Once again, it falls to me to report on the years events and milestones. As is the trend, though I don’t like it, we haven’t kept up the ol’ blog, so references are much harder. We have had a busy year and I’ll do my best to give you the rundown. Let’s start with the kiddos.
Elijah
He started the year as a Kindergartener and is finishing it a First Grader. He loves school, is a friend to all and we are so proud of how far he’s come. Skiing has continued to be a fun family activity and he is fearless. This winter, he’s starting some more intensive group lessons that will have him surpassing our skill. He also graduated to machine pitch baseball and is ready to play again next year. He continues to by the ever??? builder and his creations and machinations can be seen allover our house.
Fitz
Boy is this kid a fireball! He keeps us on our toes, all, the, TIME! But even though he can go 0-60 in 2 seconds, he’s a great little boy! He daily makes us laugh, can already tell jokes, and loves to cheer up those who are down. He loves his brother and is following in his creative footsteps. Hopefully they can find a way to channel their energies into something constructive.
Jessica
Not one to sit still, she had a busy year. She photographed weddings, engagements, and elopements. Brent helped photograph a few, so they got some nice time together. She went to a small business conference in Nashville. She trained for and ran marathon #11 in Morgan Valley, UT, which Brent joined and turned into a nice weekend away. And for a first, she helped organize a new half-marathon and 5k here in Helena, Just for the Helena of It. It was successful first attempt with about 300 participants and $17,000 to a local organization that support those affected by domestic abuse. Oh, and while she did that, she also trained for marathon #12, which she ran in San Antonio, TX this December. Her sister and a good friend joined and they toured their way to the Alamo, Waco, and Dallas.
Brent
Brent played the support role for much of Jessica’s endeavors, but he also worked on tearing down the apartment, to make room for a garage that we’ll hopefully start building in 2023. He also worked on getting a 1989 Mitsubishi Montero (one that sat on his parents property for 18 years) on the road. The hope is to turn it into a fun camping rig for the next summer. Work continues to go well and He should be traveling in the early part of the next year to film some pieced of a short documentary. Brent has also continued serving at church where needed and has been able to get back to leading worship on occasion.
Family activities
While we were a busy bunch getting all that in, we did get out on some other trips as a family. We travelled to Maui with Brent’s sister and circumnavigated the island (we survived Divorce and Death Highways), went to the top of the volcano, and saw more whales than we could count. We also enjoyed some nice downtime on the beach and our time away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
We celebrated Brent’s dad’s 80th birthday in July in Oregon and had a nice trip mostly hanging out around Dufur. We did venture down the Gorge to do a family photo session with a photographer Jessica met on a photographers workshop the prior year. On our way back from Oregon, we were able to visit Brent’s cousin in Idaho and drive the beautiful HW12 route back to Helena.
While we didn’t get to as much camping as we had hoped, we did get out a few times with others. Our church did a weekend campout not too far from town and it was a blast to watch our kids play and keep themselves entertained. We attempted one weekend trip with friends, but our Outback’s engine blew a head gasket on the way, so we ended up camping in the backyard. Another set of friends invited us out to their property near Wise River on two occasions and we had a blast exploring the old mining structures along winding Jeep roads.
Another camping highlight was a trip with two other families to the South Fork of the Flathead Rives south of Hungry Horse Reservoir. We camped along an airstrip and we just a short walk from the river. It was a great weekend to reconnect with friends and take in some beautiful sights.
We are closing out the year together as Brent got the Christmas break off. You’ll find us skiing, relaxing, and cozying up to the fireplace for some story time.
2023 looks to be another exciting year.