Saturday, January 23, 2016

2015 in Review

People always say that as you age the years slip by faster.  I distinctly remember my grandma Bernadette sitting in her beloved glider saying those words to me.  It's true.  This year has been a beautifully, messy blur of core memories.

Buying a home.
We started the process of buying a home, in Minot, in September of 2015.  When Brandon returned from Guam we starting looking around in neighborhoods that we knew we would want to live.  We decided to go with a home that hadn't been built yet.  The floor plan was predetermined and we were got to pick out wall colors, light fixtures, redesign our bathroom and front entry way, etc.  We moved in in February of 2015.  We did our own landscaping in the spring and summer.  We really enjoy the location and our home.  We will make so many great memories here in the years to come.

Baptism.
I had been contemplating getting baptized for years.  In 2015 I felt the time was right. I wanted to do it while Brandon was home to watch.  I was in a great bible study and felt supported.  The more I read the bible and grow in my faith I now this was a necessary step for me.  I was baptized on Easter morning in front of a large crowd.  It was scary and thrilling.  I have a heart of learning the bible and studying our hebraic roots.  I want to learn to hear God's voice.  I changed churches after Brandon left.  I'm still not 100% certain that I want to make this church our home, but I'm patiently listening and learning.

Maggie.
Our sweet black lab, Maggie, passed away on April 16th.  It's taken me a while to be able to process and accept that she is no longer with us.  She was apart of our family for nearly 14 years.  Brandon and I got her before we were married. I was still living in my parents home and Brandon was doing boiler work, and never home.  She slept in my bed and would ride to college with me and hang out in the car while I'd go to my classes. She traveled by car and airplane to be with us always.  She survived the boys' toddler years and never once bit their little hands. She allowed Duckie, our pug, to boss her around for year and years.  She loved playing hide and seek with the family, and was notorious for telling us all where Brandon was hiding.  She loved the woods. She knew that when we turned onto a dirt road, good things were in store for her. She was the sweetest dog that anyone could ever dream of. She is so missed.

Tanner in School.
Tanner started Kindergarten on August 25th.  We were all excited to start this chapter.  Tanner has always been a very social kid that loves to learn.  He is thriving at school.  At his first parent teacher conference his teacher described him as a gem.  Tanner brings a lunch to school every day, unless there is something AMAZING on the menu for lunch that day.  There are many kids that he talks about playing with at recess.  I'm glad to hear that it's not always the same kids, but a wide variety.  He usually has a page of homework today each day, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays he has a reading assignment that he has to do.

Korea.
When an airman, especially in the maintenance field it seems, decides to make the a career out of the Air Force, it is almost inevitable that he/she will do a tour over in Korea.  The stars finally aligned and Brandon got orders to Korea in February.  He left for Osan November 8th and will spend a year there.  We are hoping that he is home before Thanksgiving of 2016.  We see Brandon, on FaceTime, nearly every morning, and often times in the afternoon as well.  We correspond through Facebook messenger, mostly.  This year apart will not be the best year of our life, but we are still thriving.

Christmas Vacation

My goal this year was to have all Christmas shopping done by the end of November so that December wouldn't have any form shopper's anxiety going on.  I did all of my shopping online except for one gift for Brandon and then a few stocking stuffers.  This holiday season was the easiest one yet.  I sent Brandon's gift out on December 8th.  Here it is January 18th, and it still has not arrived.  Booooo.

Tanner's Christmas vacation started December 22nd and my parents arrived late on the 23rd.  My mom and dad celebrated their 36th anniversary on the 24th.  I made them Italian baked shrimp and cheese fondue for dinner.  After dinner we took a drive through Oak Park to see all of the light displays.  After that we drove through a few neighborhoods to look at more Christmas lights.

Dillan cuddled with Beeba


Reading with Meema



Popping Champagne 

Anniversary Fondue

Cheers to 36 years

Christmas Eve
My mom took these Christmas pictures because my phone was being used to FaceTime with Brandon.  The boys got so many fun toys.  More toys than they will probably ever play with.










Dillan had to try on his new undies over his shorts, he was so excited about them.



















Duckie with her Christmas loot






















For Christmas dinner we cooked up a prime rib, made rolls, had bacon wrapped asparagus and twice baked potatoes.





The days following Christmas were filled with making ginger bread houses with meema and beeba.  Meema and Beeba also took them to the theater to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks.









After my parents left we spent the remainder of vacation playing outside, crafting, visiting friends, going to the library, and drinking cocoa.
Dillan wanted marshmallows in his cocoa




They used their own money to buy this paint kit.





Tanner loves playing Sorry.

Jael has an awesome slide in her house.

Grace made us a yummy breakfast.

Playing on the computer at the library.

Do you want to build a snowman?!?