwell types en masse — Amanda's parents, brother Ethan and cousin Russell first, and then brother Erik and Kim with their new baby, Alex; and friends like Rob and Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma from Indiana, and Kelly Whittier, for a "grownup" (we use the term loosely) Camp Whatanut. And we haven't even unpacked yet! Despite that, everyone seemed to have a great time — we know we did! We covered downtown Seattle and farther afield, such as to the idyllic trees and ocean of the Olympic Peninsula with Jim and Jeanie Heethuis of the Bible League, and to Whidbey Island for a shoreline picnic and a ferry ride back to Seattle with several visitors (what, you thought you were unique?).

After everyone left, we got a little more settled into our lives here. For one thing, we adopted a cat! After many weeks calling her, "No! Don't scratch that!" we settled on Luna. She's a tiny, 2-year-old Siamese and enjoys talking (whining, yelling? hard to tell), licking the bathtub drain, and chasing feathers. To see an extensive gallery of Luna pictures, visit www.SteveandAmanda.com — surely that one picture to the left doesn't satisfy you.

Despite the vast distance of our relocation, we continue to work the same jobs we used to, only now we telecommute with the Bible League in Illinois. Steve's busy co-writing, designing, and even drawing cartoons for a series of books about church ministry, specifically how to get elements like music and preaching into people's homes and lives. Amanda is laying out the 2003-2004 installments of four student planners for North America and finishing up several Bible studies in languages such as Maasai and Fulfulde for the Africa department. She's also gained a stable of regular clients for her online editing service.

There are many aspects of Indiana we miss; we had a good time in 2001 leading our small group through a Bible study using movies, and watching our babysittee, Evan, grow from a baby into a walking, talking person. Amanda enjoyed singing on the praise team, and Steve got to speak about film at a local Borders. We were glad to have time to say our goodbyes, with visits to our alma mater and Chicago, and a farewell party with our church friends. We're planning to return and visit from time to time, but not for winters — we gave our heavy coats to the thrift shop before we left!

Another big event of 2001 was our long-anticipated trip to Europe; we took nearly a month to visit England, France, Germany, and Austria, including several friends of Amanda's [Juliane, Diane, & Kelly] from when she lived in Berlin. We were also able to retrace our journey of looove the summer when Amanda was on Wheaton-in-England and Steve wrote "the" letter that turned us into more than friends. (Of course, you'd already know that if you'd visited SteveandAmanda.com, where we have a trip diary and oodles of photos.)

Now, as we look forward to 2003, we're wanting to put down deeper roots here; we've visited several churches and are trying to decide where our church home will be. We recently got a taste of city politics as we helped vote in the new monorail system that will help connect the area, and we are eager to participate in other community measures. Regardless of what we still have to do in becoming settled, we're very happy now and grateful for God's good gifts. We'd love to share our new home with you if you want to join the list of visitors!

A very merry Christmas to you, and God's blessings in 2003!

P.S. We promise not to mention the SteveandAmanda.com website again in this letter.