I feel like most of this month was filled with tears and quiet moments full of confusion. Let me explain. In the beginning of December I was happily engaged to be married in just 6 short months, but by the end of December I had broken the engagement off because I felt that was what God wanted me to do. It's a long story and I won't share all the details here. It was a hard decision, but I knew and still know that it was the right one. So while I had been thinking that the start of a new year would bring more wedding plans, a wedding, and a new life as a wife, the new year actually brought lots of tears, wrecked plans, shattered dreams, and one of the best experiences of my life.
{February}
This month still held a lot of tears, but also a lot of drawing very close to the Lord and taking my relationship with Him so much deeper. I learned what His strength perfected in my weakness looked like and what total reliance on Him was like. This year was also the year that I decided to, instead of giving my family gifts for their birthdays, I would instead take them on different trips. I loved this! It gave me special time with each one of them and gave us time to make memories together. Something that won't fade away. This worked out well and the only one that didn't happen was one for my dad, there were plans, but they fell through. Anyways, back to February. This was the month that the birthday trips started. I rented a cabin for Anna and I up in New York, so off we went. It was such a lovely time together, just her and I in a big cabin in the woods of New York.
{March}
The beginning of the month was fairly normal. Work, teaching violin, church ministries, and going through the last bits of winter that were hanging on. By the end of March I was boarding a plane heading down to Texas for a month. The first week I was down there we headed to Mexico for the Juarez project. Juarez is a special place. I've spent the past several years working down at BPS going in and out of Mexico. So many lessons learned there. My time down in the southeast spilled over into April.
{April}
We finished up the Juarez project and then it was time to spend time with my sister, brother in law and nephew. It's always a good time with family and we made plenty of memories together, even if it was just doing ordinary things. We also took my sister on her birthday trip, which was a surprise trip to Waco. We saw allllll the Magnolia stuff, except for Chip and Jo (let down). That was a neat experience and I'm glad Trevor and I could make that happen for her. I feel like April was really a month of closure for me too concerning the ending of my relationship with my fiance. That trip was the first I had been back down to Texas (where he was from) since everything happened. It was hard at first going back there, but by the end I had the closure I was hoping I would have.
{May}
This year we planted a garden, so we did a good bit of planting and garden work in May. This was one of my favorite things about the year. I love gardening! Josiah wanted to go camping for his birthday trip so we just went to a local state park and camped. We relaxed for most of the time. He fished and I read and we talked and hiked and had such a good time together. May is my birth month and for my birthday this year, my parents surprised me with a kayak. Something I had been wanting for awhile! This kayak was a source of many adventures this summer!
{June}
This month started off with my mom's birthday trip to Rhode Island. We took time and strolled the beach, toured the Newport Mansions, ate ice cream on the dock, and watched the sunset. I also quit my job this month and went entirely as self employed. A friend and I hosted a tea party for the girls in our church and this is also the month that kayaking went into full swing... getting out on the lake every chance I could! At the end of the month I was a junior counselor at the camp I had grown up attending. This was a new experience and while it was sometimes trying, it was awesome being able to work and help at a place that changed my life as a child and teenager.
My niece was born in July (hooray!) so for most of the month my mom was down in Texas with my sister. This meant that I was in charge of things at the house like laundry, meals, cleaning, and all the other million and one things my mom does. I enjoyed this experience. I do enjoy the every day house tasks. Our garden was also producing by this time so there was lots of picking, canning, freezing, etc. Of course there were plenty of hikes and time out on the lake too! July was probably the most laid back month of the year and while I love to be busy, I also loved this month a lot!
{August}
There were still some things coming in up in the garden but most of that was coming to an end. My brother was getting ready to leave for college so we were trying to pack as much time together in. We took a family vacation to Maine and explored around up there, hiking, canoeing, and searching for moose. It was a fun trip together as a family. We came home, sent the boy off to school, and I boarded a plane and headed to Wyoming to spend time with a friend out there. Most of that trip took place in September.
{September}
I started off the month out in Wyoming with a friend of mine. We consumed a lot of coffee, adventured to various places, and laughed a whole lot. I came home and the same weekend my sisters and I threw a “harvest party” which was actually a surprise homeschool graduation party for our mom. It was a beautiful occasion out on the lawn with good friends celebrating such a wonderful woman. I filled some responsibilities at home and then a little over a week after returning home from Wyoming, I hopped in a car and drove out to Colorado with a lady at our church for a retreat in Colorado. The retreat was great! All nestled in a lodge in the rockies. After the retreat a few ladies and I adventured around in Colorado, viewing sights like Rocky Mountain National Park. As the month was coming to a close so was my trip to Colorado.
{October}
I wasn't home long before I packed my bags again and headed on a short trip to Virginia with my dear friend. We hiked in Shenandoah National Park, stayed in a quaint little cabin, and enjoyed long talks in our rocking chair. I was home for a few short days and during those days my mom and I packed all the necessities into the camper as my parents and I prepared to head to New Mexico for a month. New Mexico was a wonderful work missions trip. I was able to meet up with some old friends and make some new ones as well. It was a blessing to be back out there and able to serve with some dear missionary friends. We worked, and cleaned, and organized, and stayed up late playing games, and fellow-shipped, and had a wonderful time. We were also able to fit in two trips to Colorado on our off weekends. They were both places that we had heard of, but never been.
{November}
We were still in New Mexico at the beginning of the month and stayed there for half of it. More work, more fellowship, more cleaning, more fun. We took a day trip up to Utah in the month and went on a 13 mile hike. That was quite the adventure. Our time in New Mexico came to a close and on our way home we stopped in to stay a week with my sister and her family in Missouri. They had just moved so we were able to help them settle in a little. We got home a few days before Thanksgiving for a nice relaxed day holiday at home. Novembers end was a bit difficult as we said goodbye to our dear, sweet grandma.
{December}
Because of the passing of my grandma our December was a little different. We had a funeral here in PA for her and then the day after a large portion of the family drove to North Carolina where we held a second funeral and buried her back where she was from. We got snowed in while there so we spent some extra days in the hills relaxing together. Once we came home it was full of Christmas things- cookie making, shopping, decorating, etc. This Christmas our whole immediate family was able to be together which made it extra special. To end out the last month of the year we got a beautiful snowfall, all crisp and fresh. Just like the new year that lies ahead.
I've mentioned the highlights, but in between all those big things there were all the little moments, talks with family members, coffee shop dates, get together's with friends and family, photo shoots, violin lessons, and more. What a splendid year it was! My cup with blessing overflows...
Here's to 2018. An empty calendar just waiting to be filled with trips, memories, people, and stories. Happy New Year, friends!
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