Around The World In 8 Days

Okay, maybe we didn't go all the way around the world in 8 days but we did drive over 4000 miles in an RV with the kids for spring break. We drove from Wisconsin to Vail, Colorado then down to The Grand Canyon in Arizona, over the Hoover Dam and into Las Vegas and then all the way back home again. In eight days. In hindsight it would have been a bit more relaxing had we taken a few extra days, or even a week, to complete the trip. There really wasn't very much spare time to sit around and relax. But it was an epic adventure.  

I'll show you!

A couple of months ago Todd asked his friend if he could recommend an RV rental place since we'd always wanted to take an RV trip with the kids. Todd's amazingly generous friend told us that we should just use his RV. The RV had only been used for short little camping/hunting trips around Wisconsin but was in good condition for a longer trip. Todd let his friend know that we were planning on going all the way to The Grand Canyon but the friend was not deterred. 

Two days before we left Todd and I drove to the friend's house to pick up the RV and go over all the details. When the kids came home from school that day and saw the RV parked in the driveway they lost their little minds. It was a pretty exciting day.

The kids' break started on Friday the 25th and we left very early in the morning. We could have left on Thursday since school was cancelled due to a snow storm (yeah! driving a borrowed RV in a snow storm!) but I was busy packing everyone up and Todd had to wrap up many loose ends at work. So, Friday morning, at the crack of dawn, we all bundled into the RV and took off on our adventure.

That first day we drove all the way to the western edge of Nebraska. We got to the RV park pretty late and had to set up the RV and hook ups in the dark. The kids were super excited to spend the first night in the RV and it worked out pretty well. The RV park had super nice bathrooms, very friendly owners who gave the kids a ton of free stuff, and a lovely horse in the field next door that came over to the fence so we could pet her every time we called. 

The next morning we slept in just a little bit and then continued on our way to Vail. It was a short but very nerve wracking drive through the Rocky Mountains in an RV. Many prayers were said. It was snowing (our windshield wipers did not work well) and we begged and pleaded the RV to make it up and down the steep mountains. Some hills were so steep we topped out at 40 mph on the way up. 

We did make it to Vail and found a convenient and easy place to park. Parking for an RV is not always available so this was very exciting.  

We walked around beautiful Vail, ate lunch , went shopping, and took in the sites. 

It was a really fun day. The kids fell in love with Vail. It is just so charming. 

We only spent a few hours there before we were back out on the road but it made a big impact on the kids. They loved Vail.

That night we stayed on the western Edge of Colorado so that the next day is was another short drive (short being 6-7 hours) to our next stop.  

Easter Sunday (and strangely enough I don't have any pictures) we found a lovely church so that we could go to mass. The priest was fantastic and the church was beautiful. It was an unusual Easter for us to be away from the rest of our family and our church but this church was a great substitute. 

After mass we left Colorado and drove through Utah. Utah was amazing and I loved Moab. It is a tiny little town but has amazing views. We stopped at the Moab Brewery and I had one of the best wraps of my life. It was one of my favorite things I ate on our entire trip. They had yummy gelato too. The kids were happy campers.

That night we arrived in Williams, AZ where we would be staying the next two nights. It was a beautiful RV park called The Grand Canyon Railway RV Park. It was located on historic Route 66 and had a train that would take you right to The Grand Canyon. Which is exactly what we did Monday morning.

We finally got to sleep in a little bit on Monday morning and then lazily made our way over to the train that would take us to our much anticipated destination. 

The train ride was fun. It was the first time the kids had been on a real train (except for the Hogwart's express at Universal) and our guide, Kathy with a K, was fantastic and filled our heads with amazing facts and statistics. There was even a singing cowboy that entertained us with Johnny Cash and John Denver sing-alongs. It made the almost 2 hour train ride fly by.

When we planned our Grand Canyon trip we booked a guided tour at the Grand Canyon instead of wandering around by ourselves. So, when the train arrived at the canyon we boarded a bus and immediately were led to a lovely buffet lunch. Great timing because the kids were starving (what else is new?). After lunch we hopped back on the bus and the driver (who was not only knowledgeable and personable but funny too) took us to multiple stops alone the top of the Grand Canyon.  

I don't think I could ever properly convey the Grand Canyon to anyone who hasn't seen it. It is indescribable. It blew me away. It was far more than I ever expected. It was breathtaking and majestic and awe inspiring. It was unbelievable.  And a bit scary.

