Today I am starting some new things and I’ll be doing some traditional things like watching the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl game. What are you doing on the first day of 2014?
Considering the old and looking forward to the new, that’s how I’m ringing in the new year! I’m posting my Happy New Year greetings early and will see you all again in 2012!
Our son Josh opened his own Mortgage Office with his parent company in January and had an open house in February.
Katie and Andrew got married on March 11th in North Carolina before the Magistrate.
My 60th birthday celebrations in March were amazing with several well orchestrated surprises. I’ll never forget the fun and love I was showered with.
We had our first Sisters Weekend trip to Victoria, B.C. in April and we got to meet my new bloggy friend Pondside who treated us to a great tour of her island.
Our cookbook, Mennonite Girls Can Cook was published in May. We had a celebration dinner at Lovella’s and book signings at Lepp Farm Market and Winks. I am so thankful that God brought these beautiful ladies into my life through blogging. Wow! Who could have foreseen this blessing…
Katie traveled to Florida to spend several days with Andrew before he was deployed to Afghanistan with the Marines later in May.
I traveled to Washington D.C. in May with Dear on a business trip and enjoyed seeing so many wonderful historical sites.
In June I started to get serious about dropping some weight so I’d be a happier person when shopping for the Mother of the Bride dress.
We got to meet another bloggy friend in July when Jill came to stay with us and Katie, Jill and I traveled to the Lavender festival in Sequim.
Katie and I traveled to Southern California the end of July and had many fun times with our extended family, including a Bridal shower for Katie.
In August Josh and Laura celebrated their 10 year anniversary in Hawaii with my niece and her husband who also were married in 2001.
In late August Dear and I spent a couple days in Oregon traveling along the coast and inland visiting Multnomah Falls. We stayed at Salishan Spa and Bonneville Hot Springs.
Dan had the fun privilege of learning all about horses and horse back riding this summer. No surprise the horses really take to him. He even road a horse in his hometown parade.
In September we finally found our new church home and have been settling in at Northshore Baptist Church.
October was a very busy month with travels to Canada at the beginning of the month and the end of the month for book signings and cooking demonstrations at the Women’s show. I also traveled to Sacramento for a dear friends funeral.
In October we had the menu tasting for Katie and Andrew’s wedding. That was a very fun appointment tasting so many yummy dishes.
From March until October we enjoyed our season tickets for the Sounder’s Soccer Team! Another successful season, winning U.S. Cup for the 3rd time.
In November we had a Northwest Bridal Shower for Katie. It was so much fun to have so many old friends together again.
Thanksgiving came early for our immediate family with everyone here but Andrew.
Our very first and oldest niece had her first little baby, a girl, in November! A miracle and a great joy!
We traveled with Katie to North Carolina to get her settled into her and Andrew’s military housing in early December.
Andrew arrived safely home from his deployment in Afghanistan on Christmas morning.
God filled our cups in 2011!
Celebrating Josh and Dan’s birthdays in January.
Gatherings with the Mennonite Girls in the New Year.
Meeting our new Grand Niece.
Katie and Andrew’s wedding on their one year anniversary in Seattle in March.
Our nephew Levi’s and Kristin’s wedding in May in Southern California.
A new roof on this old house.
Being open to any new adventures and lessons God has in store for us.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.
January~
A job interview for Dear in Seattle.
Dan completes the first stage of his training and flies home to Seattle for a week before he leaves again for a 10 month training period in Yuma, Arizona.
February ~
Dear and I fly to Seattle to spend some time with Dan before he leaves again.
Katie’s boyfriend Andrew flies to Seattle for us to meet him and spends a week with us.
Dear receives a job offer and gives notice at his current job.
We put our condo in California on the market.
Sad goodbyes to good friends and family in Southern California.
Dear’s last day at his California job and we pack up and leave on a 3 day roadtrip with our vehicles packed to the gills.
March ~
Arrive home in Seattle for good for now…
Seattle Sounders opening game for the season.
Celebrate my birthday in LaConner and get the amazing experience of seeing Snow Geese.
April ~
Easter Sunday meal at our house with Kulich that Lana and I made for the 2nd year in a row.
La Conner to meet up with 5 of the Mennonite girls for the first time!
Return to California to supervise the condo being packed up and our stuff moved to Seattle.
Katie joins me in California and we enjoy 2 days packed with family gatherings.
May ~
Andrew comes for another visit with Katie.
June ~
CONDO SELLS and escrow closes!
Andrew arrives for another visit before his Bootcamp begins.
World Cup begins
Family kayaking trip
Katie walks in her graduation from the University of Washington.
July ~
Uncle Ray dies ~ we attend funeral in Yuba City, Ca.
Lavender Festival
Family visits
August ~
Trip to Eastern Washington
Mennonite Girls Can Cook Summit in British Columbia to sign contract for our new cookbook.
September ~
2 days of nonstop fun with the Mennonite Girls in Abbotsford and Chiliwack.
South Carolina with Katie to attend Andrew’s graduation from Marine boot camp Parris Island.
Andrew asks Katie to marry him.
October ~
Tendonitis
Wedding Dress Shopping
Trip to Dallas with Dear to visit Leonard, Mandy and Miss Hope.
November ~
Dan is back in Washington after completing all his hands on training.
Early Thanksgiving celebration before Dan heads to his new home and work in North Eastern Washington.
Tim and Letty are here for Thanksgiving and the girls continue our Tea tradition.
Katie flies to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with Andrew and part of his family.
December ~
We celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary on Whidbey Island.
Dan arrives for a couple days for our Christmas celebration.
Andrew arrives for 10 day leave from the Marines for Christmas.
Wonderful Christmas with all our kids and future kid Andrew…
Celebrations continue with Katie’s birthday and New Years Eve…
God is faithful and his goodness to us is always good to consider and reflect on. That’s what I’m doing with this post.
The Lord knows what 2011 holds for us and we trust Him to get us through…
Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow;
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife,
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweet manners, purer laws.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 