Happy New Year!… and Merry Christmas!… Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving… and… well, you get the point!
I guess I’m feeling the need to send out some sort of holiday greetings since I didn’t do Christmas cards this year ~ for the first time in 17 years! It feels weird. But I had to cut something out of my holiday regime because the sum total of all December To-Do’s was turning me into a Grinch every year (thus the blog post “How To Ruin The Holidays In 3 Easy Steps”). So, for me, two things had to go: Christmas cards and a clean house. Hard as that was, I’m happy to report that our holidays were quite delightful!
Ahhh… so here I am on this cozy Colorado afternoon, resting in the holiday aftermath, having hosted my final party last night! Out my windows I see mountain peaks barely revealing themselves behind lazy snowflakes that seem to whisper, “Be still… and reflect…”
In the year 2016…
As I looked through photos and pondered all that’s taken place in this last year, one verse seemed to sum up 2016…
…Behold, I am making all things new…
Revelation 21:5
As a creature of habit, I don’t particularly like change. I am a Vanilla Latte Girl. I might stand and look at the menu board, acting like I’m trying to decide what to order, but I’m going to order a vanilla latte – because that’s what I’ve done for the last twenty years. If I still like vanilla lattes then why would I bother ordering something else?! To try something new would mean… risking disappointment… possible regret… I could end up wasting time and money…
So – most of the time – if I’m going to try something new I have to be forced, tricked, coerced, or inspired to do so. Because the boring truth about me is that I’m not a Dirty Chai Spice kinda girl.
God knows this about me. So He brings about circumstances and people that force I mean lovingly encourage me to broaden my horizons and venture into new territory…
And so it began – 2016 thrust our family into new ministries, new relationships, and new adventures. We walked through some dark valleys but also stood on some spectacular mountains! We watched as certain doors closed and others opened. Each of us faced struggles but also experienced victories!
So, without further adieu, I will proceed with pictures because they tell the story of 2016 much quicker than I can!
Favorite Firsts…
Disney World!
(Even more fun with Grami & Papa, Auntie & Uncle, & all the cousins from Alaska!)
Repelling in Moab, Utah
Nya’s first concert – Hillsong United in Tampa, Florida with cousin Rebecca
(And my first time driving in a big city)
Hiking Mt. Engineer
(Blog post: Hiking Engineer – A Metaphor For Life)
Trek’s first zoo experience – up close and personal!
Nya caught her first fish!
Our first Colorado Christmas tree!
Elli’s first short haircut
First time zip-lining
First year skiing (for the girls and I)!
Nya’s first BB gun :]
Most Memorable Experiences…
Elliana (7) got baptized!
Ty shot his first deer!
I got to be a birthing coach (and cut the umbilical chord)!
(Blog post: The Reward That Empowers Us To Suffer)
Nya (9) starred as Lucy in A Charlie Brown Christmas production
Trek (2) started riding his first bike
Beautiful Places…
Black Canyon National Park
Great Dunes National Park
Grami & Papa’s House – Port Charlotte, Florida
Haviland Lake – Durango, Colorado
American Basin – Lake City, Colorado
Garden of The Gods – Colorado Springs, Colorado
Pikes Peak – Colorado Springs, Colorado
Just Doing What We Love…
Celebrating
Hiking
Biking
Playing in snow!
God has been so faithful. He knows the heart of each one of His children. He knows their likes and dislikes, their strengths and weaknesses. He understands their fears but also sees their potential. I am comforted by the fact that this Perfect Father knows what He’s doing! He knows everything about who we are today and knows exactly where He wants to take us tomorrow. Sometimes that means closing one door to lead us through another. Sometimes it means re-opening a wound in order to clean out underlying infection. Sometimes it means we have to let go in order to receive.
And this is exactly what 2016 has been for us! A year full of exciting first-time experiences. A year of stepping outside our comfort zone, facing fears, and developing new skills. A year of letting go and saying ‘goodbye’ in order to receive and say ‘hello’. And, because life isn’t always roses and posies, it’s also been a year of hurting in order to find healing.
2016 has been so good. So rich. So rewarding!
And where 2016 leaves off is where 2017 begins!
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:19