When I checked the weather that morning it was supposed to be near 70 and sunny. Instead the weather decided to be 52 and windy. I mean WINDY. I'm talking 50 mph winds. Now, having my kids running around by the railings was scary enough. Adding a crazy wind to it was enough to make me lose my mind. I was making them hold my hand every time they got anywhere near a railing. And sometimes when they weren't. Poor Grace kept saying, "Ow, mom. You're hurting my hand!" I was holding on pretty tightly. 

I took so many pictures but the pictures don't really do it justice. It was just gorgeous.

Many of the pictures look scary but I can promise you that it is all camera tricks. My kids really didn't get anywhere near the edges. I barely even let them get close to the railings. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw one kid (I'd say about 10 years old) sitting on an out cropping of rock right on the edge of a cliff where there were no railings. WHAT??? WHERE are the PARENTS?????  I nearly threw up. And our tour guide warned us over and over to please be careful because they have approximately 10-15 people fall into the Canyon every year. No lie. Oh. Mah. Gawd.

This is a cool pic of Todd and I because it looks like we were right on the edge. We weren't. There was a viewing area below that rock wall behind us. And I was STILL freaked out. Again. The wind didn't help. A few times I thought I was gonna get knocked over.

I was in picture heaven because each of my kids kept WANTING to get their pictures taken. That was a first. I think they could just sense how amazing this place is and they wanted to document it too.

My kids are obsessed with my camera and are always asking to use it. I think Ben has a flair for photography. He took this picture of me.

It was a pretty epic day. We were all so pumped. I never expected to enjoy The Grand Canyon this much or be this blown away. It was fantastic. 

Next on our agenda was Las Vegas. Just a short 4 hours from The Grand Canyon we decided to stop and see The Hoover Dam. However, once we got to the dam we decided we had seen enough from the RV. We drove the RV all the way across the dam and then turned around, drove back over it, and got back on the road without ever getting out of the RV. It was huge. It was massive. But after just coming from The Grand Canyon we didn't feel the need to get out. Besides, the only place to park the RV was on the Arizona side of the dam and it was quite a walk back down to the dam from the lot. It was a feat just getting the RV over the dam.

So, we continued on to Vegas. 

Vegas was not in the original plan for our trip. We had been planning on going from The Grand Canyon up to Yellowstone Park and then to Mount Rushmore on our way back home. However, all of the RV parks were closed at Yellowstone and many of the roads as well. The roads that were open were not great for RVs. So we went on to plan B. Las Vegas.  Neither Todd nor I had ever been to Vegas. Never really had any desire. But the more I looked into it the more I found out about things to do with kids in Vegas. I thought it might be fun. 

Driving the RV and parking the RV in Vegas was not fun. And that is putting it lightly. But we finally managed and then had to drag all of our bag (we had a ton of stuff) about 5 blocks from our RV, through the hotel, and to our connecting rooms. BUT! It was worth it. The kids were very happy to be in a hotel room with big beds and nice bathrooms. And our hotel was right in the middle of everything. It was across the street from the Bellagio and Caesar's Palace right in the heart of the strip. And we had great views from our windows.

We relaxed for a little while before heading out to our first Vegas buffet at Caesar's Palace.  The buffet was amazing as you would imagine. The kids were adventurous and tried all kinds of new foods. It was fantastic.

After our meal we walked off our food frenzy and went over to see the Bellagio fountains. On the way we stopped for many pictures of the strip, including one with Chewbacca!

The kids and I really enjoyed the fountain show and we ended up staying there to see three or four different shows.

And thanks to the kindness of strangers we even got a few pics of our entire family!

The next day we went to Circus Circus to watch a circus trapeze act, we moseyed around in the botanical gardens at The Bellagio before eating at our second buffet this time at The Bellagio, and we went to a fantastic aquarium at The Mandalay Bay Resort. It was awesome. So many sharks! It was fabulous!

Las Vegas turned out to be so much fun! I never thought my first trip to Vegas would be with four kids in tow but it was a great adventure. Todd and I had to laugh as we reflected back on our time in Vegas. Neither one of us placed one bet nor did either of us have one drink.  Ha!

After two short days in Vegas it was time for us to hit the road and head back home. This time we took a route away from the mountains. Unfortunately, Todd still had a rough go of driving. For 16 hours through the eastern part of Colorado, through Nebraska, and into Iowa Todd had to fight 50-60 mph winds. We almost blew off the road multiple times. We felt like a sail in the wind. Todd's hands were red and swollen at the end of the second day from having to fight the wheel. We even saw a semi that had tipped over from the wind. It was scary.  So, a huge thank you to my wonderful husband for driving us on this epic journey and getting us back safely.

