For me, I will always remember that this was the year that I became a grandmother for the first time when little Catherine Lois arrived in March. She lives far, far away from here and I'm so thankful that I got to make the journey when she was only 3 weeks old to see her and hold her. I will see her again next year and by then that little one will be up walking and running around like crazy! Catherine is doing great and for the blessing of that new life in our family, I am so very grateful.
The message that I inscribed in the sand along the beach before I left to go home that day.
Meeting a young man who was walking across America to raise awareness of pediatric cancer was a very unexpected surprise back in early June as Mike and I were heading home to Kansas for a visit. A 30-year old Pennsylvanian named Norman Horn was a stranger to us that day yet that is no longer the case. We are friends now. Norm provided a walking geography lesson for us but perhaps an even greater thing that we learned from him was the power of human kindness and the fact that good and decent people are all over this great country of ours. It was so much fun to be a small part of his journey and I know that some day we will be seeing Norm again.
Such a nice man~Gunnison, summer of 2014
When the new year began I was the teacher of "the 18", fourth grade students at Olathe Elementary. As this year ends, I am now the teacher of "the 22", first graders that have helped me to remember what it is like to be young. Even though I am now in a different wing of the school, I still see those former fourth graders in the hallways and how wonderful it is to be the recipient of their warm hugs and big smiles. I've got the best job that there ever was to be thought of. I am a teacher.
I love being an Olathe Pirate!
This has been the year to travel, that's for dang sure. In fact I think I've done more traveling in the past 3 years than I've done in my whole entire life. But it's been kind of nice to see new places and to meet different people. Not sure why I didn't do it before but I am now and that's all that matters I suppose.
The view from the Puget Sound is a spectacular one.
(March)
Seeing the Joshua Tree National Forest in California was very memorable.
(March)
The Grand Canyon of Arizona left a really huge impression upon me.
(March)
Mike and I went to the top of Monarch Pass and saw the sights from the 12,000 feet level. Spectacular is all I have to say about that. The awesome work of our Creator.
(July)
The beauty of the images I see each day just by getting up out bed and walking to the front window or by driving to school just a few miles up the road. Having spent more than a full year here now as a resident of the Centennial State, I have grown accustomed to a new life here.
I stopped counting how many times I made the journey here in 2014. They were numerous, to say the least. My hometown is Haven, Kansas. Mike and I are getting ready to make a final journey for this good year in just 4 days more as we return home to Kansas for the holidays. Reno County, here we come!
Life has not been 100% "ok" this year but all things considered, the wonderful things that I have been blessed with most certainly do trump the bad things hands down. All of the experiences that I gone through in the past twelve months have continued to shape and mold me into the person that God wishes for me to be. The anvil has not always been the most "comfortable" place but sometimes proves to be a very necessary component to becoming exactly who we are intended to be.
Thank you dear friends and family for being such a special part of my life, not only in 2014 but for the years past and those that are yet to come as well. Where would I be without you each day of the year? In a "world of hurt", that's where.
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