32 Years +Forever

Skip and I are celebrating 32 years together.  Really we try to celebrate everyday by being the best we can for each other.   On our actual anniversary (March 21st) I had to say goodbye and go on a choir trip to Atlanta.  I'm back now and on Spring Break so we plan to take some extra time, to have some adventures together.   We always like to go somewhere special away from our daily routines.   Sometimes it's a day in the temple, but often we try to do an overnight trip away from home. 

I'm not sure where we'll go this week, but wherever it is, we will be sure to learn something new, laugh a lot, have some good food, and enjoy being together.   

We both love exploring new places, and trying new things, not just on our anniversary, but whenever we can.  Here are a few away from home pics from summer and fall last year: 

This is outside Gunston hall, the home of George Mason.   Skip insisted on taking a walk down a hill to a river bank.   I had doubts about Skip making it back up in the state of health he was in that day, but with prayers, and a lot of stopping and resting, he finally made it.   It has interesting exploring that day, learning about George Mason, and the Mason Neck area.

 Here we are at the Kennedy Center, hearing Lang Lang conduct 100 pianists (including one of my students) in two duets.

We love jazz music, and try to get to the sculpture garden at least once a year for the free jazz concert they have almost every Friday.   On this day we saw the Dixie Power Trio doing zydeco, Cajun, and Louisiana Funk music.   Very FUN.

This was taken on a summer saturday adventure at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  We took a nice flat walk that day to another river front.

I'd Like to Start Blogging Again

I know it's been about half a year since my last post, but I'd like to try again to share some thoughts and memories with my family, and anyone else who happens upon this.   So, to catch up, here are just a few highlights of life since the last post:

We had a beautiful Fall, and in between raking leaves, I filled up my schedule with Forest Park High School choirs in the morning, and 20 piano students throughout the week.

We were fortunate to spend several weekends with this sweet little granddaughter.  We even got to go solo with her for a few days!

 Skip and I did an Herbal Life Weight Loss Challenge together.  We both lost some weight, and Skip won the prize for the most inches lost!

This cute girl passed her Cosmetology/Barbering License exam, and came back to Virginia to live with us.   She already has a job now at a cool salon in Burke, Virginia.

I continue to love spending time with my fabulous parents who have been married for 50 years now. They celebrated by taking TWO cruises in one year - one in the fall to Canada, and one in January from Chile, past Antarctica, through the Straits of Magellan, and ending in Argentina and Iguazu Falls!

We celebrated Christmas with the fun of a little one this year.   Lillian got her first car!

We were blessed at Christmas to have Valerie with us.   We're hoping she can come and stay a lot longer next time!

At Christmas time, we also got to meet Beth's boyfriend, Aaron Gubler.   We enjoyed sharing some of our traditions with him, and hope he isn't too scared to visit again!

We're well into 2013 now, and I feel like life is rolling by at unimaginable speed!   We're seeing the first signs of spring already with a bit of warmer weather, daffodils, and pink blossoming trees.    Skip and I will celebrate our 32nd anniversary this month, and are hoping for little get away as we often do.   Ryan will be graduating from UVA in May, then we plan to visit Beth in Las Vegas.    We'll have a new grandchild this summer, and hope to have time to visit Laura, Kart, and our sweet grandkids  in Utah.    New opportunities await us all, and we're on the edge of our seats, watching as life unfolds.  God has been very generous with his blessings, and we are full of gratitude for all that we have.