It was a trip of a lifetime and I'm so grateful we were able to do it, but I have never been so happy to see my house. Regardless of the 8 piles of laundry that needed to be done, and all of the STUFF that needed to be put away. We were home.  Home is good.

This post has taken me weeks to put together. There has been SO MUCH going on around here.

Unfortunately, we came home to major drama. My mom had not been feeling good for weeks but we had just chalked it up to a change in her medication. Well, two days after we got home mom kept passing out and could barely move. She went to the ER and from there she was immediately transferred by ambulance to a larger hospital an hour away where she had a pacemaker placed. She had had a 3rd degree blockage of her heart. Once again, my mother beat death. I did not think she would make it this time but she is now back at home getting stronger.  As if that wasn't stressful enough we also had MAJOR family drama while my mom was in the hospital. It was awful (still is, really). It made everything a thousand times harder. I'm still praying over that situation but I don't know if it will ever be okay.

Also, while we were gone our beloved dog, Molly, was attacked by another dog. My sister in law was watching Molly for us and she and Molly were out on a run together. A dog came running out and attacked Molly out of no where. Luckily, Molly was okay. She was checked over by the vet and given some antibiotics and pain meds.  Poor sweet Molly.

Add to all of that the constant rehearsals for the musical the boys and I are in together. Tommy and Joe are sharing the role of Simba in The Lion King (Tommy is young Simba and Joey is adult Simba) so they have to be at rehearsals all the time. I am a lionness and in many of the songs and dances so even on a rare night when Joey and Tommy could stay home I had to be there. Now this is the final week before the show opens on Friday. It has been a massive rush.

All this to say, if you made it all the way through this ridiculously long post then you deserve an award.  Well done! And thank you!

Eleven Is Heaven

Today my Thomas turns eleven. No longer able to show his age on his hands he is now officially in the tween stage. Luckily, this age seems to fit Tommy perfectly. With Tommy, eleven is heaven.

This past weekend we celebrated Tommy's birthday with presents, cake, dinner out on Saturday and brunch on Sunday with the grandmas. It was kind of a birthday weekend, if you will. And much of the time Tommy was helping me run errands, sharing his brand new toys with his siblings, and generally being full of sunshine and loveliness. You know, par for the course with this kid. 

On one errand to the grocery store this weekend Tommy mentioned to me that he is so glad that he is part of our family and I just had to respond in kind. I let him know that he is such a gift not only to our family but to this world. Tommy glows. It is like he is lit from within. We have always called him "Goldensbear" not only for his soft blond hair but for his golden heart. The kid is filled with compassion and kindness. He is charming as all get out and attracts young and old to him. He is confident in himself and makes others feel comfortable being around him. He is good at just about everything he tries. He is a hard worker and I have no doubt that whatever he wants to do in life he will be a success. But more importantly, he is a good person. I told Tommy all of this and let him know that his dad and I don't care what he does for a living. It doesn't matter if he gets married or stays single. He can be rich or poor or somewhere in-between. What matters to us is that he is a good person. And he certainly is on the right path already. We are so proud of him. What a joy he is. 

Happy 11th Birthday, Tommy! No matter how big you get you will always be my baby. I love you so much and I'm so proud to be your mumma.

Welcome to Wisconsin

This past weekend Wisconsin saw temperatures in the upper 50s. Sunday it was 60 and sunny. The warm temperatures gave me a chance to finally take down all of my outdoor Christmas decorations. The ground had finally thawed enough to remove the stakes (from my Nativity scene) and metal and wooden snowmen and Christmas signs from the ground. I even got up on the roof and took down the lights.

The last of the massive amounts of snow and ice had melted from my yard. Every last poo package that Molly left in the yard over the winter, previously buried in snow, had been cleaned up. It truly looked like spring. I was even sweating as I finished up the last of the yard clean up.

Feeling especially giddy I even brought my patio furniture out to the backyard. I knew it was early. I even knew it would get cold again. I checked the extended forecast and saw mostly 40s with a cold day here or there. No snow.  I brought my chairs and couch up from the basement and gave them a good wipe down. I laid the cushions on the furniture. I added the pillows. I even set my solar powered owl on the outdoor table. Then I sat outside on my patio furniture and soaked up some rays. It was glorious.

