End of 2019

On the 30th, we left Clearwater Beach and drove over to Gulf Shores.  We wanted to enjoy a few days of rest and downtime, just the four of us.  Since Mom and Dad were taking a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl Parade, no one was using the condo over the New Year.  We were happy to have this opportunity.  It was just what we needed.

Mia set up her new telescope from Randy.  We got a close up of the moon and several stars.  We also saw the Blue Angels practicing one afternoon.  They were mostly over the ocean, but at one point, they flew right above us.  It was really cool!

 We ate in most meals, but we had to visit Lambert's one day to catch a roll and enjoy a humongous drink!

 The coolest part of this trip was getting to visit the Gulf Coast Zoo where you can actually play with kangaroos and sloths!  You can also play with reptiles, lemurs, or anteaters, but we choose the other two.  It was amazing!  We enjoyed our time with Crash, Marmalade (the one we're petting in the picture below), Vegimite, and (one other I can't remember).  We were all so surprised at how incredibly soft they are.  This was super cool.

 We also enjoyed feeding and petting Sylvia the sloth.  Her friend, Herbert, was there too, but he slept the whole time.  They were both really cute though.

 Of course, it's a zoo, so there were all sort of cool animals to see.  They also have a ton of animals you can feed and pet.  We had a great time doing this.

This was a fun little adventure to add to our time in Gulf Shores.  Otherwise, we rested, played games, watched movies (and lots of football), and read.  It was a wonderful end of the year!

2019 has come to a close.  It's been a great year for our family.  The picture below has some of my favorite memories from the year in it.  We've taken some fantastic trips, both for fun and for mission purposes.  It was wonderful to see the girls try out volleyball and acting together this fall.  Ryan has started back to school, and he's working on his PhD now.  We've made lots of memories and deepened relationships.  We have more blessings in our lives than we count.

It's hard to believe a new decade has begun also.  We are so incredibly thankful for all the gifts that God has blessed us with in the past.  We pray that we use those gifts to the best of our abilities to honor Him and point others to Him.  I can't wait to see what this upcoming decade has in store!

After Christmas Fun

The day after Christmas we drove down to Clearwater Beach to spend a few days with Grandpops and Grandma Jan.  We were thrilled that Nick, Alli, and Brock were there too.  Jan's 5 younger siblings, their spouses, children and a couple of grandchildren were coming in town too, so we got to see everyone!  These were a fun (and noisy) few days!

Mia couldn't wait to go out fishing on Grandpop's boat.  He surprised her with a tackle box of her own which had lots of hooks, weights, and line in it.  It was a beautiful day as we got ready to set sail; there was even a gorgeous rainbow behind us.

 Grandpops taught Mia how to cast a line.  She took to it quickly!

 We were out for a couple of hours, and in that time Mia caught 17 fish!  They were mostly black bass, but there were a few puffers and grunt too.  At times it felt like she would throw her line and then reel something in!  Ryan and I had fun fishing too but we were not quite as successful as she was.

Thanks Grandpops!

The next day Jan, Nick, and Alli took the girls swimming up at Carlouel, so Ryan and I had a little date to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.  This was made famous by the movie Dolphin Tail a few years ago as it told the story of Winter who had lost her tail.  Ryan and the girls visited here on spring break a couple of years ago, but I wasn't on that trip.  I was really excited to go.  It was really neat to see Winter, her friend Hope (also featured in the movie), and several other cool sea creatures like sea turtles, river otters, sharks, fish, and pelicans.

 Seeing this dolphin perform was lots of fun too.

The next morning Lily and Grandma Jan joined us for a boat ride.  Another gorgeous day!

On our last evening together, several of us went to the beach for the sunset.

 It was absolutely stunning!

We enjoyed these few days together with so much extended family who we very rarely get to see.  What a great post-Christmas vacation!

Christmas 2019

Christmas morning is always exciting, even as a grown up!  We got up about 8:00 to let the fun begin.

 The girls were quite excited that Santa had left them some fun items.  Both of them received Squishmallow pillows, but Mia also received a laser tag set while Lily received her first phone.

 Needless to say, Ryan and I were pretty stoked to receive a PacMan machine!

 Decker didn't want to be left out of the festivities this morning.  When we opened stockings, he seemed pretty happy to get a new toy and some rawhides.

Yep, the girls were pretty happy!

 Every year Grandpops and Grandma Jan adopt an animal at the Lincoln Park Zoo in honor of the girls, and they receive a stuffed animal from the zoo for it.  This year Lily received an ostrich while Mia received a kangaroo with joey.  Super cute.

 Both girls asked for blankets this year.  Lily was pumped to receive the wearable blanket while Mia received a tortilla looking one.  Both are super soft and warm.

 I always like to remember what the girls received as gifts, so:

Lily - Wearable blanket, Descendants spa kit, Airpods, Camping hammock, Crestridge shirt and sticker, and 5 books.  Mia also prepared a scavenger hunt around the house for her, and there was a little gift for her at each stop such as candy, a picture frame, or craft supplies.

Mia - Wearable blanket, Lego mission boat, cat ear headphones, flying golden snitch, Crestridge shirt and sticker, and 5 books.  Lily bought her a game called Throw Throw Burrito that she can't wait to play.

The best gift of the day though was hearing Ryan singing a song he completely created for me.  He's been taking lessons for a couple years now, and I always enjoys listening to him.  He wrote the words and came up with the music; he's been practicing for months.  He called it "Being Home" and it talks about some of the travels we've been on together but the best place is being home together.  It was absolutely beautiful.

After all the gifts were open, it was time for some more fun!  Mia and I played laser tag all around the house together.  We couldn't stop laughing!

 Ryan and Mia put together the new arcade game for us, and we couldn't wait to start playing.  It's awesome!

Granna and Papa stopped by for a few minutes to see us all.  It was a fun and restful day that we all enjoyed.  I'm so very thankful for my people!