A Summary of 2024 in Pictures

It would be fun, he said. 
It would be another one of our adventures, he said. 
But as I looked down the endless mountain trail to the little specks that were cars at the bottom, I felt like this adventure was the worst fun I had ever had. It had seemed like kind of a good idea at the moment we decided to take the trip down on foot instead of standing in line for an hour in the cold wind at the top of the mountain. The line was not moving, so it was suggested we just hike down. Most of the gang agreed, but three of the girls said they were going to wait in line and take the gondola down. About 20 minutes into it, I decided I should have waited with the girls, because it didn't take long for me to realize I would never make it down alive. 

I did not have on the proper shoes for a mountain walk, so each step was carefully planned out. I knew I would lose my balance if I kept going straight down the steep incline. I found a good walking stick to use for balance, and began walking to the left for a few feet, veered to the right a few feet, then back to my left again. This was how I  walked the entire way down. It may have taken longer, but it saved my life, or at least my dignity so I didn't fall face first in the mud. And I had lots of time to think about the last 10 months of the year....all the ups and downs of the year was like this trek down the hill.  It had been easy during the start of the journey/year, but it soon became hard and exhausting. Each step of the way made me cry out to the Lord to help me have strength to keep going. ​

It all begain in April when Grammy Gwen took a downward spiral in her health. We had so much to look forward to and plan for with Alaina's wedding coming up. But the future was blurry and unsure as we watched Grammy continue to grow worse in the nursing home where she was staying. She was finally released on April 27th, but I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach of what the next few days would hold. She was not getting better in the nursing home, so maybe being back in her home and around her kitties would help her recover. But within days of coming home, she ended up in bed, too weak to even move herself. It was just shy of a few days of having Alaina's wedding shower....would she make it through the day? I did not dare tell Alaina until after the shower. I didn't want to ruin her special day. She would find out soon enough. 

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Gwen made it through the day, but the night was rough as many people came by to say their goodbyes. Her little kitty Big boy decided he would guard her as much as he could by keeping her legs warm and safe. Kitties always know when someone is sick and they love to come and comfort as much as they can. 

It was three days later when Gwen made her way to the gates of heaven. I had told her earlier that day to give my dad a big hug when she got there and tell him I was still serving the Lord down here. It was a very bittersweet day. I am so glad for the promise of heaven. 

A few weeks later I was teaching Sunday School when I got a text from Ben with one of the pictures below. He said, "Look what came to visit our house!" 
It was quite amazing to see such a large animal eating from my bird feeder. I stood on those very bricks later that day and thought to myself, "I am standing where a bear was standing!" I just love feeding my wildlife. 

Joe and I needed a little get away so we went off to Pennsylvania to see Daniel at Sight and Sound. It was nice to stay at the Steamboat Inn. Things were going to get busy around our home and it was necessary to just have some us time. 
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When I got back Alaina invited me to one of her dress fittings, which I gladly accepted. I was excited to be included in her preparations and wanted to be there for her in all the ways she wanted to include me. She looked beautiful and I was not sure how prepared I was to see her in the dress on her big day. 

June came around and I began to sit on my back deck trying to get a few rays of sun on my winterwashed skin. I needed some vitamin D as well as color for the upcoming wedding. It was while I was sitting there one day this beautiful bird came to visit me on the railing. He even posed for me as I took a few pictures of him.
​The second picture is from a beach trip I took before the schools let out. It was a great time to just get away and write my thoughts down in my journal. 
The last picture was taken during 4th of July at Joe's brother's house. All the kids and a few friends came and went off kayaking on the ocean. We all had a great time.

The big weekend had arrived. The wedding was set for Saturday the 13th, but we got there on the 12th for the rehearsal. It was such a beautiful place for a wedding and I couldn't get enough of the mountains and the water. The rehearsal went well, then we had a lovely dinner in a special area of the resort, where they had a pizza oven. They even made me a special cheese-free pizza for my very own. It was delicious. 
After our dinner, the entire group gathered at the water. Many went swimming, and many went kayaking or paddleboarding. I managed to snap a photo of everyone just before we all got out of the water to head over to the bonfire. It was an amazing feeling to just watch everyone having a relaxing time together before the stresses of the wedding day arrived. 