Later that evening Todd asked me if I had heard of the impending snow storm. I had not. I checked the weather forecast and again did not see any snow predicted. Maybe a slight chance of a flurry but then temps in the 50s again. No problem.

Problem.

The weathermen were wrong. Late last night they predicted an inch or two. I was not happy.

I am even less happy today. The weathermen were wrong again.

We have about 8 inches of snow and it hasn't stopped snowing yet.

I am not happy.

This really is my fault. Though I knew better I went and set my patio furniture outside anyway. I know it is still winter. This is Wisconsin. I don't know what I was thinking. I jinxed us. I apologize.

This morning I shoveled off the back patio and a half an hour later you couldn't even tell I had shoveled.

The owl I had set outside seemed to glare at me as the snow kept piling up. The snow is still falling. I shoveled my mother's house this morning but I realize I will have to go back again whenever this craziness stops. 

At least I can't see him giving me the evil eye anymore.  Sorry, Mr. Owl.

The Proud Owner of a Teenager

Today my firstborn turns thirteen.

I am now in possession of a teenager. And I couldn't be prouder.

I don't know how this all happened so quickly but I am so grateful that this teenager is the same lovable, cuddly, funny, kind, weird, smart, talented, goofy, bossy, hard working, dramatic, analytical, silly, serious, odd, and sweet boy that he has always been. I look at this young man before me and I'm so thankful that he is the same person he was as a little bitty boy. He makes me laugh so hard. He tries so hard to be good. He works so hard to do well. He puts other's feelings above his own. He is an amazing young man. He brings me so much joy.

Joe has just about caught up to me in height. Soon, probably mere weeks, he will be taller than me. Yet he still wants to sit with me, give me hugs, and tell me about his day.

I am so proud of this boy. I am so proud to be his mama. I can't believe this baby of mine is now a teenager. But I am certain of one thing. No matter how old, Joseph, you will always be my baby.

Happy Birthday, Joey! I am so proud of you and love you so much!

Ben

Ben. My baby boy. He is nine years old today.

We celebrated Ben's birthday yesterday with pizza and cake and his grandmas', his godmother, and cousin at our house. It was a good birthday. Ben said it was his "best birthday EVER". I swear he says that every year. Sweet boy. 

This year Ben got a new bike (I think he gets a new bike ever other year, the kid grows so fast). He also got a BB gun and a few other small toys. He was extremely pleased. He had a pretty awesome Minecraft cake (if I do say so myself) created by yours truly. Of course, I took a million pictures but because my computer took a huge dump on me I can not even turn it on much less upload all the beautiful birthday pictures. Hopefully they will follow shortly (either when my computer is fixed or I spring for a new computer- right now I'm borrowing my hubby's work laptop).  I just couldn't let this day pass without acknowledging this amazing boy and his 9th birthday.

Ben is an extraordinary person and such a young age. The first week of school he received the "Compassion" award. The next week he received the "Responsibility" award. Much of the same has continued throughout the year. The kid is a gem. Let me give you an example. Ben's class gets "sand dollars" (his teacher is from California and went with a beach theme for their room this year) for good behavior. Ben earns sand dollars VERY quickly and has then bought many toys and treats (many of which he has chosen for his sister- a ring, etc., or his brothers). Last week Ben told me that he saved up 20 sand dollars (the maximum amount for the top prizes) and chose a pizza lunch with his teacher. For the lunch he was allowed to pick a friend to join him. Ben picked the new kid in class (brand new- he just started a few days earlier) because he wanted him to feel happy and comfortable in his new school. Ben wants the new kid to know he has friends. This is par for the course with Ben. I swear, this kid has such heart it brings tears to my eyes. I could not be prouder. What an absolute gift he is. Not only to me, but to this world.

Happy Birthday, my dear, sweet, kind, loving, and gentle Ben. No matter how big you get you will always be my baby. You are such a wonderful boy and I am so proud to be your mumma.

I love you more than you will ever know!

(Yay! Finally got some pictures in the post!)

Like A Lion

January came in like a lion, fiercely roaring with wickedly cold weather and hectic schedules and new worries. It took us a little while to adjust and focus and we are finally getting into the swing of things again after the long holiday break. And thankfully the weather is finally giving us a little break and warming up. Things are looking up.

