My Year In Review...

And what a year it's been! It included my divorce finalizing, my dad dealing with a variety of health issues, me finally coming to terms with who I am and how I want to live my life, putting down roots once again in the Michiana area, embracing my new role as the medical power of attorney and primary care coordinator for my Great-Aunt Dorothy, falling in love with a wonderful woman and subsequently coming out to my friends and family, my parents putting their house on the market in the spring and having it sell 24 hours later, their move to Minnesota after living in Indiana for almost 40 years, going on an epic 5,000 mile road trip to California to close out that chapter of my life, completing my first 5K race, and ultimately realizing that the best things in life are often hidden in plain sight.

I want to thank those friends and family who've known about and helped me through all these changes this past year! I'm blessed beyond measure to have your unconditional love in my life. To those of you I haven't seen or talked with in a while, I carry many happy memories in my heart and look forward to making more with you in the coming years.

As usual, I feel like pictures say it best. Here's a compilation of my adventures over the past year...

Hiking at the RES, a local preserve where I attended girl scout events when I was little girl

Rum Village Park - a new favorite hiking place right in South Bend

Finding happiness

My mom lost in the petunias at Varner's Greenhouse

Sunset over the Rockies near Denver with my cousins

My reward for a long day's drive from Denver to southern Utah

Visiting the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park with my friend Alysia and her little boy

A bit of silliness with family at my goddaughter's high school graduation party

Fourth of July fun

Warren Dunes State Park along Lake Michigan

Go Boilers!

Celebrating my nephew Andrew's 4th birthday

Discovering the jazz scene in South Bend

Pond reflections on the Notre Dame campus

My first 5K race on Thanksgiving Day up in Niles, Michigan

Celebrating Thanksgiving with Aunt Dorothy, Uncle Jeff and Michelle

Happy holidays and best wishes for 2016!

A Minnesota Christmas

The first days here pass in quiet anticipation. Christmas carols softly playing, a ticking clock, the husky sound of a sleeping baby’s breath, the gentle whir of another load of laundry or dishes being run. Grandparents arrive filling the house with admiration for their first grandchild. As Christmas Day draws near meals are planned, freshly baked goods begin to accumulate on the counter tops and the pile of presents under the tree swells.

Watching from the warmth of the kitchen window, the low winter sun casts long shadows across the barren yard, as naked branches sway in the icy breeze. Surrounding the house as far as the eye can see are rumpled fields of black soil littered with the detritus of this year’s corn harvest. Sporadic clumps of bare trees in the distance indicate nearby neighbors. The chill dry air preserves a light dusting of snow and stands air bubbles still in their escape from a frozen puddle next to the house. High clouds skate across the pale blue sky veiling the sun until the hour before sunset when copper colored light spreads across the landscape. The momentary glow seeps through the windows and fills up the house. Soft pink clouds simmer to a deep raspberry as the horizon continues its turn away from the sun.

My sister and her husband live on a farmstead that has been in his family for decades. A walk around the property may unearth any number of artifacts from previous residents, be it rusty segments of crooked wire, weathered wooden doors, or thick glass bottles frosty with time. Our family has gathered this week to celebrate a baby’s first Christmas in a newly built home, and to add our memories to those contained in these fields and barns.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and that many happy memories await you in the coming year!

Many Changes

So much to update on, it’s hard to know where to start! Peter and I left for Wisconsin two weeks ago Saturday to spend some time at his family lake cottage up on Lake Superior. All the cousins got together for the first time in years for a reunion and to celebrate the wedding of Peter’s Aunt Carole. We had a great time swimming, sailing and kayaking throughout the week, as well as picking berries and sightseeing in the area. We shared some wonderful meals with the happy challenge of trying to fit 15 people around the dining room table. We also got to spend lots of time with the newest and most adorable member of the family. Peter’s cousin, who celebrated his first birthday while at the cottage, is full of energy and smiles. During the week, he learned a few new words (doggie!) and walked a little further each day without help.

Carole and Nyle were married on a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the shores of Lake Superior with dozens of friends and family in attendance. It was wonderful to witness the joy and light that radiated from the couple as they took their vows and exchanged rings. An outdoor reception followed the ceremony, where people relaxed and enjoyed good food and company throughout the afternoon. That night, the cousins got together for a bonfire on the beach, where we caught up on all the happenings of the past few years and watched the incredible flashes of lightening from distant storms light up the night sky. A few drops of rain fell late in the night as the fire died down and the last people headed home. It was a very good day.

Just before leaving for vacation, Peter and I received an offer on our house! We countered and got a call as we got to the airport telling us that our terms were accepted. We’re much relieved to have our house under contract and hope that all will go well leading up to the closing at the end of next month. While on vacation, Peter also found out that our stuff would finally to arrive two days after we returned home from our trip! One month to the day after we watched the moving truck drive away from our Carlsbad house, we saw it arrive here in Three Rivers. We’re thrilled to finally get settled into the house, although it’s safe to add that we’re a little dismayed by the actual amount of stuff we have. Our house is much smaller and we’re now keenly aware of just how much we expanded to fit the ample space of our Carlsbad home. With the help of the storage shed out back and some diligent pruning, everything is slowly finding its place.

In other news, I’ve started volunteering for the park fire effects division and completed my first field work just before we left for Wisconsin. I leave tomorrow morning for a second work trip up into the higher elevations of the park, which will make for the perfect escape from the upper 90’s and low 100’s we’ve had here in Three Rivers for the past week. Peter and I hiked up in the park this past Sunday and discovered a short hike that ends with one of the best panoramas in the Sierra Nevada. More on my field work and details about this incredible hike will follow in my next post. Right now, I’m off to pack my gear!