2017...
The year 2017 was a mixed bag of emotions. Joy, sorrow, grief, worry, accomplishment... But, the best thing about it is that it's over. Rather than try to blog about each event, I'll summarize with pictures. Here we go!
Loss:
Saying goodbye to Mom, after watching her live without Dad for 2 years was bittersweet. She ended her life with a dignified and graceful battle against cancer, sustained by the knowledge that she would be reunited with her sweetheart. I miss her more that I can put into words, and the tears still come without warning. She was a wonderful woman and a powerful influence on me. I'm so thankful for her.
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| The best mother/grandmother/great-grandmother ever!!! |
Saying goodbye to 2 more fur babies added to the grief our family suffered this year. Crazy Magellan and Dirty D joined Daisy, Buddy, Sassy, Burgess, Pepe, Tara, and Jack over the Rainbow Bridge. Run free, crazy boys.
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| Our water loving beagle... |
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| Sweet and gentle Dirty-D... |
Change:
When Mom and Dad moved to Texas, they found their own little piece of heaven; a piece of hilltop property outside of the city of Killeen. They built their dream retirement home and spent the last years of their lives there. After Dad passed away, Mom toyed with the idea of selling their home and moving into something smaller in Temple. She never quite found the right place; and, in hind sight, that was for the best. She wouldn't have lived long enough to really settle into a new home because she passed away just 2 short years after Dad. Getting Mom's estate settled was such a challenge and I couldn't have done it without the support I had from family. I can't really explain what it was like to work beside my brothers, their wives and children, and my immediate family to prepare Mom and Dad's home for sale. It was joyful because of the memories and bonding experience of working together. It was also a way to transition from seeing the house as Mom and Dad's home to simply a piece of property. Cleaning out, painting, and prepping was therapeutic in many ways. It is now the home of complete strangers and will hopefully provide them many years of happiness.
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| Scott & Ron... |
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| Cory... |
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| Kathy Lee... |
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| Deb... |
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| Amanda... |
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| Entry... |
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| living room... |
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| living room... |
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| dining room... |
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| kitchen... |
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| porch... |
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| porch... |
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| sewing room... |
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| front bedroom... |
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| master bedroom... |
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| front of the house... |
Growth:
Birthdays come and go, regardless of family situations. Luckily, having children in the family provides us with joy-filled moments to distract us from the sadness of loss.
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| Super hero twins... |
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| June birthday people favorites... |
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| Jamie, Ron, & Scott.. June birthdays... |
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| Sophie's Capt. Underpants b-day... |
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| Another cute cake... |
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| Ryan... |
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| Maggie Lyn... |
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| Maggie & Mimi... |
Milestones:
Ron and I celebrated our 45th anniversary, the twins started 1st grade, Maggie and Sophie experienced home school, I had to sell Groot and buy Thor, Ryan started teaching 5th grade, Rebecca and Ed came home from Greece, Seth started driving, I retired, Jamie and Ryan got married... Life goes on and we celebrate the milestone events with elation, tempered with a tinge of sadness that we can't share them with Mom and Dad.
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| Cute invitation for my retirement celebration at work... |
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| keeping with a camping/RV theme... |
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| celebrating with family... |
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| friends and co-workers... |
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| socializing and sharing memories... |
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| my greatest accomplishment! |
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| Ryan at work... doing??? |
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| We added Thor to the family. LOVE this beefy guy. |
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| 45th anniversary cruise, improvised, thanks to my genius daughter-in-law. |
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| The wedding cruise made up for it... relaxing down time with Ron. |
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| Ryan and Jamie celebrated their love with a beautiful Mayan wedding ceremony. |
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| The twins looked like angels at the wedding. |
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| Dressing up the old couple is fun, but painful. Glitter and heels aren't comfortable. |
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| The newly weds. |
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| Scott getting caught on camera for the news... |
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| The future... |
I know these pictures don't adequately represent the many experiences our family had in 2017. However, the year is now recorded on the blog. Suffice it to say, I'm glad the year is over and I look forward to many new and happy adventures in 2018
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