Favorite Pictures of 2014

Apostle Islands Ice Caves

Lani with a family friend

Amy in a ski race

Me and a friend at a scrapbook retreat

Rachel, Cailin, & Andrew

Photo by Emily Hedstrom

Lani

Kiah and Dayton

Cailin

The last of my son's 4 close friends from High School got married. 

(photos by Jake's wedding photographer)

Andrew was the first to get married, Jake was the last

 My son is the giant

He who finds a wife, finds a good thing

Four Generation Picture

My dad, my son, my granddaughter

Anna, Lani, and Amy

Lani on her 16th birthday

Look who turned 18

Erica flew home from Texas for the first weekend in December

And there you have it. 2014 is a wrap. 

Looking forward to what the next year has in store. 

Oh, My Poor Neglected Blog

I'm dismayed that it's come to this. Over two months without one post. 

I've followed blogs before that quit posting and I'd think, "No, please don't quit. I enjoy hearing about your life." Unless your blog friends are in-real-life friends or Facebook friends, once they stop blogging, you have no other way to know how they're doing.

2014 has been crazy so far. We visited Keith's sister who lives nine hours away and our kids who live five hours away for the Christmas holidays. Upon our return, we took turns sharing the cold that our relatives had shared with us at Christmas. 

A week later, My mother was hospitalized with pneumonia. She had COPD, assorted other health issues, and had been bedridden for two years. We'd had similar phone calls like this over the last 12 years, so while concerned, we assumed she'd bounce back like all the other times.

2012

She died January 17.  

Even though she had been sick for a long time, and I'm glad she's in a better place and is no longer in any physical or emotional pain, that for the first time in her life, everything is right, it was still hard. I don't think we're ever ready to say good-bye to people we love. 

The upside of a sad time, is spending time with family and friends. My daughter Kiah and I took the train from Minneapolis to Portland for her funeral. 

Despite the circumstances, Kiah and I had a great time. We enjoyed connecting with family we hadn't seen for ages.  I was gone 12 days. 

On the train ride home, I got the message that my husband's 89-year-old mother had suffered a stroke. This took me by surprise because for the most part she had been in good health. 

She died three days later on January 31. Exactly two weeks after my mom.  Double whammy! Ouch! I hadn't processed my mom's death yet before Keith's mom died. 

She was ready to go. She said at Christmas that this was her last Christmas. She often said that she just wanted God to take her. She's in a much better place and we wouldn't wish her back, but she was dearly loved and we miss her. 

First time our family had all been together in over a year. 

Our granddaughter lightened everyone's hearts. My son said people should rent out therapy babies for funerals.  

Good to mourn together, share memories, family stories, hugs, and tears. Good to say good-bye together, but in our own way. 

Because Keith's mom had been in assisted living, we had to immediately clean out her apartment so we wouldn't be charged for another month. Usually after a funeral, you don't have to deal with their stuff right away. This was a mixed blessing, as it was hard, but it's done. It could easily have dragged on for years, like it did with his dad's stuff.   

The first week home I felt numb and sluggish and didn't feel like doing much. We're for the most part back in the saddle and trying to get back into a routine. 

All this to explain where I've been the last two months.  If you still read my blog, thank-you. I appreciate your concern for me and my family. I'm thankful for all my family and friends, virtual or otherwise.

Family Photo Reenactment

2004 - Family picture at Grandma Vik's 80th birthday

2013 Re-enactment 

Nine years later, everyone is bigger, three cousins are 

missing, and our niece's husband passed away last summer.

There's a big piece of furniture where the photographer 

needs to stand, so we couldn't get everyone is the same picture. 

Grandma can't go down stairs anymore so she's sitting up top. 

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people 

who belong to us, we see the past, present, and the future. 

--Gail Buckley--

Favorite Pictures of 2012

(almost everyone is wearing a pair of my reading glasses)

 
"Raising children is like making biscuits:  it is as easy to raise a big batch 
as one, while you have your hands in the dough." --E.W. Howe--

 I stole the quote from my friend Lori.

For your viewing pleasure,

My favorite family pictures from 2012

Muddy Buddies

(Amy and Anna)

Andrew and Rachel camped in the South Dakota Badlands

My DIL Rachel graduated from UW-LaCrosse in May
(photo by Cindy Schwerdtfeger)

  My Handsome Hubby
(photo by Brook Peckham)

First time my family has all been together in 22 years
(I'm the oldest - sister on far left is two years younger, 
sister in purple is four years younger,
and my brother is five years younger.  

Christina learning to shoot
(photo by Robin Stitzing)

Lani and Amy with two friends
(Little Girl's Beach near Ironwood, MI
photo by Lori Poppinga) 

Christina was Maid-of-Honor in this wedding
(I have a thing for hay bales)
photo by the wedding photographer

Wedding Photo Booth
(photo by Sarah Illick)

Enjoying my new purple reading glasses

Anna, Rachel, and Kiah

Lani's Birthday at Amnicon State Park

Our October Birthdays

Amy and Rachel

Lani, Anna's, and my reflection
(Korean War Memorial in Washington DC)

Amy, Lani, and Anna
(FDR Memorial in Washington DC)

 
Lani and Erica
(These two get along well, as opposed to 
other sister combinations who don't get along so well) 

Business as usual

“Your children are the greatest gift God will give to you, and their souls the heaviest responsibility He will place in your hands. Take time with them, teach them to have faith in God. Be a person in whom they can have faith. When you are old, nothing else you've done will have mattered as much.”

--Lisa Wingate--

I'm linking up with Lori whom I stole the quote from

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New Year's Greetings

I got hopelessly behind last year. Today is a new beginning and I plan to get off to a good start. 

So since the Christmas ship has already sailed, our family would like to wish you a Happy, Healthy, and Grace-filled 2013.

(For friends and family who still can't keep track of which name goes with which face

Front L to R - Anna, Kiah, Lani, Angie, Christina

Back - Andrew, Keith, Erica, Amy, and Rachel)

It was a toss-up for which picture to use for our Christmas Card pictures. The kids voted for this one. 

In our family, the kids all get one vote, I get eight votes, and Keith gets 16. This picture was fun and I'm not categorically or philosophically opposed to fun, I just liked the first one better. I made an unpopular, executive decision and went for smiling and normal instead of fun and crazy. 

Finding a day when all ten of us would be together is not easy since Andrew and Rachel live six hours south. This was the first time since last Christmas we all were together. 

We had a window of one and a fourth of a day to get this done. I opted for the full day, but couldn't for love or money get people to cooperate. Either someone had work or school or other commitments. 

Thirty minutes before Andrew and Rachel left we finally set about the difficult task of getting ten people to look at the camera, smile and look intelligent all at the same time. (As it is, we made the mistake of having two people take pictures at the same time. If you look closely, some people are looking to one side, and the others are looking to the other side.)

We refereed a few disputes over certain sisters wearing other sisters' clothes without asking.   

I have a Pinterest board with family photography ideas and envisioned something like cool like this 
  

But instead got this

Or even worse, this

Not sure why we thought eating bird seed would make 

a good picture. It seemed like a good idea at the time. 

After ten cold minutes, 

Keith said, "Okay, that's good enough. We're done."

"But wait, we haven't done anything cool yet." 

(Other than take outdoor pictures on a cold November day)

Some year we might get our picture 

on the Top 50 Family Photos List,

But not this year.   

             Thanks for caring about our family. 
                  Blessings on the New Year.