2018
2018 was a crazy year and while I stop and ponder the year and think about all it held, one thing keeps returning to my mind- how thankful I am for all friends who were along for the ride with us. Encouraging us us with words and time and gifts and helping us not feel alone during such a challenging time.
This post is sort of a "yearly recap," along with a bunch of links to things that we enjoyed, mattered to me and such this year. To share the love, so to speak. And my favorite pictures of the year.
A year ago this week, Heidi and I were finishing packing up all our belongings in Washington. We had a visit from my dear friend Barbara, who helped me verbally process the crazy 7 months there and just gave me some much needed "friend time." A few days later Heidi, Elsa and I began our trip back across the USA and I'm sure most of you remember the absurdly crazy story that involved . .
- Esla's flight to NY getting delayed, her missing her connecting flight and then spending the night (apparently) at a doggie hotel in Newark before we finally connected with her in Syracuse.
- Our moving company barely making in to our remote house to get our stuff OUT, then the driver almost dying of the flu and our stuff stuck in Montana for more than a week . . . and then the drama of the massive moving truck getting stuck driving INTO the camp and even more stuck driving OUT.
- snow storms from Washington to New York to Massachusetts
- most of this taking place while Jer was trying to study for and pass his Wilderness First Responder class and not able to know what was going on
By the end of January we had all reunited in MA and within a day or two found out that the housing they had planned for us fell through, launching us into what would be seven months of living out of suitcases and uncertainty. We celebrated Shannon's 10th birthday, took a trip to Long Island (also filled with drama including no heat in our housing, no hot water and other {almost} comical adventures), and hunkered down during three back-to-back No'reasters.
As I read my journals and notebooks again, this quote stuck out as one I had written down, while packing and unpacking on almost a weekly basis and trying to somehow create "home" and stability for our kids in such a strange living situation. I knew that somehow God would bring us through, teach us things and preserve us but I had to hold on in the meantime.
April brought us a wonderful trip to PA for my little brother's wedding and a chance to see our entire family. I've never attended a wedding, or wedding weekend that was so intentionally and carefully planned out with a focus on family time and the very serious spiritual commitment of marriage.
We returned to MA for just one week, as we finished our 90 day review and prepared to go on our vacation trip. We "chased spring" southward as we headed to visit friends, and interview in Mississippi. We giggled with glee as we found more flowers and green at every rest stop! After a great visit and interview, we headed East to the beach and then north to spend some time at Jer's childhood home. Being in a house was so refreshing after so many months of the "suite life."
Shortly after returning to MA, we continued to bounce around, landing this time in an RV for our remaining month. One of the highlights of our time in MA was getting to work alongside an amazing retired couple, who was there to volunteer. They were like grandparents to our kids and wonderful inspiration and encouragement to Jeremiah and I. And their home base is just three hours from where we are in MS now! We had some good adventures during our last weeks in MA . . .
The weather began warming up and we spent a lot of time down at the lake. Kids caught zillions and zillions of little critters.
Mid May we headed out of MA and took two months to visit family and do some emotional healing while waiting for our new job to be ready in MS. I am so thankful for family that is so amazing, that two months of living with them (half in PA and half in NY) wasn't nearly long enough and we were sad to have to leave.
I picked flowers all month long. It was my first "northen spring" since the year I graduated college (2000) and I was determined to soak up every sweet smelling and beautiful flower possible. We spent hours outside, including watching Dean build.
We also spent time in PA with Jer's mom and we helped her get a cat.
BUT excited to finally say good-bye to the suitcases and have a home of our own! Almost exactly 365 days after arriving in WA, we arrived in MS.
We (very quickly) settled in and got our new home ready. July 25th our family grew by three kids, when our Ashly, Aubrey and Cameron joined us. August brought back to school shopping and preparation. Homeschool got back under way for my three and public school started for the other three. The months have fairly flown by, we work 21 days on and 9 days off, so it seems like each month is just 3 weeks long. The kids get along famously with each other and it's as though they've always known each other
Shannon 10, Ashlyn 10 (4 months younger), Forest 9, Aubrey 7, Cameron 6 and Heidi 5
Heidi had her 5th birthday in September, Forest turned 9 in October. Forest and Cameron played soccer which kept us busy for September and October. We've managed to get to New Orleans a couple times (zoo is our new favorite trip) and got to take a trip to Arkansas to visit friends. We had our first visitors (Dean and Kyria). Then the holidays quick blew in. We made some great Thanksgiving memories and had an amazing Christmas holiday as a large family
What will this new year hold? Hopefully not nearly as much transtion and change! We do have four empty beds in our house- the promise of children who need a safe and stable place to live out their childhood and teen years. That will surely bring change to our family. But we are praying for a calm year, in the same zip code!
This post is sort of a "yearly recap," along with a bunch of links to things that we enjoyed, mattered to me and such this year. To share the love, so to speak. And my favorite pictures of the year.
