The yr 2025 has come to an finish and I wished to share a recap of our household this previous yr. It was stuffed with adventures, surgical procedures, new life, loss of life, and plenty of in between feelings. Life at all times brings a mixture of bitter to the candy and 2025 introduced each. We misplaced 2 expensive senior members of the family, my dad and Mark’s mother, in order that’s the top of their technology in our lives. We miss all of them a lot and holidays usually are not fairly the identical, however we should go on and preserve residing life. God has seen us via lots of issues and little doubt, He’ll proceed to take action. Come together with me as I look again on the yr and see what all we did. I normally share all of the tasks we do round right here, however these have largely come to an finish too as we now have renovated and upgraded virtually each single inch of our home. I’ve shared all these tasks on right here prior to now. Now, we’re having fun with our residence candy residence so a lot!
In January, we began out with a Movie star cruise to kick off the yr with a number of {couples} from our church. We loved it so much and I’d extremely advocate doing one simply to get out of the chilly of winter within the dreariest (to me!) month of the yr. Mark bought a bug whereas we have been on the ship, so didn’t have as a lot enjoyable, however he bought over it in a few days and was feeling higher by the top of the cruise. Actually, we’re occurring one other cruise this week to the Caribbean, so I’ll be sharing that with you after we return. This one is a Princess cruise, our first time on that line.
I actually loved the Movie star expertise. They have been high notch in every part so I can’t wait to do one other one with them.
Not lengthy after we bought again, Dad took a flip for the more severe in his well being and handed away inside just a few days after I used to be in a position to see him. They have been on lockdown from numerous viruses once I got here again from the cruise and I wasn’t in a position to see him for every week, however he had deteriorated so much in that point. I’m grateful he didn’t linger and undergo lengthy and we miss him and mother so much. Mother has been gone 2 years now and it has gone so quick.
We had a pleasant celebration of life for daddy and my sister and household have been all right here. The women are rising up so quick! For those who’re new right here, these are my niece and nice nieces.
Mark and I bought out and about touring overseas and right here in Georgia. This was a day journey to LaGrange, GA to see the Hills and Dales mansion and we did that in March.
In April, we went with Go Forward excursions once more to Italy and this time went to Florence, Tuscany, Cinque Terra, and Lake Como. Only a reminder that we’re doing one other Go Forward tour in September of this yr to England, Eire and Scotland and the door is open for anybody to affix us on this group journey. We’d like to have you ever! You may see that submit for all the small print!
We loved these journeys a lot and the reminiscences are going to be lifelong. I took so many lovely footage!
I’d return to Italy in a heartbeat, however we need to see another locations too, so we’re going to must rotate. My plan is to journey as a lot as we will the following 10 years.
There’s a lot to see and do on this lovely world of ours!
In Could, Mark planted our little tomato and herb backyard and it did so nicely that we had tomatoes coming in til frost. We’re so excited to do it once more this yr!
I planted my ordinary planters out by the pool and so they have been lovely all yr lengthy.
Additionally in Could, my household got here residence and we had a navy service at Georgia Nationwide Cemetery, honoring Dad’s navy service and inserting them each collectively within the vaults which might be onsite.
It’s a fantastic cemetery.
In June, I had my first anterior hip alternative and did nicely with it. I used to be up and strolling on my cane very quickly and healed up fairly quick.
On July 4th, we misplaced Nanny Joan, Mark’s mother. It was a tough yr for loss and final yr was onerous as nicely, dropping Mark’s sister, Kim. All of us undergo loss as a household, but it surely’s by no means straightforward.
Later in August, the entire household bought collectively for a celebration of life service for Nanny on their property that they lived on for 40 years. It was a really candy time for all of them. Mark comes from a really large household as you’ll be able to see. That is his 4 ladies and their households and his 2 sister’s households all mixed. There’s a slew of them!
Additionally in July, I filmed an advert for cataracts. I by no means talked about it however I used to be about 3 weeks out of my hip surgical procedure, they got here to my home and bought every part arrange with cameras and lighting and we filmed all day. I’ll share the video they did and this video goes to be proven in eye physician’s workplaces across the nation. Sure, I bought paid for it too, so it was a enjoyable factor to do! They discovered me as a result of I blogged about my cataract surgical procedure in 2023 and preferred what I mentioned. That’s a hyperlink to the completed advert. They have been going to alter out one image in there and I by no means heard again, so I’ll share it as is. It turned out very nice, I believe.
In August, I shared our new Wesley Corridor couch and the ottoman I had recovered. That’s concerning the extent of tasks final yr, however that was positive by me.
In late August, I headed to Cashiers, NC for the designer showhouse with a very good pal of mine and we made a pair days of it, having fun with the mountains.
In September, we welcomed child Luke to the household. He belongs to McKenzie (Mark’s youngest) and Patrick and massive brother, Logan. He’s a candy child and he makes #10 grandbaby. I shared their 2019 wedding ceremony right here 6 years in the past and now they’ve 2 boys! One other enjoyable reality: they have been each born December thirty first!
In September, we went again to St. George Island for an exquisite week of sunshine and nice seafood.
In early October, I shared a refresh in our main bedroom, once I modified out the coverlet to jewel tones and a extra fall/winter really feel.
In October, we had a household wedding ceremony in Wilmington, NC on a blustery wet day, but it surely was very good despite the climate.
Later in October introduced my 2nd hip surgical procedure and I spent the following couple of months recovering from that, whereas attempting to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
In November, we celebrated Thanksgiving and I bought to see my household once they got here up for a few days. There aren’t as many people now, but it surely was nonetheless candy.
We had a number of Christmas outings this yr and I loved all of them, together with the Tate Home right here in North Georgia.
It was a blessed time of celebrations of the Christmas season.
On Christmas day, Mark’s ladies and household have gone out for Chinese language for a few years and so they love this custom, so although we’re rising, all of us met up once more, there have been 17 of us and with 8 children, fairly vigorous. We took this fast snap earlier than all of us left for residence.
After all, I embellished our home although I used to be slower at it this yr. It’s all nonetheless up and shall be staying up till I get again from the cruise. I’m doing very nicely after my surgical procedure 2 months in the past and beginning to really feel extra again to regular. Surgical procedures are not any joke and I’m glad to have them each behind me now. I’ll be exercising and dealing on getting my stamina again and hopefully subsequent yr I can sustain with Mark’s strides. He walks means sooner than I do! As you’ll be able to see, we had fairly a busy yr with every part occurring. These are simply the highlights. You don’t even notice this stuff till you look again at a complete yr and see what all occurred over 12 months. There was lots of residing in these months! And lots of recovering for me over the summer time with 2 surgical procedures. I’m so very blissful for God’s blessings on us as soon as once more as a household. He has by no means allow us to down, via the ups and downs of life! Thanks all for studying alongside and hanging out with me for all these years. I’ll be doing a weblog recap subsequent weekend of my 19 years of running a blog. So onerous to imagine it’s been that lengthy!
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