Merry Christmas from the Barthson Household!

It has been a busy holiday season already, preempting any blogging for the last 10 days.

David had a very successful 16th birthday party with select friends and some family... and the comforts of most teenage boys; pizza, soda, ice cream, video games, lazer tag and bumper cars. Both of the working computers are monopolized during the day with the kids checking their emails, Facebooks, MySpaces, Twitters and of course... questing all the livelong day in World of Warcraft. Ah, the joyous sounds of Orcs in battle... it must be Christmas.

I haven't wrapped presents yet, but most of our Christmas shopping and crafting is done. I've never been organized enough to get Christmas cards out in time... and while I gather the kids and Jason every year for a 'Holiday Photo', it always ends up being a goof-off session for the family and no usable and appropriate picture has ever come out of it.

And so it is that I once again give a 'nod' to the technological advancements of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Al Gore (inventor of the internet) and offer up my e-Christmas letter in the form of bloggery.

Dear Family, Friends, Friends of Family, Familial Acquaintances and awkward lost relations,

Welcome to the Barthson Family Christmas Letter! This year has been alternately very exciting and absolutely mundane in the lives of Jason, Andi, David and Christina.

At this time last year, Jason and I were performing in 'A Winter's Tale' with Southwest Shakespeare Company. Our body of work last year brought some AriZoni nominations and I took one home for Best Supporting Actress in a contracted play for the role of Nerissa in 'The Merchant of Venice'. The accolade was bittersweet as Jason and I left the company amidst a lot of hooplah and unnecessary drama at the end of the season. We were incredibly sad to cut ties with the company as it's really the only consistent Shakespeare gig in town and we loved the people involved . However, it has also opened up venues and vehicles that we may not have considered otherwise.
In addition to cracking our teeth in the voiceover market, I reintroduced myself to the world of musical theatre and was blessedly cast in Phoenix Theatre's production of 'Curtains'. In addition to working with an amazing group of people (cast and crew alike) I was able to get involved with some of their fundraising and outreach programs. It did my heart good to know that there is still plenty of work out there for plenty of good causes. http://ryanhouse.org/
During the day, Jason and I have been working from home with a company that offers proofreading and copywriting for various websites and 'E-how' forums. It has allowed us the flexibility to continue with our dramatic exploits and artistic ventures. We still dabble in creative photography and I have recently opened up a side business offering 'belly-casting' to pregnant women. http://livingartstudios.org/
We moved in June to East Mesa and are now living at Power and Brown in a cute little brick house with a fireplace and a converted office with a workshop in the garage for all of my crafting projects.
This year, David started his Sophomore year at Combs High School. He worked his li'l butt off in summer school to make up a necessary English credit and is now mainstreamed in all of his courses in High School. His art projects have become a focal point as his ceramics now decorate most corners of the house. His taste in music is stellar... and I say this because he dislikes Mariah Carey as much as I do. He is a typical 16-year-old boy in that he'd rather play Halo or World of Warcraft than do his homework, but he's still a snuggler who will watch sappy movies with his mom.
Christina is a blur these days as she juggles her schoolwork (all A's and B's), her social life (and current boyfriend Cody), with yearbook, Student Council, dance, theatre, soccer and volleyball. She is every bit as melodramatic as her mother, but thankfully smarter. Once she gets over her stage fright, we're all in trouble.
And finally... the cats... and we're down to four after losing Ozzy. Benedick, Sawyer, Claire and Spartacus (Sparkleberry) are spoiled rotten as usual. They are fat. They run the place and keep us on schedule.
And there you have our 'year in review' update. The economy tanked and we saw a lot of friends and family hit hard, which has us concerned.... but hopeful. Our lives didn't change much... we were poor artists last year and we're poor artists this year. And wouldn't have it any other way. We lost our car in August (on our way back from San Diego) and a couple of angels in our lives (Uncle Kyle and Aunt Pat) saw to it that we had transportation when we needed it. We left our positions with Southwest Shakespeare and opportunities opened up in places we never expected.
The year taught me about taking those leaps of faith. It taught me about standing up for what I know is right and good. It taught me about loyalty and persistence. It taught me about human frailty and personal victory. It also reinforced my belief that I am happiest when I am following my 'calling'. To sing, to dance, to laugh, to love... to spread joy.
I thank you, my friends and family, for being my motivation and my inspiration. Thank you for supporting me and loving me despite all my flaws. It is because of you that I have found such passion for life and art.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from my family to yours.

Andi