Christmas in Washington

 

For the first time since before the kids were born, Jordan and I (and the kids, of course) spent Christmas somewhere other than home.  We crammed our luggage, gifts, snacks, and Freya into the back of our SUV and drove 750+ miles to Jordan's folks for the week.

We still observed our Christmas traditions - including making a couple batches of yummy lefse:

We did farm chores, cooked, shopped, met up with old friends, enjoyed a beautiful candlelight Christmas Eve service and feasted.

Christmas Day dawned with all of it's magic, and it was a total blast to spend the day with Jordan's sisters and our nieces and nephews.  We played some fun games and laughed - a LOT!

At the heart of it all was Dad and Mom.  They are so generous with their time and talents, and they made each of us feel special and loved.  We are so grateful to both of them - thanks for an incredible week!

Seventeen

Annabel turned 17 shortly before Christmas.  Time sure is flying by, and it seems like just a few years ago we were rocking her to sleep as a newborn.  We celebrated her big day with Grampa & Gramma and our friends.  

Annabel continues to be a kind-hearted, studious girl with lots of ambition.  She works two jobs, in addition to taking several AP and college classes.  Her goal remains becoming a physician one day, and she is super focused on making it happen.

Annabel is especially invested in her AP U.S. Government class.  She and her peers participated in the "We the People" program, which studies the history and principles of the Constitution and how it applies today.  Her class qualified to compete -and WON!- the Wyoming state competition, and they are heading to D.C. in the spring to compete at the national level.  

Annabel doesn't get much down time, but when she does she likes to hang out with her friends and read.  She also loves thrifting clothes, shopping and working out.  

We are very proud of the young woman that she has become and very excited to see what the future holds for her!!  Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Friends and Foxes

Last weekend our friends Jim & Jenny, from Cody, stopped by for lunch on their way to visit family.  We love the time we get to spend with them both, and we are so grateful for their friendship through the years.  Of course, I forgot to take a photo, but Jenny called on the way home to let us know that there was a beautiful vixen sunning itself in our subdivision. We'll think of them now, every time we see one of the foxes.

Let Us Give Thanks...

 

Jordan's Mom gave us this years ago, and I love the sentiment:  Let us give thanks in this day, and every day.  We are very thankful for another year together.  

Each day is truly a gift.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Big Sky & Fire Update

If we ever leave Wyoming, one thing we will miss is the vastness of the sky here.  While I miss trees, the unimpeded views around us are pretty special.  Here's a few pics I've taken in our neighborhood over the past few months. 

I'm happy to report that the Elk Fire has been 88% contained since we've gotten several inches of snow.  

We have amazing views of the Milky Way, and we were even able to see the comet on nights when the smoke cleared.  

Small blessings for sure!

Progress on the Airstream

 

With our busy hiking, hunting, and fishing schedule, Jordan hasn't had a ton of time to work on the Airstream.  But in the little time he has managed to squeeze in, he's accomplished a LOT.  Ellie (named after the female character in the movie "Up") cleans up nice, as you can see in the photo above.  Jordan has now completed the first round of buffing and getting rid of the major scratches on Ellie, and she sure shines up nicely.  

Most of the other work he's done in the past few months will (hopefully!) never be seen.  He's insulated and waterproofed the base frame, connected the shell to the frame and installed new windows and hardware.

He's also completely wired and insulated the inside, and he's now in the process of attaching the interior shell on the walls.

A few weeks ago, after a long day working on the Airstream, the kids gave us the sweetest gift for our anniversary.  The key chains and holder above show Carl, Ellie and the house from the movie.  This will be proudly attached to the wall of the Airstream.  We can't wait to go on an adventure!

Drive!

 

This guy turned 15 last weekend.  We celebrated with Grampa Frank, who's birthday is exactly one week prior to Thane's.  They are two peas in a pod, that's for sure!

Thane has grown a LOT this year - both physically and in maturity.  He was  6' 5 1/4" a week before his birthday.  Keeping him in clothes that fit is practically a part time job, and finding shoes that come in his size can be a challenge.  (Although oddly enough, we find plenty of second hand wooden Dutch shoes that fit just fine.)  😂

Thane is in high school now, and his favorite classes are welding and CADD.  He's even considering an engineering degree at some point in the future.  He continues to be an outdoorsman, and he actually mentioned that he enjoyed hiking with us a few times this past summer (although he'd never admit it publicly!) Mostly, though, his tastes run toward fishing and hunting, with the occasional camping trip thrown in.

His latest passion, however, is driving.  He now officially owns a driver's permit, and he saved his hard earned summer cash to buy Grampa's old truck in anticipation of getting his license next year.  

I'm sure that the coming year will fly by - if the last 15 years is any indication.  We are so proud of the young man that you are - Happy Birthday Thane!