Before I curled up on the bed to write this post, I looked back through the blog to my "Reflecting on 2012" post. I wanted to see what I had anticipated for this year of 2013, because let me tell you, I'm not even sure I can fully relate to you what we have experienced this year. 2013 brought us so many ups and downs. In fact, I think a good motto to sum up our 2013 should be
"One Step Forward, Two Steps Backward"
Isn't that sad... But I won't be elaborating on that...
Instead, let's focus on the wonderful memories of 2013.
In early January,
Kate became a teenager! (and she moved into our home full-time!)
She took turning 13 very seriously, but what teen doesn't.
She has sprouted this year into such a beautiful, responsible, independent young lady. Even though we have had some rough moments with her this year, I have the deepest respect for this girl. She has been through some moments this year that no child should ever have to experience. Brent and I, both, truly admire how she deals with certain situations, several of those situations even being difficult for Brent and I to watch/hear. She has a maturity beyond her years. So incredibly proud of this young lady!
She is flourishing as an 8th grader. She is deeply involved in her school activities which include the volleyball team (plus she plays for an outside Club team, as well), playing percussion in the band, cheerleading, and continuing to get high straight A's in the Gifted and Talented Program every report card. She definitely has Brent's intelligence. We pray her thirst for knowledge continues as she grows.
God has big plans for this girl..
In February,
we took the girls to Kauai. We had the best time (not to mention the girls got to miss some school days for this trip)! Lots of fabulous memories from that spontaneous February get-away!
In March,
the most amazing moment of 2013 happened. Brent and I became grandparents to the most beautiful little love ever, Avery Lynn. Such an emotional, proud, exciting time for us! We love being grandparents and Nick, Kate and Ashlan love being aunts and uncle! We love to spoil our little Avery.
And as this year ends, we reflect on how much Avery has grown in these months. As of last week, Miss Avery has taken her first steps. So excited to see what 2014 holds for our grand baby and looking forward to having her in our arms several times in 2014~
In March, we also took the girls to Colorado for their first snow skiing experience. We joined some other couples and their children which made for a grand week on the beautiful slopes! The girls did such a great job on the slopes and have been begging to go back ever since. To see more pictures from that trip, click here
In April,
two words - Senior Prom
Nick attended his senior prom with a great group of friends. They had a fun night of fine dining, dancing, and socializing. The kids looked so beautiful in their formal attire, and not to mention, Nick sporting a tux. That boy cleans up so well!
In May,
we started the process of moving. I'm not going to get into the full story of HOW we decided where to move (our options were Kauai, Tennessee or staying in town - Brent had job offers at all three locations) In the end, we decided to stay in town. So we packed up our home of 7 yrs and decided to take on a new adventure and build a new home 15 minutes north. This is our 2nd home to build, so we aren't new to the process. But let me tell you - the 2nd time around is proving to be extremely time consuming and stressful. It has so much to do with the community we are moving into and their crazy strict approval process… But after all these months, it looks like we might be able to finally break ground in Feb 2014. Fingers crossed, friends. This has been such a crazy process!
(leaving our home of 7 yrs)
In June,
Nick graduated from high school. After graduation, he enrolled at the local community college. Initially his goal was to get an associates degree in science at the college before transferring to Washington for a degree in anesthesiology. But that quickly changed. His current plan is to get his associates in business and then transfer to Texas Tech in 2015 for a degree in Business. As of now, he has completed his first semester at community college and did very well! Looking forward to God's plans for Nick. We know he will be successful no matter which career route he chooses!
Half way done with the year and it was time for Brent and I to get some much needed stress relief, so we snuck away on a cruise up the coast of Norway to the North Cape. Fabulous, fabulous trip. For our cruising friends, we highly recommend this itinerary. We docked in small, quaint towns, cruised through beautiful fjords, and really felt relaxed on this trip.
