1. My birthday. Casey went above and beyond this year to make my 41st birthday extra special. He got us a room at the Valley River Inn and he checked in extra early. He had decorated the room in gifts and flowers. The flowers, gifts and goodies made my day. I felt so spoiled! We also went to a movie (Gravity) and then to dinner. That next morning we both couldn't sleep so we found ourselves in the hotel's hot tub at 5:30 a.m. We talked for 2 hours before we had to get out. It was such a great day!
2. Disney Party: I already blogged about this but we threw our first annual Disney party in February as well. Everyone that came dressed up as their favorite characters. We had a bunch of food, games and fun! Our kids still talk about this party, even now, a year later. We look forward to doing another one this year.
3. Disney cruise: Right after the Disney Party, Casey and I flew to Florida for a 4 day Disney cruise out of Port Canveral. We needed to get away for a while and thanks to our generous friends who watched our kids for us, we had a wonderful week alone! Seriously, it was awesome! We toured the ship, ate, rented bikes, ate, watched shows, ate, and talked on the deck while eating. Oh, how amazing that trip was!
4. Last minute Spring Break trip to San Francisco: We planned this trip with one week's notice. Originally, Casey was going to accompany his cousin Jared to San Fran to attend the Kraftwerks concert. At the last minute, he invited the rest of us to go early and he would still attend the concert with Jared. It was a whirlwind trip that included the Jelly Belly Factory, Ghiradelli Square, the Golden Gate Bridge, The Walt Disney Family Museum, the zoo and dinner at Rainforest Cafe. We had a great time.
5. Boat ride on Carquinez Strait: While in California we chartered a private boat ride through the Carquinez Strait. (We actually did some trade for it so it was free!) We spent a whole afternoon lounging on this boat as the captain showed us the northern California sights. The little girls even got to drive the boat for a while!
6. Charlotte got her Patriarchal Blessing: Because our Stake Patriarch was serving a mission, Charlotte went to the Patriarch for the Eugene Stake instead. It was an amazing experience and incredibly powerful. The Patriarch spent 90 minutes with us before the blessing and Casey and I found that we got more out of what he was saying than even Charlotte did.
7. 17th Wedding Anniversary. That's right, I've been married to his guy for 17 years now! For the most part, the years have been amazing, though we have had some trials. Trials and tribulation always make a person (and a marriage) stronger though and now, as we celebrate 17, we have an unbreakable bond and the best marriage we have ever had. To celebrate, we went to Corvallis to do a Segway tour and then to Salem for a movie, dinner and a night in a hotel. I sure love this man!
8. Nauvoo Family Reunion: The three oldest girls and I were so lucky to attend the Westover family's Nauvoo, Illinois reunion. We spent a glorious week doing a handcart trek, touring the old homes, watching incredible shows and visiting Carthage. The girls came away with an increased testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel and with a greater appreciation for their pioneer ancestors.
9. Girl's Camp: This year I was asked to be the Stake girl's camp photographer. It was a little different than my usual job of being a unit leader but it was a welcome change. We loved our "superheroes" themed camp and were so thrilled to have Maggie there for the first time. After the camp concluded, Casey and I got to produce the annual slide show with the (over 1,000) pictures that I took. It turned out great!
Here is the link to the slideshow if you are interested in waching:
11. Braces: Jillian got her braces off this year and Maggie got her braces on. So, the payments to the orthodontist just kept right on going. Dr. White will be able to buy a yacht by the time we are done paying him for orthodontist work. (We have 2 more girls to go!)
12: New School year (A new Freshman and seminary) This year's start of school brought with it some changes. The biggest was that Jillian started her Freshman year in high school. With that change, we also now have two girls in early morning seminary. Thankfully, they are pretty good at getting up on their own to get to school!
13. Thanksgiving away from home: In an effort to do something different this year with our Thanksgiving and change our memories a little bit, we rented a house on the beach and took our family, friends, and food out there. It was a glorious and much needed change. We did puzzles and ate lots of food while watching the waves crash into the shore out our back window.
14. Epic California Christmas trip: Following the same theme as Thanksgiving, we abandoned all traditions (in fact, pretty much abandoned Christmas all together) and took a trip instead. We went to Disneyland and then on a 4 day cruise to Mexico. Our Christmas was spent in a tiny stateroom out in the middle of the ocean. We didn't get many presents, we didn't have a big tree, we did no cooking or baking, and we didn't even send out cards (sorry friends....next year, I promise). Instead, we spent the holiday together in the sunshine, making new memories and remembering the Savior. It was so nice to change things up for this one year. I guarantee that the girls will remember this Christmas above all the others!
what a great year!!!!
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