2023 (Extended Version)

    2023 started out rather heartbreaking as our sweet cat Peanut Butter developed some terminal health issues and we had to put him down in January. Though we’ve lost pets before, this was the first time we had to make that horrible choice at the vet’s office. My heart goes out to those of you who have had to go through this. Even though people say death is a natural part of life, I don’t think it is. I think the Lord created us for life and that’s why death is so painful.

Nutty loved to play...especially with slingshot rubber chickens :)

February brought an incredible blessing of life, though-we found out that our fantastic Freys were chosen to adopt a baby that was due in just a couple weeks!!! What a rollercoaster of emotions. They zoomed up from Texas to Missouri and all of a sudden they were a family of four. Okay so it wasn't exactly that simple but I'm pretty sure Chris and Sandra were running on pure adrenaline for the entire month of February! There are way more details to the story…like birth mom and baby's challenging labor and delivery…the incredible Ronald McDonald house…but everyone made it through and God was in all the details. And luckily for us, Oklahoma is a halfway point to Texas so we got to see the Freys and their new precious bundle of love. Baby John’s adoption was finalized in August!

Springtime brought more fun with family and friends. Phoenix and I had our first trip together, just the two of us. We flew out to California to celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday and had a blast with family and friends that we miss dearly when we’re here in Oklahoma. 

At Easter, we had the special treat of the Freys visiting, along with my cousin Elida and part of her sweet gang. We love having visitors, particularly easy-going ones who are content with pizza and college cafeteria grub. Lol

We kept trying to carve out time for a visit to the Kroeker farm, and we finally got to go towards the end of April. James and I enjoyed squeezing new baby Piper, and Phoenix joined in on shooting for the first time. As always, five star review for this cozy Kansas retreat that offers great company, entertainment and feasting!

James and I had been excited for our 20th anniversary this year, and it’s pretty darn tough to beat cruise prices. So we splurged on some tickets, signed up Cyrus and Jade to babysit, drove down to Galveston and jumped on a ship to celebrate on the seas. It was glorious to have our phones turned off and be pampered for a week. We did lots of cheesy stuff... rode a tandem bike, paid an inflated tourist price to hold Tequila the lizard and took a thousand + pictures of each beautiful meal we were spoiled with. Not gonna lie; it was a tough transition coming back home to real life and turning our phones back on. But we are thankful God gave us a magical time of rest and reconnecting-we savored it. 

Took this pic because I loved the bench...
later realized the perfect man for me was actually in the background
(with orange backpack)...and now I love it even more. :)

To top off a wonderful vacation time, we got to stop in and say a quick hi to the Freys on our way back up through Texas.

As summer approached, Cyrus and Jade flew off to Japan for six weeks, and we did our best to keep busy and not be too envious of the photos they’d send us when they had a free moment.

In July after they returned, we road-tripped out to California. James was out for just a few days, then flew back for work and my mom helped me with the drive back...which is certainly a long trek! The battery on our Flex died about a week after we got back, and I’m thankful to God that it didn’t happen in the desert with the triple digit temps.

Budget treat...three people to one shake. Heehee

Can you tell I was slightly enthusiastic in passing the CA border to drastically better gas prices?!

In the fall we returned to work and school rhythms. Some big debts were able to be paid off and, though we were feeling poor, I realized we needed to celebrate God’s provision and so we threw a mini Thanksgiving (sushi-style).

We also figured out that Phoenix needed to join the glasses club (which she wasn’t excited about at first but now she loves being able to see clearly ;)).

And we made the decision to add some chaos into Maverick’s peaceful life.

Introducing Chicken and Waffles! 

Congratulations on making it through all the cat pictures...be thankful I only put up a fraction of the millions we've taken. ;)

    Our wonderful neighbors watched the fur babies so we could visit family up in South Dakota over Thanksgiving. It was a short visit but we tried to make the most of it. It's amazing how grown-up all of my cousins' kiddos are and we thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of all those who hosted us. Thank you to everyone who helped in putting together the fun and festive reunion! I should have taken more pictures...will have to see if James can get some from those who were there. We especially enjoyed getting to see my dad's place and shopping for treasures at my aunt's thrift store.

The year is being closed out with a grandma visit, lots of baking and Christmas lights, a Nutcracker girls' night out and gorgeous park walks in the cool weather. God continues to provide for us in creative ways...He never ceases to amaze me. We are thankful for not only His financial provision, but His physical protection as well. We're thankful the twins were safe while they were overseas, and that Jade recently made it through a bad car accident with no serious injuries. Only God knows the number of our days, so we're thanking Him for what He's given us this year and hope to not take this life for granted. 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!