A Decade of Life

It's easy to look back and think that 2010 wasn't that long ago, but if you really think about it, ten years is a long time.  In 2010, we were a family of six, living in Michigan.

In the next year, we moved to Tennessee,

and then by the middle of 2012, we moved to Ohio, and later that year we welcomed our fifth child.

Ohio embraced us in 2013, and we made the most of our time there as our kids grew...

And then, in a blink, it was 2014.

Before school started in the fall, we moved back to Michigan, and spent a year re-fixing up our home after renters destroyed it.  By 2015, we had officially outgrown our home, and after an extensive search, decided to buy our farm.

2016 brought lots of home renovations and we were loving our little farm.

By 2017, we knew we had found where we were meant to be.

And by 2018, farm life had taken over.  Cowboy boots and plaid shirts were now the norm.

That brings us to 2019, where we are content in our home, with our new barn and our farmland surrounding us.

But there's so much more to the last decade, isn't there?  There is so much you can't see in the smiles of family photos.  I asked everyone in our family what their top five most memorable moments of the last ten years are, and here's what they had to say...

Nash:

Our trip to Colorado
Swimming in the ocean in Florida
Going up north
Meeting Mickey Mouse at Disney World
Getting our dog, Koda

Alayna:

Hatching a goose egg
Learning to ride a horse
Going up north and playing in the sand
Helping Dad with farm projects
Going on our trip to Colorado

Greyson:

Going to Florida
Going to Colorado
Visiting the Grand Canyon
Jumping into the water in Blue Hole, New Mexico
Driving vehicles on the farm

Emerson:

The trip west
Watching cat birth
Going to Washington D.C.
Meeting Claire
Going up north

Owen:

The Colorado trip
Finally getting a good gaming laptop
Joining Robotics
Starting high school
Moving away from Michigan

Jason:
Packed up and moved my family out of state for a new job
Actually living in Ohio (never thought that would happen!)
Had a fifth child-Nash the Man
Climbed a 14er with my wife
Bought a camper and took a road trip out west, having really never camped before

This decade was also when I found my love of running.  There have been epic adventures through caves and under waterfalls and up mountains and along the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.  I have run with people from all walks of life and have formed amazing friendships.

Outside of running, the adventures continued.  There was a motorcycle trip to the U.P., several road trips to Florida, a flight to Seattle to meet fellow mom friends from across the country, and the epic two week road trip west.  I have looked down into the Grand Canyon, looked up at Mt. Rushmore, breathed the air at over 14,000 feet, and visited 28 states.

While all of that travel was amazing, we had our own adventures at home, too.  We have raised chickens and ducks and turkeys and pigs and cats and dogs.  Regularly in our backyard there are deer and sandhill cranes and pheasants and frogs and turtles.  We have grown tomatoes and peppers and raspberries and cucumbers and zucchini and pumpkins and peas and beans.  Our home renovations included roofing, siding, insulation, flooring, plaster, drywall, tile, electrical, plumbing, painting, caulking, and building a barn from scratch.

In this decade, we also said goodbye to two very important people in our families.  Grandma Lois and Grammy were the matriarchs of our families.  We are so very thankful for every moment we had with them and that our children were able to know them and be loved by them.

In this decade, I watched my children grow from babies....

In the next decade, I will watch my children grow into adults and find their own ways in the world.

With all of the incredible highs I have experienced in the last ten years, I have also experienced unimaginable lows.  I have had the worst days of my life and gone through things that are hard to believe are a part of my life.  They say time heals all wounds, but man, I don't know if it can heal everything.  My hope is that the worst of the worst days are far behind me.  Every day, I am trying to do what's best for my children and give them every experience possible.  Every day, I am trying to create a life that is beautiful and wonderful.  Every day, I am dreaming of our next adventure, the next chance to make unforgettable memories.  Every day, I am grateful for my family and the ones who have been here, no matter what.

So, here's to the next decade-the 20's of OUR time!  May these next ten years be filled with laughter and adventure and so much love.

A Trip to Remember: The Final Days

As predicted, no one leaped out of bed on Wednesday morning.  Our bodies were stuck on time somewhere between Mountain and Eastern, and our first meal of the day was lunch.  I made my way outside to unload the gear, unhook the camper, and get us officially settled.  We were still on vacation until Monday, and there was no place better to be than Otsego Lake.

We were blessed with blue skies and light breezes every single day, and we took advantage!  Our days were filled with boat rides and fun in the sun,

and in the evenings we fished off the end of our dock.

Jason, my parents, and brother came up to join us on Friday, and the fun continued with tubing and skiing.

Even Koda was enjoying the sunshine!

I love that we have this place to go to, where if a few people are there, others flock to it.  Our kids play in the water with neighbor kids, and even friends come up to join in on the fun.  We love having a full boat!

I was even able to sneak away for a run through the forest on one of my favorite trails.  After two weeks of almost constant "mom mode", this little retreat into the woods was just what I needed.

And then, there I was, facing my last sunset of the trip.  We had pulled out of our driveway on July 19th, and had traveled to 13 other states, and now it was August 3rd, and the end was in sight.  In the morning, we would once again load the van and hook up the camper and make our final drive of the trip.  I didn't want it to end. 

Going home meant back-to-school chaos and work and bills and kids in every direction.  For the last two weeks, the only thing we had had to worry about was each other.  Most days, we laughed until we cried, at least once.  This trip had been everything I had hoped it would be, and more than I ever could have imagined.  In a day and age where life moves at such a fast pace, with so many obligations, we were able to set it all aside and just be with each other. 

I hope they remember looking down into the Grand Canyon and marveling at its vastness, and I hope they remember those gas station taquitos they couldn't get enough of, and I hope they remember just how cold that Blue Hole was, and I hope they remember what it felt like to be atop a mountain, looking down on the city of Castle Rock, and I hope they remember what it felt like to swim in the current of that river tucked between the mountains, and I hope they remember those presidents looking down over them at Mount Rushmore, and I hope they remember the heat of St. Louis as they stared up at that huge arch, and I hope they remember that Wyoming beach where they played together until the sky was dark, but mostly, I hope they remember the time we spent with our family, the funny little jokes we shared, and they way we did everything together.

Sunday came, and like so many other Michiganders, we headed south.  Traffic that day was horrible, and it took nearly twice as long as normal to get home.  Finally, we were all back to our little farm, filled with the sounds of the roosters' crows and hens' chatter, and two cats who were very happy to see us! 

The next few days were spent re-settling back into home life, and unpacking and washing clothes and doing yard work and all of that adulting stuff that's not so fun.  We decided that while we enjoyed camping, and the little camper had served its purpose, it was just a little too small for our family of seven.  Our big trip would be our only trip with that camper.  Before putting it up for sale, Jason cleaned it and checked it out.  Much to our surprise, he discovered that one of the new tires he had just put on before our trip had a huge slice in it, nearly through it.  When he took it in to get a replacement, the worker told Jason that he wasn't sure how that tire had managed to hold up and that he wouldn't risk driving that another hour on the road.  The Man Upstairs was definitely watching over us on that trip!

In less than a day, the camper was sold, purchased by a family with two adorable little girls.  It was a little sad to see them tow it away, but it was the right thing to do.  And hey, we even managed to sell it for a little more than we bought it for!

And then we were off to the races. School would be starting in a few days, and there was so much to do.  There was work, and horseback riding lessons, and robotics events, and races, and birthday parties and back-to-school shopping and meetings at all of the schools.  One thing I know, though, is when they started their new school year, and they sat in new classrooms with new teachers, and those teachers asked them what they had done over the summer, my kids would have plenty to choose from.