Year in Review: 2021

 Every year has its ups and downs, and this one was no exception.

In January we (and by ‘we’ I mean ‘they,’ while I took pictures) went ice skating.

Katie and Gabby worked on making clothes for their fashion badge.

In February the girls collected food for a food drive, notifying our neighbors by leaving them cookies at their doors.

Nate and Ellie made crafts to go with history in school.

Then we got ice and snow.  We were homebound for a week.

In March we got to dog sit for some friends.

Katie applied to attempt an AHG Stars and Stripes Project (which she’s still working away on).

Ellie and I went to a tea party.

We also got to go inside our library for the first time in a year!!

In April we celebrated Easter.  

We also all went camping in the mud.  The gals did badges like archery, toys and games, and and hiking.   They also played Gaga ball.  Justin planned a Highland Games campout for the near (and some far) Trail Life troops.

And we also went to a local Civil War era home that served as a field hospital and cemetery with our book club.

I made a quilt for a friend expecting a baby.

In May, Katie went to prom with a few friends.

Then she started an internship with an itinerant summer camp, and we mostly saw her through posted pictures after that.

Justin and I flew to Boston to look into an experimental diabetes treatment (they are still awaiting FDA approval and funding).

In June our AHG trailer was stolen, shortly after being moved onto church property from a private residence.

The older two took Gabby’s eighth grade graduation trip to Holiday World—Gabby took a friend and Katie was Justin’s date for the rides.

Gabby also refinished our deck for an AHG badge.

Over the summer, we said goodbye to Justin’s father.

In July, Gabby went to AHG camp,

Ellie passed her swimming test at the YMCA,

and Katie and a couple of her fellow camp staff housed with us for a week.

In August, our AHG troop was allowed to meet indoors for a regular meeting for the first time since March of 2020.  It was so nice to be able to meet regardless of the weather

and not have to bring everything along (Elli hauling supplies for last spring’s outdoor meetings).

And Nate moved up to the middle school group in Trail Life, which means a lot more camping.

September kicked off birthday season,

Katie got her driver’s license,

and the older girls went to Night Ops (an overnight outdoor skills test) with other AHG troops (no pictures, since they all included the other girls on their teams).

In October the children all had the opportunity to be in our long time friend’s wedding.  The bride has babysat for us and her parents have hosted our church small group for nearly a decade.

Justin and I bought a piece of land, 

and we took the crew to Cumberland Falls, where we had both gone as children and for our honeymoon.

November and December played host to our normal busyness, but also a course for Nate before he could become a communing member of our church.  Then there was a tornado in my hometown, which ran through my parents’ neighborhood.  We have been beyond grateful for their safety.

We also crammed in everything we could in the time between Christmas and Justin’s return to work.  

Card games, Risk, 

ice skating,

climbing, and

Christmas lights.

Happy New Year!