To end this trip, we spent a few extra days in London. We spent our time seeing as many tourist attractions as possible and hitting up as many pubs as we could!
In July,
Nick turned 18. That's still hard to believe. He was just a small 7 yr old when we got married. We are so proud of the man he has become.
In August,
we flew to the gorgeous Naples, Florida to see Brent's brother and his family. Unfortunately, Nick had to stay behind for work. But the girls are simply crazy about their Florida cousins and they always have so much fun together! We spent numerous hours on the different beaches, toured the Everglades on an airboat (bucket list - check), spotted dolphins, ate some delicious meals, and simply had a fantastic time making great memories. Looking forward to spending more time in Naples in 2014!
In September,
the emotions were high. We decided to add another family member and adopted the sweetest little furry girl, Miss Pepper Willow. Unfortunately, her precious life ended short. That baby girl made the biggest impact on our family in her short time with us. I'll let you read her story here
We also packed up Brent's office of 17 years in Richardson and moved further north to Plano/Mckinney. The new office is in Plano, with a satellite office in McKinney. He is loving the new locations! I've been working in the office with him since September, which honestly, has been fun. I love working with him (that probably sounds odd) And I also adore the office staff....lots of laughs every single day!
Visit the office website here
Like the Facebook page here
In October,
the sadness of losing Pepper was still evident, but we felt she would want us to rescue and bring in another furry little love to our family. This time we found a full bred Golden boy. Handsome as all get out! We adopted the little guy and were all smiles bringing him home! Because of the quick loss with Pepper, we decided to wait a month before we introduced Bogart to the blog world. He had a rough start, as well. Quite scary in fact. But he has since recovered and is growing like a mad man! He is such a big puppy and needs constant disciplining but we just love him to pieces and feel lucky to have him as part of our forever family! Read more about our Bogart here
In November,
we laid low and enjoyed time with family and friends. From Fall Festivals, to baking, to Thanksgiving, to warm fires in the fireplace - it was just a restful month. A great month to reflect on what we were thankful for which is often so much more than we realize.
This year I felt especially thankful for
- the patience my husband showed with me
-the outpouring of love from unexpected friends
-new friendships that have been a huge blessing
-God's unfailing grace
-finding a new church home
-easy transition for the girls into their new schools
... I could go on and on…..
-
To see our November, click here
In December,
we decided to take a Holiday Vacation. Since we are currently in a temporary house while we build, the majority of our belongings are in long term storage. A long term storage we have no access to, which means I have no holiday decor. I didn't' want to buy all new holiday decor just for the sake of having it this year, so I talked Brent into spending the holiday on vacation…away from home. It was a bit of a selfish decision for me being I'm 36 yrs old and I've never, not once, gone one year of not seeing my parents and sister on Christmas Day. That was hard. But of course they were supportive of our holiday vacation and that's what we did. We pulled the kids out of school 2 days early of their winter break (Kate's wonderful teachers let her take her semester exams early) and headed to the Caribbean. A Holiday Beach Vacation. Yes, indeed! In fact, we just arrived back from this vacation so I haven't had a chance to post any blogs on the different islands we visited. I will be doing that over the next few days. But wow, what a great family trip! And what a grand way to top off 2013!
That was our family reflection of 2013!
What about world events that made an impact this year?
There were many -
some good, some sad, some irritating, some exciting!
When I think of events that stood out in 2013, (not necessary 'changed the world')
this is what I think of:
**Yea, this. Washington is so upside-down.**
**The birth of Prince William and Kate's child. I was glued to the tv for this news!**
**The loss of Nelson Mandela**
**Oklahoma Tornados**
**Boston Marathon Bombings**
** A New Pope**
(you don't have to be Catholic to just love this guy)
I am sure there are so many more events that shaped 2013 (ya know, like 'twerking' and all) but these select few came to my mind first.
Alas, I hope the New Year brings you and your family an abundance of blessings, special memories, great health, safety, and a heart overflowing with love!