I didn't do one of these year in review posts for 2020 but a lot happened this past year so it should be easy to do.
In February we went to Ocean Shores during mid winter break. I wonder if this was our last trip together as a family? I blogged about that trip here.
Both of my boys had their wisdom teeth removed this year. C was in February and A was in June. C got braces put on in March.
In March J and I celebrated my birthday with tea at Graham's Royal Tea. They had just opened up for in person dining that day!
Also in March was the Mom tea at school. I blogged about that here.
In April, A and I were finally able to visit Biola (after a year of waiting). We went on a drive thru tour of the campus. It was a bit lame but I really wanted him to see the campus in person before he made his college decision. C came along for the ride.
On April 21st, I was very sad to hear of the death of Beth, a close friend of mine, who was living in the UK. She and I became friends back in 2002 at Green Lake. This was the first time in my life that a close friend had died. I wrote about here.
In April, C was elected as Senior Patrol Leader for his Boy Scout troop. He was in that position for 6 months.
April 31st is college decision deadline day and A picked Biola. He applied to only three schools in total.
April was the parent banquet where the families of each high school senior speak a blessing over them.
In the Spring, A was able to play soccer again with the school team after missing a year (no soccer in 2020). I was the team photographer and enjoyed the challenge. Senior Night was a fond memory.
A had his last day of high school at the end of May.
In early June, A graduated from high school. I helped plan a party for his class which was about 68. We started planning it in March. They started out with Chick Fil A, then they played mini golf. The party concluded at a house of one of the grads. They have an outdoor swimming pool. We hired a DJ for dancing (a request from many of the kids). I joined in the dancing which was pretty fun. The theme was Friends (the TV show). This photos shows the chaperones, party planners, and the hostess.
In June both boys were in one act plays. A's was a humourous story about life in a grocery store and C's was the Gospel of Mark.
C had a packed summer with multiple Boy Scout trips. He and J biked in Idaho for 3 days. C kayaked on Ross Lake in August.
We didn't have a summer vacation as a family. The boys weren't interested in doing that. In July J and I had a mini vacation in Bellingham.
In July our dishwasher died. We lived with handwashing until just before Christmas when the new one finally arrived. The bad news is that it stopped working a week after it was installed! We are currently waiting for a repairman. Thankfully, it under warranty.
In early August, C got his driving license. He started driving himself to school in September and I could officially "retire" from driving anyone to school.
In mid August, A left for college in California. J drove him down. They took 2 days to get there. Yreka was the overnight stop. J drove back and I flew down to complete the drop off process. We didn't want to leave C alone and I didn't want to stay in LA for an entire week. A's orientation was a week long.
I enjoyed my time at Biola, especially meeting his roommate and some of the kids in his Torrey cohort (small group).
In September I was finally able to get back to Canada to see my parents. We hadn't been together for 2 years. I drove up to Tsawwassen and took the ferry. The Clipper wasn't running and neither was the Anacortes ferry. We celebrate both my parents' birthdays.
One of my personal highlights of the year was the Dahlia Festival at Triple Wren Farms. I love dahlias so much!
In September I started volunteering for the hot lunch at the school. I help out on Wednesdays. I like to stay connected with the school.
In early October C contracted Covid. I was very thankful for the timing of this. If he had it earlier, I wouldn't have been able to visit my parents. He missed a week of school but his symptoms were very mild. He lost the sense of taste for a brief time. Neither J or I caught it.
In the fall I enjoyed going to hear three famous speakers (on different dates) at a local church. Sean McDowell (a professor at Biola), Eric Metaxas, and Abby Johnson.
In November, I was very excited to have A come home for Thanksgiving. We were separated from him for 3 months which was the longest we had ever been apart. When I hugged him at the airport I stood on my tippy toes! He is now taller than J.
On November 30th, J became an American citizen. I was sad not to be there with him for the big event.
In December I returned to Canada to see my parents again. It was special to spend time with them so close to Christmas.
I finished two quilts in 2021. Both of them were gifts. The first one was for A to take to college and the second was for my mom. I gave that one to her in December as a Christmas gift. I do English paper piecing.
We had a very nice Christmas together. We attended our church's Lessons and Carols Christmas Eve service. C was originally scheduled to be a reader but he had a cold and his voice wasn't up for reading. A filled in for him at the last minute and did a great job.
As for gifts, I received some real gold jewelry, a large cutting mat for fabric from A, a carrier for casseroles, and the items in the photo below.
J got a lot of little gifts. A tee shirt, a tie, a Bible cover, a laptop stand, a canvas photo that is still coming in the mail, a book, a Canadian hockey blanket, and a meat thermometer.
A received a gift card for Adidas shoes, a mini Seahawks mascot, a book, some clothes, and a boomerang.
For our Christmas dinner we had Prime Rib. We were disappointed in it so we've decided to go back to turkey next year. We watched It's a Wonderful Life together as a family.
On Boxing Day, our church was cancelled due to snow. We went to the church we always attend when there is snow: Canyon Hills Community Church.
The week after Christmas was full of snow. We didn't do that much. J, A, and I went to a small New Year's Eve party with some families we know from Scouts. C spent the night with school friends.
Posts
