Ode to 2023

Universal Orlando.  Bathroom Remodel.  Start of DC Card Collecting.  Disney Pin Organization.  Return to Casino Windsor.  Spring Musical Stage Crew.  Spring Soccer.  Stan Hywet Tour.  First Piano Recital.  Finger Amputation.  Natural History Museum at U of M.  Boys Backpack Trip.  Girls Trip to Ohio Caverns.  Beach Glass Hunting - Conneaut, Nickel Plate Beach, Vermillion Main Street Beach.  Shed Landscaping.  Allergy Testing.  Start of Allergy Shots.  New Kitty - Gracey.  Stained Deck at Lake.  Put in Bay and Kelley's Island Weekend.  Cedar Point.  Cleveland Hiking - Bedford Reservation, Hell's Hollow, Geneva on the Lake, Rocky River Reservation.

Ode to 2022

ADULT  DISNEY TRIP!!!  Bedroom Remodel.  Holly's First Sleepover.  Spring Soccer - Jacob.  Bree's First Job - Snack Shack (City Pool). Kelley's Island with Kids. Bree's First Trip to Cedar Point.  Outer Banks - Monster Trucks, Beach Rescue.  Father's Day Drive-In Date Night - Jurassic World Dominion and Top Gun: Maverick.  Catapult Tree Mishap.  Marble Lake.  Greenfield Village. Singo Bingo.  Grand Rapids, OH.  Band Camp.  Bree's First Parade. Freshman Volleyball Team.  Fall Soccer.  Block Party.  Jacob's Pizza Burn.  Lake Tahoe. COVID.  Jacob Fall Soccer. Hocking Hills. Bree Speech Team.  New-to-us Jeep.

2022 Reads

1. A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig

2. Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber

3. The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

4.  The Perfect Father (True Story of Chris Watts) by John Glatt

5. The Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg

6. Seven Dirty Secrets by Natalie Richards

7. Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

8. Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

9. Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

10. Everybody Fights by Kim and Penn Holderness.

11. Midnight Library by Matt Haig

12. The Lost Husband by Katherine Center

13. Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

14. Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben

15. Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker

16. May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

17.  The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

18.  Forever Wild by K.A. Tucker

19. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

20. What Happened to the Bennetts? by

21. The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

22. 

Ode to 2021

Two Week Virtual Learning.  Santa Afghan.  Gnome Craft Class. Snow Days.  Passport Books.  Jim Truck Accident.  New Living Room Carpet.  ARUBA.  New Work Truck.  Sauder Unit Business.  Spring Travel Soccer.  Barn Wood Wall.  Solo Stove.  Top Golf.  Groot Waffle Afghan.  Covered Lake Deck.  Slate Sidewalk.  Stock Tank Garden Beds. Summer Tutoring.  Good bye, Uncle Jeff.  Pine Lake.  Kalamazoo/Battle Creek/Marshall, Michigan Road Trip.  Neighborhood Fireworks.  Mud Hens Game.  Summer of Kids Working with Dad.  Crossnet.  Jacob's First Trip to Cedar Point and Soak City.  Fall Travel Soccer.  Defiance Splash Pad.  Hello, Myla.  Goodbye, Grandma LeBarr.  Jacob Bird Feeder Business.  Kelley's Island Birthday Trip.  Return of County Fairs.  2nd Grade, 5th Grade, 8th Grade.  Piano Lessons.  Glenlore Haunted Trail.  Bree's Hotel Birthday Party.  Gatlinburg - Anakeesta, Stanley, SkyFly.  Winery Trivia Night.  Family Walleye Game Outting.  Ghostbusters Afterlife - Finally!  LeBarr Family Christmas KICKOFF!  Jacob Glasses.  Bree Cell Phone.  2nd Annual Bookstore New Years Eve Trip.

2021 Reads

Books Read in 2021:

1.  Layla by Colleen Hoover

2.  Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

3.  Stranded by Melissa Braun

4.  Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

5.  Confess by Colleen Hoover

6.  It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

7.  Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent (book on CD)

8.  Someone We Know by Shari Lapena (book on CD)

9.  Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich (book on CD)

10. Divergent by Veronica Roth (book on CD)

11. Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

12. The Breakdown by B.A. Paris

13. The Innocent by Harlan Coben

14.  The Seven Hubands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

15. A Plain and Simple Christmas by Amy Clipston

16. Carrie and the Great Storm by Jessica Gunderson

17. Daisy and the Deadly Flu by Julie Gilbert

18.  Watching You by Lisa Jewell

19.  How Y'all Doing? by Leslie Jordan

20.  Hold On, But Don't Hold Still by Kristina Kuzmic

21.  Not So Boring Letters of Private Nobody by Matthew Landis

22.  Falling by T.J. Newman

23.  Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

24.  Shiver by Allie Reynolds

25.  The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

26.  A Mrs. Miracle Christmas by Debbie Macomber

27.  The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku

School Time

 First Day of 8th Grade!!

