Memories...Months 61-70

 

When you've just come home from a grand vacation that took almost half the month (as we did for our 5th anniversary a few years ago) it can be kind of tough for the rest of the month to measure up to all adventure! Even if it's December and Christmas is involved! But this is where we're picking up today with our memories. 

Month 61. 

December of 2017, post-anniversary, was still a fun month. Christmas lights, Christmas shopping, Christmas parties...they were all there. There were also some lasts that month, and we didn't know at the time they would be lasts. It was the last time Ryan's family would go out to eat to celebrate his mom's birthday, because by the next year, she would be in the hospital on her birthday. It was the last time we had Christmas at the cabin with the whole family, because by the next Christmas, his mom would be in the hospital and unable to host. It was the last Christmas with Ryan's Grandpa Echelbarger, because he passed away just a few days later. We are grateful now for the memories we made and the pictures we took when we could! And we also completed our next-to-the-last alphabetical date! Inspired by the letter X, we went to an XTRA loud and XTREME concert to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra! I had seen them before, but Ryan had not, and we had a blast that night!

Month 62. 

We started the year with a goodbye to Grandpa Echelbarger, which was the first family death we'd experienced in our five years together. (Had no idea we would soon have so many more.) We toured Dearborn County in southern Indiana, which involved Ryan and his friend Shawn enjoying their first annual skiing trip! (And my first annual day in the ski lodge.) Unfortunately we lost most of the rest of that month to anything fun because of a nasty cold that took me down, but when it ended, we celebrated with a movie and date night at IHOP. I include that as our feature, because I appreciate how even seemingly small moments like this one matter so much to us! We make the most of them!

Month 63. 

A couple from our small group gifted us tickets to see David Phelps in concert, so that was a fun way to kick off the month! We spent a day with our niece and nephews that moth - which was one of the fun perks of living near them in Kokomo. I got to keep them now and then when their mom had to work! We also kept Phoebe some that month, which was always a blessing. But I think the biggest moments of the month for us were the chance to minister together. We actually spoke together at a Valentine's banquet, and then Ryan accompanied me on a weekend retreat at our beloved lake! Both times were so sweet and affirmed how much we loved working together.

Month 44. 

We kicked off this month with a tour of Wabash County - which was one of the first tours we took a friend on! We think she had fun! :) We became a great-aunt and great-uncle in this month, and we also got to spend some time with our bonus niece, Savannah which was fun! But again, our stand-out moment was when we got to serve together at a (huge) women's retreat. Such a blessing to be able to do this work together!

Month 65.

The month began with Easter, immediately followed by a snowstorm. It's just not right, is it? We did some more speaking together, enjoyed a Euchre tournament with our Sunday School class, and celebrated Ryan's sister's baby shower. But our big moment that month was Ryan's 39th birthday which was pretty much a complete fail. My intended celebration crashed and burned, and so did I when I found out the news. I had been so excited about it and any plan B felt utterly lackluster. But Ryan is gracious, always, and he said he loved his party at Giordano's and a walk around a cold Indianapolis instead of touring Lucas Oil Stadium. :( 

Month 66.

May brought about the end of our first season of small group, and oh how we loved our group and were so sad to see our weekly meetings coming to an end! We hosted Mommapalooza, which ended up being Ryan's mom's last one ever to attend. I was so glad she asked for a special photo shoot with her grandchildren! We went on our annual birthday trip that month, which took us to Ripley County (and a tour of the Hoosier 54 Basketball Museum), Jefferson County (and a stay in beautiful, historic Madison, Indiana along with a hike of the equally beautiful Clifty Falls State Park), and Decatur County, where there is an actual tree growing out of the top of the courthouse. But the best moment of the whole month was Ryan's epic surprise party that he pulled off for my 40th birthday. About 100 people showed up to celebrate at my Beauty and the Beast themed party. It was amazing. I'll never forget the utter joy of that day - or my actual 40th where we had an all day scavenger hunt around Kokomo, looking for things that said 40! 

Month 67.

It was a busy month of celebrating our friends' kids who graduated from high school (as this is our season of life right now), enjoying a summer fellowship with our small group, and walking in the Indianapolis Kidney Walk in honor of our friend Pat, who has had two transplants. But some of our favorite moments that month were about getting to serve in our church - giving announcements and participating in the Sights and Sounds of Freedom program, where Ryan sang and I was a narrator!

Month 68. 

Ryan had to work on the 4th of July this year, which meant we missed fireworks over the lake for the first time - and it was so sad! But we did still get to go to the fair, which was fun! Our big adventure this month, though, was our trip out west to meet our new great-niece. We started out by visiting Springfield, Illinois and seeing all the Lincoln sights. We spent an evening sightseeing in downtown Kansas City, too, before going to meet the sweet baby! On our way home, we stopped in Joplin, Missouri, to see our wedding party - who all happened to have moved there. And we spent a day at Schlitterbahn Water Park, so Ryan could enjoy some rides! We come home via Allerton, which is a conference center in Illinois. And then...off to the lake with the family! 

Month 69.

Ahhh, the month I got to use the big ole pressure washer while doing some work at my parents' house! It was so fun! I miss that thing. I think I could have had a good career in pressure washing. The month was also filled with game nights and date nights, but our favorite was driving to Ohio to surprise our blog friend Odie at her housewarming party! We'd never met her before and secretly arranged our visit with her dad. SO FUN!!! (There may or may not have also been a visit to Duck Donuts in that trip.)

Month 70.

Hair makeovers (okay that was just me), middle of the night donut dates, a day at Traders Point Creamery, babysitting our nephew (his first time ever to have a sitter), and a few other treasures filled up month 70, but our favorite defining moment was serving as the keynote speakers at our church's Leadership Encounter weekend. We worked so hard to prepare for it and felt woefully underqualified, but we were honored to present!

Though we had a lot of fun in this stretch, I also love looking back to see how the Lord began to knit our souls together in ministry!