We started out the month with some stressful extended family problems (which aren't even worth getting into but caused me a great deal of angst) but even more worrisome was a sudden medical issue. As most of you probably remember Ben had eye surgery a few years ago to straighten out his eyes. The surgery was fairly successful in straightening out his eyes but the left eye has an almost undetectable tilt to it yet. You wouldn't notice in real life but you can sometimes see it in pictures. His left eye often has red eye while the other eye does not (because it is slightly turned it may catch the light from the flash differently than his right eye). Anyway, recently I noticed that the left eye was showing up white in pictures.

(if you click to enlarge the picture you can see the white eye)

A few weeks ago I read a post on Facebook saying that if you see that in your child you should immediately get him to an eye doctor because it is the number one indicator for cancer of the eye. Eye tilting is another indicator.

Of course I was alarmed. I reasoned that it is most likely just a coincidence from the eye's slight inward tilt and that Ben's eyes have been thoroughly checked and they were healthy. But the cautious side of me decided to set up an appointment with the doctor who did his eye surgery, just in case. When I called for an appointment I was told appointments were booking a month and a half out. When I explained the situation the receptionist called the doctor (she wasn't in that day) and they set up an appointment for me to bring Ben in the very next day. That was a little unnerving. The doc assured me that it was probably nothing but she didn't want me to sit around worrying.

The next day I took Ben in for his appointment (he thought it was just a routine eye check). I am VERY grateful to announce that his eyes are perfectly healthy and his vision is still better than 20/20. I can't tell you the relief. It was a stressful few days but it all turned out well. I am so glad I made the appointment just for our peace of mind. The whole situation helped me to put the rest of my "worries" in perspective.

The rest of the month has been less worrisome. We have been crazy busy but it is all good stuff.

Grace has been pestering me to cut her hair. Her hair is SO long that I thought maybe she could grow it out just a little more and then donate the hair we cut to Children With Hair Loss. She liked that idea but just didn't have the patience to wait for her haircut. So, I finally gave in and cut her hair.

It turns out we probably could have donated her hair if I had just cut a little more off. I ended up cutting about 6 inches off but by the time I evened everything up all the way around it was closer to a total of 8 inches off. And she still has plenty of hair to put in a ponytail or to make a braid. I must admit, I was skeptical of cutting it, but it really is adorable. And so much easier to brush through! No more tears over snarly hair! Grace also decided she wants to try and grow her bangs out so we are training her bangs to part off to the side. We'll see how long this lasts. I have a feeling she is gonna get real sick of the midlength bangs getting in her face as they grow out. For now, however, her hair looks really cute.

Speaking of really cute. Grace is on the junior cheerleading team at school and their uniforms have finally come in. I had to get pics of Grace's first time cheering in her new uniform. Have mercy she looked adorable!!!!

She just loves being a cheerleader and cheering on her brothers at their basketball games. Too cute.

As if we aren't busy enough with basketball and cheerleading and Boy Scouts and school work and Science Fair projects (don't even get me started on this one), Joey and Tommy and I tried out for the school musical again. This year the school will be performing The Lion King Jr.

As I mentioned last year, these are not typical school plays. These are theater company quality shows. We are so lucky to have a director and producer who have majors in theater and amazing theater backgrounds and who are willing to donate their time to our little school. They really know what they are doing. Over the years (I think this is the 6th?? show) the shows have gotten bigger and better every year. This year over 60 kids tried out and I'm sure they would have had more kids willing to try out but it is only open to kids in grades 4-8 (much to my Ben's dismay).

Joe and Tommy did a great job practicing the songs. The Lion King is not one of the movies we are very familiar with. I had to rent it again just to refresh the kids' memory of what it was about. Tommy took auditioning VERY seriously and practiced over and over and over and over. He thought he would be a good fit for the role of Pumba. And I have to admit, he really cracked me up when he read the part. He did a great job. But part of the reason he wanted that part was because Pumba doesn't sing much. Tommy always told me, "singing isn't my thing". Though I tried to tell him that he has a wonderful voice and his nerves just get in the way, he didn't believe me. I think he kinda stayed in his brother Joey's shadow with singing as Joey is always singing in front of church and had a lead in the musical last year.

Anyway, the auditions went really well. I thought it would be hilarious if Joey and Tommy got Timon and Pumba because they have a natural rapport and were really funny reading the lines together. They ended up getting call backs for not only Timon and Pumba but for Young Simba and Adult Simba. The night of the callbacks I was shocked to see about 15 boys reading and singing for the same parts. There were a lot of good boys! But I will admit that every time my boys read or sang I was completely blown away. My boys are naturals. It was so fun to watch. I was so happy for my boys and after the call backs I told them how well they did. Tommy, for some reason thought he really messed up his singing audition. I tried to reassure him but he would not be comforted.

