The Year in Review - 2012

Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas from the land where almost all the trees are Christmas trees!!!  Buckle in, ‘cause if you know our family, you know you’re in for a ride.

We started our year out buried by a few feet of snow…  Lovingly referred to as Snowmageddon.  Typically, the Seattle area doesn’t see snow on the epic proportion that we had.  We spent a week playing in the white stuff, watching our power go off, praying that it comes back on, and just having fun while stuck in/near the house.

Sight Seeing  You know we couldn’t just sit still this year….  We visited the sites in Seattle (Pike’s Place, the Seaquarium, and the Space Needle), went skiing at Crystal Mountain, spent some time in the San Juan Islands (and saw an Orca pod), and went out to the beach.  The Oliver’s came to visit us over the summer and we took them on a ferry ride, to drive around Mount Rainier National Park, and to see Mount St. Helen’s.  We just didn’t stay in Washington though….  Our big vacation this year was a week in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  This is where Ronnie and I wanted to go on our honeymoon, but just couldn’t make it happen. We snorkeled, went to Hotel California (don’t worry, we didn’t check in), and just lounged by the pool.  In September, the girls and I joined Ronnie in Tucson (he was there training) for a long weekend.  We got to visit with friends and lounge by the pool in the warm, warm sun.   

Growing Too Quick  The girls continue to ignore my directive that they are NOT allowed to grow up.  Holly is 8 years old and is in the 3^rd grade.  Sarah is 6 years old and is in Kindergarten.  They are both actively involved with Girl Scouts and are just simply amazing… they love to learn new things, try new things, and play in the dirt while wearing skirts. 

Other tidbits  If you haven’t heard, Ronnie is currently deployed to Afghanistan. Please keep him and his Airmen in your thoughts and prayers as they fulfill their mission.  This is the first deployment the girls have actively experienced and, though they are doing well, they miss their daddy something fierce.   

If not trying to be mom and dad is hard enough, I am almost finished with my Master’s degree.  While I’m finishing my degree, I am working part-time at the McChord Education Office doing the same thing I did at Osan. 

So there you have it!  2012 has been a fun-filled, rewarding year.  I have been trying to keep up with the blog as we adventure our way through the Pacific Northwest – we’re at randcoliver.blogspot.com. 

We hope this finds you all happy and healthy.  Have a wonderful new year! And don’t forget to look us up if you are ever in the area. 

Love,

Chris, Ronnie, Holly, Sarah and Cleo the Cat

    

Photo Friday

~Every Friday, I will post a picture from our life.  Enjoy!~

Patara Elephant Farm, Chiang Mai, Thailand, April 2011

Christmas 2012

It's been hard getting into the Christmas spirit this year with Ronnie being gone.  From putting up the tree to getting gifts shopped for and even planning our Christmas dinner... something (someone) big is missing. 

But, boy am I one lucky girl... My mom and dad came to visit and lift our spirits.  And we are stationed near family.  So while that one big piece of our life was missing, I had a whole bunch of family trying to fill that void. 

The weekend before Christmas, we had a family dinner with my grandma, aunts and uncles, and cousins.  Murphy tried his best to deter us from getting there (the tire story is whole other post)... but got there we did and we walked into warm embraces and lots of cheer.

My parents had to go home the next day, so we had a eve of Christmas Eve barbecue at my aunt's house.  And I won the prize for my ability to cook -- my great-grandma's bean crock!!!!  Oh man, this crock is soooooo cool!  It has taken it's place among my treasured items. 

Christmas Eve was finally upon us.  We started our day baking some cookies for Santa.  After we were done baking, we picked up some friends and headed to Charlie's Safari for some indoor playtime.

 

While I was at my aunt's house for the barbecue, she made me promise to come back for Christmas Eve.  We always have such a great time, so that was an easy promise to make and keep.  But before we left, we got to Skype with Ronnie and opened some presents with him.  We decided it would be easier (and have more bandwidth) if we did it Christmas Eve rather than Christmas morning.  We had a nice long chat, but finally it was time for him to go to work (yes, he worked on Christmas).

As usual, we had a great time with my family for Christmas Eve!  Lots of kids, lots of noise, lots of presents, lots of fun!!!!  

 Cousins version 1.0 and 2.0

Christmas morning was upon us and it was time to clean out the rest of the gifts under the tree.

 

 

Even Cleo the cat got in on the holiday spirit...  she gave a big present to Holly! 

Photo Friday

** Every Friday, I will post a picture from our life.  Enjoy!!**

 

Holly and Mrs. Burris at Kindergarten Graduation, Osan AB, Korea, June 2010

 

Oh, how Mrs. Burris is loved and revered in our home!!!  Still to this day, all of Holly's (and Sarah's) teachers have to jump the hurdle that she set.  Thank you, Heather, for loving my babies and pouring yourself into them.  

First Snow!

Look what we woke up to this morning

School was delayed 2 hours so the roads could clear up a bit.  Which means we had time to play.  The girls made some snowballs and a snow angel or two. 

Celebrate

Twelve years ago, Ronnie and I started this crazy journey together. This year, I celebrated with my girls the best way I knew how...  We started our day with worship and fellowship by going to the Women's Holiday Brunch at our church.  Amazing food and amazing women! 

Next, we met up with Holly's Girl Scout troop and did one of our family traditions: we went to the Nutcracker.  This year, we took in the local performance in Olympia.  Even more fun is the fact that one of Holly's friends is a dancer in the production. 

After the ballet, we headed for dinner and then back to church for the Christmas pageant.  The kids had worked really hard for the last few weeks to be ready and their hard work showed!

We finally got home late...  but to a surprise from my sweet husband.  The man who doesn't ever send flowers had sent me the most beautiful bouquet of roses. 

Photo Friday

~ Every Friday, I will share a picture from our life. Enjoy! ~

It all started 12 years ago when we said "I do."  And I would do it all over again!