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1.21.2013
2012 Memories in Pictures
I've been having fun with a new app - Diptic - where I can put multiple photos in an image to create a collage. So, here's what I did with my 2012 memories. :)
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1.12.2013
2012 Highlights
I'm not sure when we started it, but for the last several years Dennis and I have been taking time around the new year to reflect on highlights of the past year. We made our list on December 30 while driving back to Indy from a day at Follow12 (a Wesleyan Youth Convention) in Louisville, KY.
Highlights doesn't necessarily mean the best parts of the year or the most outstanding events, though they may be that, but it definitely describes those things that we will remember for years to come when we think about the year 2012. For instance, in 2011, the loss of our little Margot was on the list. It was a very sad time, but we will always remember that day on March 24. Maybe we should give our list the title: Reflections. :)
We usually make a list for the two of us, and then create separate lists for our individual memories. We also follow this list up with Hopes for 2013. It always is a meaningful time for us—looking back and looking forward.
Here's our list for 2012.
Highlights doesn't necessarily mean the best parts of the year or the most outstanding events, though they may be that, but it definitely describes those things that we will remember for years to come when we think about the year 2012. For instance, in 2011, the loss of our little Margot was on the list. It was a very sad time, but we will always remember that day on March 24. Maybe we should give our list the title: Reflections. :)
We usually make a list for the two of us, and then create separate lists for our individual memories. We also follow this list up with Hopes for 2013. It always is a meaningful time for us—looking back and looking forward.
Here's our list for 2012.
- Sending the Ussher's off to NZ. (A visit to Clint, Jamie, Evee, and Iris is one of our hopes for 2013. It's been a year now and we miss them greatly.)
- Julie's visit to Budapest in February. We visited five European capitals during our travels.
- Vacation to several European countries - Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia.
- Securing a padlock engrained with our initials on the iron railing of Budapest's Freedom Bridge. Special moments with significant meaning for us.
- May 7 - Leo James was born. Love being close to this little guy with Josh and Kari's recent move to Indy.
- Dennis' new position as Executive Director of Global Partners.
- Mike and Joni's move to West Michigan. Only a 4.5 hour drive away from Indy.
- Josh's visit to Budapest for our final days. Loved having you with us for those last days of packing, showing you off to our friends and taking you around the city. Thanks for all your help, Josh!
- The European annual conference—bringing closure to a wonderful season serving as European Area Director. Our Europe team made us feel very special with their kind and affirming words, and unexpected gifts. Thanks for a great season Europe M's!
- Leaving Budapest and moving to Indy. One of our hopes for 2013 is to settle in downtown Indy.
- Bangladesh visit where we welcomed believers into the Wesleyan Church.
- Josh, Kari, Stella, and Leo move to Indy. Looking forward to a new season where we may live close enough to walk to each others houses.
- Sailing trip with his Europe Mission Directors and some of the national pastors.
- Adding two more continents to his travels: South America and Africa. And, no, it isn't a 2013 hope to get to the only continent he has left - Antarctica.
- International Conference of the Wesleyan Church in Panama.
- Solo trips to Macedonia (so enjoyed time with the Boyers) and to Switzerland to visit my friend Kathrin.
- Road trip to Slovenia with Julie.
- Taking FLAME courses toward my ordination. I'm so energized by the learning process.
- Road trip to PA with Joni and Miles.
- Time with my PA family.
12.31.2012
Still in Limbo
Since June, when Dennis took on his new role in GP, limbo seems to best describe our living situation. By limbo I'm not referring to a state of neglect or oblivion, but rather a choice to put finding a home on hold. My thesaurus described it this way - to be determined, up in the air, and I especially liked this one, in cold storage, which would be true of most of our belongings sitting in a storage unit up in Michigan.
We entered this new adventuresome life seven months ago full throttle (not that it wasn't adventuresome before). Dennis has taken a dozen trips to nine different countries on four continents, and I have joined him for seven of those country visits. Thanks to friends who have made their home available to us while they are taking out-of-state schooling, time has been on our side until life slows down a bit to look for housing. When people ask if we've settled yet, our typical answer is "after the first of the year." Now that the new year is just around the corner, my excitement is growing. We are more than ready to have a place to call our own. With no international travel planned for the month of January, it's time to make condo/apartment searching serious business!