The first picture below is of Alaina looking at her Auntie Mickey's dress back in 2008. I titled it "Looking at the future." I told her that I wanted to get a picture of her looking at her own dress so I could put them side by side. The future was now here. Time sure does fly by. 

Just a few pics of the wedding day, as well as a fun picture of Alaina and me together. I love all my children. 

The day after the wedding Joe and I went off to spend the day with my friend Rachel and her husband Joe. We went to Queechee Gorge in Vermont and had a lovely time together. I had to get my yearly time in with my dear friend. 

In August we were hit with the strangest storm. It began raining and grew dark, then suddenly we heard hail hitting the roof and back deck. It got louder and harder, lasting for over 20 minutes. I could not believe how cold it got outside and how much it smelled like the winter. I shoveled a huge pile of hail balls and wanted to play King on the Mountain. Our front yard became a pond of hail and leaves. I had never seen anything like that in my life. The biggest piece we found was almost as big as a golf ball. 

Once Caleb and Alaina got back from all their travels, Dexter the bearded dragon and Mocha left our home to go live with them. It was hard to say goodbye to these pets that had been at our house for 7 years or more, and it took many weeks for me to adjust to their absence. I knew I would need to find some more kitties sooner than later to fill the hole that they had left. We needed more life in our house. 

September came and Joe got to do something he had been waiting to do for so long. Susanna finally got her license to fly alone, and took her dad up for a trip in the sky. It was a trip he will never forget and he put together a huge video of his time, which you can view on my facebook page if you are interested. 

Welcome our new kitties, Chia and Ham (was Hamish). The other kitties accepted them pretty quickly, and we are loving the new additions to our family. 

Within weeks of getting our new kitties, we went on our annual trip to Smuggs in Vermont. We had a great time as a family, and even met up with my mom and siblings while we were there. It is always a highlight of our year that we look forward to.
​The last picture is of us going up the gondola to the top of the mountain where this blog all began. 

Below you will see a group of swans that came to visit me while I was taking my walk around Spring Lake. I was so happy to see them and felt like they were coming to thank me for praying for them. Last year all of the baby swans had died due to many large monster turtles in the lake, as well as other issues that happened due to lack of food. But this year all of the babies survived, after many prayers on my part, and I was so glad they all made it. 
The other pictures are of Big Boy and Teddy in my new office at Grampy's house during the beautiful colors of fall. 

Who knew a blessing could come from a storm? After that hail storm happened, we had a free inspection and they found our roof was damaged as well as our siding. The insurance company approved us to get a new roof as well as siding on our house. We had been wanting to do something with the siding for years, but it was not within our means. With a little patience, and a huge blessing, the Lord allowed that storm so we could get the desire of our heart....blue siding put on our house. Doesn't it look amazing? And it isn't completely finished yet. God is so good!

The talents of my children....both Ben and Susy were gifted with artistic talents...a gift passed on from their Grammy Gwen and their Grandpa Pinkham. I love seeing their work and look forward to one of them helping me work on another book someday. 
The middle pic is of my favorite decoration I've seen at a house down the road from us - I call it the Lion of Judah. 

 So, that was a quick summary of my year in pictures. There is so much more that I could share, but those are the highlights. Though it all the Lord was good and gave me grace and peace, even when my heart was hurting. It was emotional in more ways than one, as we said goodbye to loved ones and had huge changes happen that felt both good and sad at the same time.

All this went through my mind as I made my way down the mountain. (The girls took this picture of me walking down as they glided over me in the gondola.)  I put my mind to getting to the bottom and kept making my way down. And I made it. Just like I made it to the end of this year. By God's grace and help every step of the way. 
And I know He will take care of us this new year. I can trust Him because He is always with me. And He loves me.
God bless you.
Have a Happy New Year. To 2025!