A year ago this week, Heidi and I were finishing packing up all our belongings in Washington. We had a visit from my dear friend Barbara, who helped me verbally process the crazy 7 months there and just gave me some much needed "friend time." A few days later Heidi, Elsa and I began our trip back across the USA and I'm sure most of you remember the absurdly crazy story that involved . .- Esla's flight to NY getting delayed, her missing her connecting flight and then spending the night (apparently) at a doggie hotel in Newark before we finally connected with her in Syracuse.
- Our moving company barely making in to our remote house to get our stuff OUT, then the driver almost dying of the flu and our stuff stuck in Montana for more than a week . . . and then the drama of the massive moving truck getting stuck driving INTO the camp and even more stuck driving OUT.
- snow storms from Washington to New York to Massachusetts
- most of this taking place while Jer was trying to study for and pass his Wilderness First Responder class and not able to know what was going on
By the end of January we had all reunited in MA and within a day or two found out that the housing they had planned for us fell through, launching us into what would be seven months of living out of suitcases and uncertainty. We celebrated Shannon's 10th birthday, took a trip to Long Island (also filled with drama including no heat in our housing, no hot water and other {almost} comical adventures), and hunkered down during three back-to-back No'reasters.
As I read my journals and notebooks again, this quote stuck out as one I had written down, while packing and unpacking on almost a weekly basis and trying to somehow create "home" and stability for our kids in such a strange living situation. I knew that somehow God would bring us through, teach us things and preserve us but I had to hold on in the meantime.
"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
Julian of Norwich
April brought us a wonderful trip to PA for my little brother's wedding and a chance to see our entire family. I've never attended a wedding, or wedding weekend that was so intentionally and carefully planned out with a focus on family time and the very serious spiritual commitment of marriage.
We returned to MA for just one week, as we finished our 90 day review and prepared to go on our vacation trip. We "chased spring" southward as we headed to visit friends, and interview in Mississippi. We giggled with glee as we found more flowers and green at every rest stop! After a great visit and interview, we headed East to the beach and then north to spend some time at Jer's childhood home. Being in a house was so refreshing after so many months of the "suite life."
Shortly after returning to MA, we continued to bounce around, landing this time in an RV for our remaining month. One of the highlights of our time in MA was getting to work alongside an amazing retired couple, who was there to volunteer. They were like grandparents to our kids and wonderful inspiration and encouragement to Jeremiah and I. And their home base is just three hours from where we are in MS now! We had some good adventures during our last weeks in MA . . .
The weather began warming up and we spent a lot of time down at the lake. Kids caught zillions and zillions of little critters.
Our dog and our co-workers dog decided to take off (while we were dog sitting) and go visiting way down the lake. To drive would take forever (small winding lake roads), so Jer had to hop in the canoe with Shannon and attempt to get them. I laughed until I cried when they came sailing back across the lake- the dogs grinning away as though they were just happy sailors out for a cruise. Not disobedient running away dogs!
Not only were Al and Marsha wonderful friends (and RV neighbors), but she is a horse expert and actually the previous owner of some of the horses who arrived at camp for the summer. She taught our kids a lot of about horsemanship. And laughed when Jer had to chase down the horses when they escaped. He was quite the "escaped animal expert."
Mid May we headed out of MA and took two months to visit family and do some emotional healing while waiting for our new job to be ready in MS. I am so thankful for family that is so amazing, that two months of living with them (half in PA and half in NY) wasn't nearly long enough and we were sad to have to leave.
I picked flowers all month long. It was my first "northen spring" since the year I graduated college (2000) and I was determined to soak up every sweet smelling and beautiful flower possible. We spent hours outside, including watching Dean build.
In NY, my girls and my sisters had a great time spending hours playing together and being a kid-pack.
As usual for our northern summers, Forest caught many a critter, including baby snapping turtles that we took care of all summer. And frog as big as his head.
We spent many beloved hours at Lake Ontario, looking for rocks, catching critters and even doing some swimming.
We also spent time in PA with Jer's mom and we helped her get a cat.
BUT excited to finally say good-bye to the suitcases and have a home of our own! Almost exactly 365 days after arriving in WA, we arrived in MS.
We (very quickly) settled in and got our new home ready. July 25th our family grew by three kids, when our Ashly, Aubrey and Cameron joined us. August brought back to school shopping and preparation. Homeschool got back under way for my three and public school started for the other three. The months have fairly flown by, we work 21 days on and 9 days off, so it seems like each month is just 3 weeks long. The kids get along famously with each other and it's as though they've always known each other
Shannon 10, Ashlyn 10 (4 months younger), Forest 9, Aubrey 7, Cameron 6 and Heidi 5
Heidi had her 5th birthday in September, Forest turned 9 in October. Forest and Cameron played soccer which kept us busy for September and October. We've managed to get to New Orleans a couple times (zoo is our new favorite trip) and got to take a trip to Arkansas to visit friends. We had our first visitors (Dean and Kyria). Then the holidays quick blew in. We made some great Thanksgiving memories and had an amazing Christmas holiday as a large family
What will this new year hold? Hopefully not nearly as much transtion and change! We do have four empty beds in our house- the promise of children who need a safe and stable place to live out their childhood and teen years. That will surely bring change to our family. But we are praying for a calm year, in the same zip code!
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