“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” ― Laura Ingalls Wilder
We're still fostering kitties. From left to right, Tootsie is our foster fail, she is ours forever. Moon was with us for a short term placement. Frosty has been with us a while. She was initially terrified of people, but we've been working hard to change that about her. I think she'll be with us another week and we'll be adding another round of kitties.
We've had an amazing ice skating year. My kids love it. There are so many towns that manage free rinks around here. Some with zambonis, some without. Some man made, some frozen ponds. Then add the bonus yard ponds, we're really enjoying the Maine winter.
Christmas 2024 was definitely different. We had a nice time in Florida for Christmas and then returned for our simple family tradition of four gifts in the cloth gift bags I made years ago. We did our Christmas on New Year's Day. Each of us gets a Want, Wear, Make and Read. Plus siblings get each other one small thing. No tree, but we did have a little centerpiece that Audra won a church party.
I still have so many pictures to go through, but unfortunately our family has been hit with the norovirus, which has sucked all my energy to do anything. I don't think I've been so sick in over a decade! My little nurse (above) is who has been tending me, yesterday I was tending her. She also reads to me (below). Praying no one else gets it and energy will be back soon!
I still cannot believe I was able to go to Chincoteague and Assateague. I've wanted to go there for the last decade and my husband drove out of the way, literally, to make it happen. I took more pictures there than I took anywhere else on our trip. The ponies, tundra swans, flocks of yellow legs, black bay scallops, the horseshoe crabs...I could go on! It was AMAZING. More magical than I even imagined. Basically my favorite part of the trip, favorite part of 2025. Could have spent the whole two weeks here happily. Thank you Justin for making your literary nerd/nature freak so darn happy!
Weather was terrible, only a brief stop in North Carolina for a bit of BBQ and Justin's cousins. Adrian and his mullet are ready to come back to North Carolina after the meal of country music and BBQ.