Our criterial list has been made out since summer, including both negotiable and non-negotiable elements to a new home. We realize we can't reproduce our Budapest flat, though we would love to try. So, walkability is a non-negotiable, high ceilings, lots of character, plenty of windows, and two bedrooms are just a few things on our list. We're looking for simple and low-maintenance. Makes sense with our travel schedule. There are numerous old buildings or former factories turned into condo or apartment living in downtown Indy, so I'm hoping we can find that special place where we can say, "this is us."
It's been quiet around my blog over the past month, only because life hasn't been so quiet. A trip to Haiti at the end of November - there's great work being done on the island of La Gonáve in Haiti. A new Wesleyan hospital is going up which will serve the people so much better than the old one. The M's are working hard to make a difference in this poverty-stricken, post-earthquake country.
We followed up the Haiti trip with a much-needed vacation, which proved to be relaxing and refreshing.
And, of course, Christmas. On Christmas eve and day we enjoyed hanging out with Julie. A beautiful late-night Christmas eve service brought in Christmas, and on Christmas day we absolutely loved seeing Les Miserables. Definitely will see this movie again! The whole family was with us in Indy, except for Clint, Jamie, Evee and Iris, who we sorely missed. Josh and Kari drove in on Christmas night making their last leg of the journey on their move from Pasadena to Indy. Mike and Joni drove in on the same night from Michigan. Both came in earlier than planned to beat the winter blizzard that was predicted to begin about 3:00 a.m. We woke up the next morning to a white-day-after-Christmas that continued snowing and blowing for most of the day. We spent the entire day holed up in a downtown hotel where we had made reservations for a few nights so we could all be under one roof. It worked well, but we look forward to Christmas in our own homes next year.
A few pictures below of the family.
We entered this new adventuresome life seven months ago full throttle (not that it wasn't adventuresome before). Dennis has taken a dozen trips to nine different countries on four continents, and I have joined him for seven of those country visits. Thanks to friends who have made their home available to us while they are taking out-of-state schooling, time has been on our side until life slows down a bit to look for housing. When people ask if we've settled yet, our typical answer is "after the first of the year." Now that the new year is just around the corner, my excitement is growing. We are more than ready to have a place to call our own. With no international travel planned for the month of January, it's time to make condo/apartment searching serious business!
Our criterial list has been made out since summer, including both negotiable and non-negotiable elements to a new home. We realize we can't reproduce our Budapest flat, though we would love to try. So, walkability is a non-negotiable, high ceilings, lots of character, plenty of windows, and two bedrooms are just a few things on our list. We're looking for simple and low-maintenance. Makes sense with our travel schedule. There are numerous old buildings or former factories turned into condo or apartment living in downtown Indy, so I'm hoping we can find that special place where we can say, "this is us."
It's been quiet around my blog over the past month, only because life hasn't been so quiet. A trip to Haiti at the end of November - there's great work being done on the island of La Gonáve in Haiti. A new Wesleyan hospital is going up which will serve the people so much better than the old one. The M's are working hard to make a difference in this poverty-stricken, post-earthquake country.
We followed up the Haiti trip with a much-needed vacation, which proved to be relaxing and refreshing.
And, of course, Christmas. On Christmas eve and day we enjoyed hanging out with Julie. A beautiful late-night Christmas eve service brought in Christmas, and on Christmas day we absolutely loved seeing Les Miserables. Definitely will see this movie again! The whole family was with us in Indy, except for Clint, Jamie, Evee and Iris, who we sorely missed. Josh and Kari drove in on Christmas night making their last leg of the journey on their move from Pasadena to Indy. Mike and Joni drove in on the same night from Michigan. Both came in earlier than planned to beat the winter blizzard that was predicted to begin about 3:00 a.m. We woke up the next morning to a white-day-after-Christmas that continued snowing and blowing for most of the day. We spent the entire day holed up in a downtown hotel where we had made reservations for a few nights so we could all be under one roof. It worked well, but we look forward to Christmas in our own homes next year.
A few pictures below of the family.
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| We missed the Usshers! |
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| Leo wasn't sure if he liked this photo shoot |
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| Christmas Eve night |
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| Papa and Leo |
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