2016 year end

My favorite thing to do at the end of a season (or a year in this case) is to look back at where we've been and look ahead to where we are going. In the back of my journal, I've started keeping a list of things I want to remember. Sometimes they are the highlights and sometimes they are the hard things or milestones of sorts. This is my list of wins/highlights/things to remember for 2016:

YL75
Disney

watching  the Star Wars series (including #7 in the theater) over Christmas and snow days
Snow Storm Jonas
braces
valentine's with the underdonks
campaigner weekend
src women's retreat
that one epic garage night
4 premarriage counseling couples in the spring
17 year cicadas

Italy: Florence, Spoleto, Rome
accountability group

weddings: Archer, Salmons, O'Neil, Nagy, Benson, Seavy, Hammond & Akers

(we attended 4 of the above weddings but want to remember this year as a lot of people we love dearly tied the knot.)

Saranac
the summer olympics
anxiety
hot summer/warm fall

Labor Day at the WV Camp with the Bergs

cancer

no one died in September

ending the fiscal year in the black 

(when we were set to run out of money half way through the year)

40th Anniversary YL banquet in Charleston

Puerto Rico: Rusty's Bachelor Party

girls weekend in Charlotte

road trip with the Broadhursts

Millie

road trip to orlando for the WVU bowl game

I'm thankful and amazed at the incredible experiences we had this year. I'm intrigued/hopeful/thankful at what we've learned and how we've grown in the hard and the unexpected. 2016 started out with a lot to look forward to and some great adventures. The second half of the year was a struggle. But overall, there is so very, very much to be thankful for.

december 2016

So December. Sometimes I debate about the old blog. But I've been looking back at things for pictures or remembering and I realize that even if it is just the highlights, it's important to me. And to the kids. And I love remembering these things. There's a lot I say. There's a lot I don't. I'm ok with that. So here's a brief summary of December.

We hit the road with the Broadhursts for a birthday road trip for Seth, that ended up being on Ben's birthday. We had a super fun trip to Deleware and back for an overnight trip. I think we'll make it tradition!

Ben and I made it back in time to go to the WVU/Baylor game. It was way below my threshhold of cold, but thankfully we were in one of the suites with these friends. I am seriously such a waste of a ticket at these sorts of events. I'm totally there for the food and friends.

Love these friends (Shawna & John) dearly and any time we get to spend with them.

These two . . .

We celebrated my parents anniversary with them since they were in town. My sister, Sara, was around after Thanksgiving for awhile so it was fun to have her here too.

Sara and Sophie are kindred spirits.

The kids got to go on a real Christmas tree cutting adventure with the Kozels.

I expect this from Wyatt but not from Ted. Joanna got some shelves in her den and finally unpacked some books. I've decided that I'll let Ted read Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate as long as he's reading something.

Sara made another trip around and we had dinner with Uncle Jim too.

Sophie & Lily watching their brothers play basketball.

Our leader/committee Christmas party. We took a group picture but there was no card in the good camera. Oops!

The boy and his neon.

We took the kids to see Home Alone at the theater. OMG - the BEST! We hooted and hollered and laughed. Sophie drank a huge soda and had to take a potty break in the middle of the break in scene. She leaned over to me and said, "Mom, if I laugh any more I'll pee my pants!" (I am still slightly bitter about missing Christmas Vacation the previous week due to previously scheduled basketball games.)

We had a celebration dinner for dad when he finished his radiation. These two were made for each other. The boy with all the questions and the man with all the answers.

We thought that was the first time Ted helped Ben with a haircut . . .

. . . until I was looking for pictures and found this picture circa 2011.

Other December (pre-Christmas) highlights included:
a WVU basketball game with the Sizicks
the kids' holiday program
two (2?!) card night at the Kozels
dinner with Millers and the Bozics
basketball starting

millie

I'm still not sure of my theology of whether or not dogs go to heaven. Either way, we had to let this one go last week. Millie has been struggling for awhile and it was time. She had a fabulous 13 (2 months shy of 14) years and was a really incredible dog. We got her when she was 10 months old - sweet, gentle, fully trained and a ball of energy (and chewing)!  She loved good scratches, chasing cats and deer, walks, shedding, a window to look at the world, laying in the middle of the kitchen, wagging her entire back half along with her tail, swimming in the river and her people. Her people loved her. She never really liked fans, the noise blowing on glass bottles makes or the smoke alarm. She was the mascot at the river and spent a large chunk of her life with my parents, who initially didn't want to like her, but really couldn't help it. She kept my dad company when he had his knee replaced, was a great dog with the kids when they were small, rebounded from an ACL replacement at the age of 9, jumped out the window of a moving car once, and Ben says is the best dog he ever owned. We always said she would make a terrible guard dog, although I always loved having her around when Ben was away.

She and I have struggled the past year or so. She lost her hearing in the summer of 2015 and really went downhill from there. She started to wander and couldn't do stairs. She stopped going upstairs to sleep in Ted's room last winter. She was on pain meds for her legs and hips for about two years. She started pacing about 6 months ago and her nails clicking incessantly on the hardwood floors were unnerving. But she never got cranky or mean. She couldn't always hear when we got home, but when she figured it out she was always happy to see us. It has been weird to come home and not have her meet me at the door.

The Queen of the River

I'm pretty sure my Dad loved her only second to Ben.

She always slept in my dad's bed in the camper and was the first one up for coffee and breakfast cookies with Mayor John.

She LOVED swimming in the river. She would run off the end of the dock, swim around to the bank, get out and do it all over and over and over again.

Meeting Ted

She never left his side in those early days.

The good old cone of shame happened a lot the past couple of years.

She did this to my bathroom door when she got stuck in there. We were not friends then.

In 2012 she had ACL surgery. She was such a trooper and recovered well.

When she was recovering from her surgery, Ted would lay out in the sun with her.

I came downstairs this spring and Sophie and Millie were having a very serious discussion. Sophie told me she asked Jesus to be Millie's friend forever so Millie could go to heaven when she dies. (I need all sorts of emojis to go with this post.)

Things really started going downhill in May. This was 18 hours before we got on a plane to go to Italy. Millie and I were at the vet because she had started peeing in the house. I totally lost it with the vet. I threw her completely off. A lot of money later and no real answers, we left our kids and a peeing dog for 10 days. God bless our parents.

A boy and his dog. Millie slept in Ted's room for about 5 years. This was a long time ago in a tent at the river.

Sophie was Rudolph this morning.

We love you, Mills. You were the best!

annual blue & gold picture: 2016 edition

I'm quite a bit behind this year on this picture. I was partially boycotting because of Ben's goatee. But then I realized I had to have a picture for this calendar year so I caved. I may or may not have a plan to sabotage Rusty's wedding next weekend - or put glitter in his suitcase or something. He's the one that has this whole "don't trim your goatee nonsense" going on.

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

This was a traditional picture I accidentally started. This year, I boycotted and then we didn't have the totally proper attire with us when we were taking family pictures over Christmas. Oh well, Ben makes up for all of us.