New Year, Old Reflections -- 2017

My favorite thing to buy at the beginning of each year was the Life magazine "Year in Pictures." My parents had a few from over the years, and I loved looking through them at the moments in time that were captured through the photojournalist's lens.

Here's to looking back at 2017 through our pictures. So many photos (whittled down from 1,000s to a mere 400 or so)...and so many smiles -- many, many more than the last few years.

God is good to us! He has carried us through quite a lot in the past few years, especially. And being able to recap the year through photos is always a joy. Seeing memories forgotten already...truly priceless.

In an age of constantly changing technology, what are your favorite ways to keep memories alive year to year?

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Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and old lang syne?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you'll buy your pint cup!

and surely I'll buy mine!

And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,

and picked the daisies fine;

But we've wandered many a weary foot,

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,

from morning sun till dine^†;

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there's a hand my trusty friend!

And give me a hand o' thine!

And we'll take a right good-will draught,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Happy New Year!!

Happiest of Happy New Years! We are SO glad that it's 2017!

To say that 2016 was not our family's favorite-most year does not adequately cover it. But to say that God carried us and strengthened us and kept us going through it is an absolute blessing and truth!

Between Emily's extended illness and emergency appendectomy and my breast cancer and Stuart starting back to college and still traveling...and the boys being hungry ALL the time...and medical bills that are drowning us...

But through it all, God was there...and still is. We know that He who controls the universe hasn't forgotten us.

A recap in photos of 2016...and see? We were even smiling.



2016: Year in Pictures

A Year in Review: 2015

In past years, I've gone through my photos and posted a photo or two from each month to try to remember what went on throughout the year. This year, I decided to choose photos and do a Flipagram with them.

Here for your viewing pleasure:

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2014: A Year in Pictures

A new year. It's always difficult to remember everything that happens in a year, but I love how photos can tell that story. I'm a bit, okay, a huge lover of photos. I love taking them and looking at them and collecting them. I really enjoy how they freeze a moment in time so perfectly. Even the photo mistakes have meaning to me. 

So digesting our last year to just 12 photos? I used to be able to do it...in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. But, if you indulge my photobuggedness (is that even a word?), I'll keep it to a few each month....

Here goes:

JANUARY

 

We started the new year with a few of us getting ill and a LOT of snow, especially, of course, during the Pennsylvania Farm Show, which, sadly, we weren't able to go to. The doggies got new sweatshirts. We finished the first semester of school. January sped by, leading us to...

FEBRUARY

This was the month that Edward became a teen, turning 13 on Valentine's Day and got his first iPad mini, with money from everyone in the family. We had to reschedule his birthday party to the weekend after his birthday due to snow...and nearly had to reschedule it again due to snow. Edward chose to have a Build-a-Bear party at the store in Lancaster. While Stuart was on a trip, we used some of Stuart's hotel points to go overnight to a local Hampton Inn. Always a fun time for us...so fun that some of us were extremely sad when it was over. And Emily and I went to the PaSRBA Convention where we found a new furkid named Lovebug, who joined our family and lives with Ethan.

Next came...

MARCH

The month continued the "snow" theme. Emily, Edward, and I went to a local rabbit/cavy show where we showed three of the Himalayan dwarfs and one of Edward's piggies. We enjoyed a fun St. Patrick's Day with "Taco the Mornin'" and the more traditional (American) corned beef and cabbage. Emily took her SATs, and Ethan enjoyed his half birthday (5.5). I took Emily and her friend Lucy to a Skillet concert where we got in for free by volunteering to help with Food for the Hungry. Emily started the newspaper at school, thus The Agora Times officially went into production with the first issue happening in...

APRIL

 

Easter came in April. The kids looked dapper. We had fun doing Easter eggs and having our traditional egg hunt. We missed one and found it later in the month...after a squirrel had eaten all the goodies inside. Emily celebrated her half birthday (16.5). The trees and flowers were beautiful and led into a wonderfully plush and flowery...

MAY

A beautiful start to the month, and I had a lovely Mother's Day. But the 22nd brought "The Hailstorm of the Century" to our area and wiped out all the flowers and leafy trees and our car, house and porch roofs, and outside furniture and toys. God provided us with the insurance money to replace everything -- with even nicer things. We celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Emily went to the prom and took her first AP test, which she passed with flying colors and got a 4. 

JUNE

This month brought a fun trip to Knoebel's Amusement Park with school and the END of school. Edward (a.k.a. the "Blur") took another session of one-on-one soccer at Body Zone. We celebrated Father's Day. The month flew by into...

JULY

We went to our borough's annual July 4th parade. Ethan and I went to the Crayola Experience with our friend Beth and her granddaughter Madison. Gigi got a new summer dress that she loved. And Emily and I started on the "2014 Official College Tour," which included Albright College, Kutztown University, Reading Area Community College, and Arcadia University.

AUGUST

This month brought the open forum for politicians that Emily created and organized with seven other cyberschooled students, including her brother. Edward started high school soccer. We got school materials for the new school year, and we had our annual "Camp Woohoohaha!" family day camp. Edward had a fun half-birthday (13.5).

SEPTEMBER

Edward started at Voices. School started after Labor Day, Emily's last year of school. Now, we officially had a senior, freshman, and 2nd grader. Stuart had his birthday, turning a palindrome, 44. Ethan had his birthday and turned 6. Edward had his first soccer game of the season. Ethan started his Fall U8 soccer season with us as his coaches.

OCTOBER

Our birthday month. Emily turned 17 and I turned 44. We celebrated with My Little Pony shirts and all of us going to a local hotel to swim all day in their pool and have a night away. We did our school photos in the park. Halloween was fun with trick-or-treating in the cold. 

NOVEMBER

We had a chilly month with Thanksgiving bringing a bit of snow. My lovely aunt and uncle hosted a beautiful dinner as usual. We went shopping in the little shops on Penn Ave. with our friends, Dawn and Katrina, on Small Business Saturday. Ethan got glasses.

DECEMBER

Christmas Eve with candles. Christmas Day with family and presents. My mom and dad made a lovely and yummy dinner as usual. Boxing Day was a success. Pagoda Day on top of Mt. Penn. We started the month with Breakfast with Santa. We went to NYC on the Eve of Christmas Eve. And played games and watched movies between the holidays. New Year's Eve was spent with our friends, the Stumps, and games and lots of goodies. And then it was...

2015!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!