The audition list came out after school this past Tuesday and it turns out that Tommy will be playing Young Simba and Joey will be playing Adult Simba. They were both SO happy. Especially Tommy. He just couldn't believe it. He said, "Maybe I can sing, mom!" It is so awesome watching your kids try something they never thought they could do and then succeed! What a rush!

When I went into the school office yesterday the receptionist had to stop and tell me what wonderful kids I have. She is always telling me sweet little stories about my kids but this one really took my breath away. She said that Joey was in the office and one of the moms was congratulating him on his role in the musical.

The woman said, "You must be so excited!"
Joey said, "Yeah! I am. But honestly I'm much more excited for my brother Tommy. I'm just so happy for him."

Hearing that brought tears to my eyes. Joey and Tommy are so competitive and for Joey to be so happy for Tommy just melted my heart. Joey normally likes to be the head of everything, the boss, the leader, and the fact that he is so happy for Tommy just fills me up. No jealousy at all. Not even when Tommy said to me, "Mom! I have a bigger part than Joey cause I am in more scenes than he is!" Right away I tried to smooth things over and I said, "Well, I think it is pretty even. You are the first half of the show and Joey is the second half." Joey pipped up and said, "No! Tommy's right. He does have more lines and songs than me." And there wasn't a hint of jealousy or malice from Joey. He sounded proud. I tell ya, it makes this mama want to cry just thinking about it.

So, we have some very excited kids here. And I'm just happy to be able to be on stage with them again. Parents and teachers were again encouraged to try out for the musical. We are really just the backdrop characters because there were plenty of talented kids to fill all of the roles but I am happy to be part of it. I will be a song leader in the lioness pack. Tommy thought it was cool that all three of us were going to be lions on stage.  I agree.

January came in like a lion and now we are leaving January AS lions.  How do you like that?

A Brand New Year

Last night as we prepared to say goodbye to 2015 the kids and I reflected on all that happened to us during this past year and we couldn't help but notice the overwhelming good year we'd had. It really was one of our best as a family. After reminiscing about all of the trips and fun times and adventures we'd had in one short year the kids were reluctant to say goodbye. And, I admit, I was as well.  

In 2015 we:

-Took a road trip to Florida and visited Disney, Legoland, Universal, and Cocoa Beach where the      kids swam in the ocean for the first time.

-Took a trip to Oklahoma to visit dear friends and swim and play and do some sight seeing.

-We took many trips up north for hunting, fishing, swimming, skiing, hiking, playing, and relaxing.

-Grace transferred back to her beloved school to finish out the school year and then started full time  for 1st grade  this school year.

-Ben had his First Reconciliation and First Communion.

-Tommy had his 10th birthday at a water park.

-Grace learned to ride her bike.

-Joey won the Coach's Award for basketball and got on the honor roll for the first time.

-Ben went to Boy Scout camp for the first time.

-Joey, Tommy, and I were in a musical together for the first time and Joey had a lead.

-Grace had her first ballet recital.

-Todd took an amazing fishing trip in Canada.

-Tommy went to deer camp for the first time and Joey got his first buck.

-Ben excelled in baseball and hit his first grand slam.

-I beat my personal best in a 10K and ran a 5K color run as I'd always wanted.

-Todd and I went to a Packer game with our best friends.

That is quite a list. And that isn't even mentioning the small adventures we had along the way like Bay Beach, or the zoo, or all the times we went swimming or biking. There was an amazing blood moon eclipse! There were football games and baseball games and basketball games. There were fun birthdays, and Easter, the 4th of July, and Halloween. There were bonfires and movies and water fights and hot air balloon shows and bike rides and day trips. And Christmas! Oh what a Christmas! We didn't have any major illnesses (or even minor, now that I'm thinking about it) this past year. We cried far less than we laughed. Of course there were some tough times but somehow we can't recall those quite as easily as the good times. And man. It was just an amazing year. 

A lucky year. 

One that will be difficult to duplicate or compete with.

And it is difficult to say goodbye. 

We may be reluctant to let go of 2015 but we are hopeful for 2016.

Wishing you and your loved ones a 2016 that you will always treasure. The kind of year you don't want to end. Wishing you a happy, healthy, peaceful, joy-filled 2016.