Year in Review: 2021
In some ways, 2021 was an extension of the strange happening in 2020. In other ways, it was filled with greater abundance and possibility than we could imagine.
In January, my friends and I took a road trip to Fredericksburg, a German town in the Hill Country of Central Texas. We also took a closer look at “truly loving yourself and others” in our ministry group. Madilynn and I finished reading (listening to) Little Women and the ballet performance was postponed.
February brought a polar vortex that froze most of the country (including most of Texas). We were blessed to keep our power (grid placement should be emphasized in real estate), though we had several friends and family members that lost power. Dietrich started biology with other homeschool friends. Madilynn and I finished both The Little Princess and The Secret Garden.
In March, I made a Grogu cake for one of our friends, created a website, and ran away from home for a few days. We did a smaller ballet performance and finished Pollyanna.
Most of the time, Easter falls in April. Easter weekend means a trip to Dallas for the Leadership Training for Christ event. The crowd was smaller this year, but theme of “Worthy” compelled us to participate, in spite of the craziness in the world. The older kids’ drama was a retelling of The Sword and the Stone that is hilariously epic! (Watch it here.). Dietrich and Madilynn both did Bible reading, chorus, and puppets. Dietrich once again gave an amazing speech (watch it here). To see how much he’s grown, you can watch a previous year’s speech here. We sprinkled Wavemaker cards all over downtown Dallas and enjoyed time with friends.
Also in April, Peter started a new job which answered many prayers. This job seems “God-made” for him. The only downside was that he didn’t get to go with us to Dallas.
In May, Madilynn FINALLY performed the dance she’d been working on since August for “Tales of the Kindom.” We started the process of riding a bike without training wheels (which we still haven’t mastered) and went to an amusement park with my parents. Madilynn also learned a lesson in self-control when she kicked her flip flop over the fence.
June might be one of our busiest months of the year. We had VBS, Dietrich turned 13 then left for church camp, and Madilynn had ballet camp. While Dietrich was at camp, Madilynn and I enjoyed watching the Anne of Green Gables mini-series that I grew up with. We have to finish books before watching any movie rendition and not all renditions are created equal.
In July, we celebrated our 14th Anniversary and my grandfather’s 90th birthday. We completed our annual (ish) viewing of the Marvel movies in chronological order (not the order they were released, but the timeline order). On the last day of the month, my grandmother passed away.
In August, I didn’t write a single blog post for my own blog, but I did write weekly posts for the Wavemaker website. We started the month with two funerals, my grandmother’s and one of our elders. We watched our garden grow during the rainiest summer we’ve had in many years. It was a hard month, but we made it!
In September, our homeschooling went back in “full swing” and we had several “mishaps” that required using the emergency fund. The kids helped me get the pre-K classroom in order for the quarter while I put the newly created curriculum together. We took an impromptu trip to my college campus between appointments and enjoyed a nice afternoon and photo op.
In October, Madilynn turned nine (and went to a carnival with my dad on her birthday), a record-breaking show season began, and we bought a new car. Our Escape was having issues and rather than take a chance on what “might” fix the problem, we opted to upgrade. A bigger car means we all fit when we visit my parents or they come here. It also means we can serve more when other people need a ride. In fact, some of my first tasks were picking up our teen friends for ballet. This is also when I learned the car reads the emojis in the text message.
November brought my best month ever in my direct sales business, both in-person and online. My friends and I returned to Fredericksburg to do the Peddler Show over Black Friday weekend. We didn’t get any site seeing in this time, but we had a great time together. The kids and I went to visit my family for Thanksgiving. We left early in the week and visited with my Grandfather – with fewer people. During that visit, he gave Dietrich my Grandmother’s Bible. The big family gathering was good, filled with making new memories and celebrating old ones.
We closed the year by serving our community, finishing two book series, and enjoying time with family. This year, Dietrich decided he is too old to be wrapped in lights (though he did photobomb Madilynn’s picture). We reflected on our many blessings and asked for wisdom to be good stewards.
As we begin 2022, we believe the best is yet to come! Thank you for being part of our story!