Due to a staggered start, Bree was the only one who had school today.  Sitting in the car line this morning felt as if we never even had a summer break.  It all went so fast!  So we got to chatting and listing all the things we did:

Pine Lake, camping (Poplars Lake)-camping (Marble Lake)-camping (Uncle/Cousins House),  Mud Hens game, church kayaking, sleepovers, Drive-In movies, movie theatre movies, Michigan day trip, worked with her dad a lot, lemonade stands, neighborhood fireworks and birthday party, played massive amounts of Crossnet, and more!

"But..." she says "We didn't go hiking!"

Preschool Year 1

Preschool Year 2

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

Ode to 2020

 FAMILY DISNEY VACATION with Mike, Becki, Matt and Adrienne.  Coronavirus Outbreak.  Caesar Windsor Trip.  Rachel's First Speeding Ticket.  Valentine Geodes.  Penny Hockey Board.  Quarantine, Shut Down, and Toilet Paper Shortage.  Virtual Learning.  Jacob Quarantine Birthday.  Easter at Home.  Season of Pudding Shots.  Jim turned 40.  Repainted Living Room.  Permanent Camping Spot at Poplar's Resort.  New Patio Table.  New Gas Grill.  Neighborhood Ice Cream Birthday Party for Holly.  TWO New Blackstone Grills.  Summer of Hand and Foot Games.  Mask Mandate Began.  Gaga Ball Pit.  Kayaking with Tammy and Heather.  Cake Decorating 4-H Project.  Bree made the 7th Grade Volleyball Team.  New Fridge.  UP Birthday Trip.   Cuyahoga Trip with Heather.  Fall Travel Soccer.  Painted Shed.  Hocking Hills Trip with Becki, Mike, and Austin.  Cuyahoga Hiking with Mom Dominique.  Watched All 22 Marvel Movies in Order.  Holly Close Contact Quarantine.  20th Wedding Anniversary.  Halloween Donuts in the Front Yard.  13th Birthday at Blue Pacific.  Thanksgiving Lasagna.  Taking it to the Streets.  Rachel Tested Positive for Covid.  All Three Kids Quarantined.  Passed Out Turkey Dinners.  MIS Night Lites.  Quiet New Years Eve at Home.

2020 Book List

2020 Book List

1. Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
*Follow up to The Tattooist of Auschwitz

2. Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

3. Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

4. Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson

5. If You Tell by Gregg Olsen

6. Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne

7. My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni

8. Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

9. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

10. Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

11. Run Away by Harlan Coben

12. Missing You by Harlan Coben

13. The Stranger by Harlan Coben

14. Holes by Louis Sachar

15. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

16. Shaken by Tim Tebow

17. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

18. Finding Ultra by Rich Roll

19. The Lake House by Kate Morton

20. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede

21. The One by John Marrs

22.  Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

23. The Dutch House By Ann Patchett

24. The Last One by Alexandra Oliva

25. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

26. I'm thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

27. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck

28. The Last Flight by Julie Clark

29. The Immortal Nicholas by Glenn Beck

A 20 year Tribute

"Here's to the ones that we got

Cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not

Cause the drinks bring back all the memories

Of everything we've been through

Toast to the ones here today

Toast to the ones that we lost on the way

'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories

And the memories bring back, memories bring back you."

From the first Nintendo purchased at a pawn store on our honeymoon

to the collection taking over our basement....

From the first road trip to Tennessee

to every road trip in-between...

From the very beginning

to this very moment...

I love you more than I can put into words.  I would not want one thing about the life we have created to be different.  If the first 20 years were this great, I cannot wait to see where our hope and dreams takes us on the next 20.

Happy Anniversary.

1999:

2020:

Ode to 2019

 The first picture of New Years Eve

New Van.  Great Wolf Lodge.  Polar Vortex.  

Final French Quarters Hotel Stay.  

Columbus Axe Throwing.  Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace.  Meteorological Bomb. Friday Night Book Club.  

RV/MH Hall of Fame.  Hall of Heroes.  

University of Notre Dame Visit.  

New Camper.  Kindergarten Registration.  4-H.  Spring Soccer Season for Jacob AND Holly. 

Birthday Boys Camping Trip.  4-H Nature Day Camp.  Cleveland Family Hiking.  

Rainiest Spring in 125 years.

  

Second picture of New Years Eve

First 4-H Week Long Overnight Camp.  

Pine Lake.  4-H Judging.  State Fair Representative. 

Goodbye Grandma Graham.  

Antenna Fixed.  Homegrown Zuchinni Abundance.  

Mohican Adventures Family Vacation.  

Travel Soccer.  6th Grade, 3rd Grade, Kindergarten at Last!  Food Substitute Position. Volleyball Clinics and Tournaments.  Band. Disney Countdown.  

Inflatable 5k. Gatlinburg Getaway.  

Lights Before Christmas.  TSO Concert. 

Taking it to the Streets.  

Frankenmuth.  Blue Pacific Date Night.  

Project Life 2019.

Finally got it right!