Lamppostings

January was a tough month with some very hard news for our close family friends. It was a joy to have Zane’s best friend live with us for a while though, and we are thankful that health has been and is being restored to our friend.

February brought an amazing bucket list event for Melissa and Colin. We didn’t think it was going to happen, but all the pieces fell into place to attend one of the last U2 concerts at the Sphere in Las Vegas. We made a weekend of it and had a great time in Vegas. The Concert was mind-blowing, and we still talk about it. We had general admission tickets right in front of the stage and the merging of music, special effects, lighting, and setting were pure art.

Also in February, Jude and I attended some Gardening in Central Oregon classes at the Community Center put on by the Central Oregon Master Gardeners.

I was also able to join Mountain View Community Development on a trip to Austin, Texas to visit and learn about the Mobile Loaves and Fishes Community First! Village with a view to developing a similar community here in Central Oregon. It was an incredible trip, I learned a lot, and got to spend time with some amazing people. I also enjoyed some great food in Austin and got to spend a day wandering around downtown.

In March, Colin and I celebrated 25 years of marriage. How can it be 25 years?! I had hoped to do a vow renewal, but it was not to be in 2024 – just didn’t figure out the timing. I’m still hoping we can pull it off in the not too distant future.

We celebrated Easter and Pi Day as well. I visited a Community Center in Salem, OR, and was so inspired by what they are doing.

April saw us celebrating Jude and Jesse’s birthdays – both turning 17! I learned to crochet. We played pickleball and Beat Saber.

In May the boys went to their first school formal with their friend Amara. Westside Community Center hosted a Stroke Awareness event with Randy Travis and his wife. Westside hosted Children’s Day and we got the seeds started for the Westside Community Garden. At Jude’s insistence, we headed out to see if we could spot the Northern Lights and were not disappointed. We attended Central Oregon’s first Comicon. We wandered desert trails. I was able to donate blood for the first time – I’ve never been allowed before because of living in the UK at the height of the Mad Cow stuff, but they lifted the ban. Zane had his Spring Orchestra Concert.

In June, Zane and I hiked Pilot Butte a few times in a row for a cool charity, Bigger Than The Trail. The boys finished 11th and 9thgrade. Jude and Zane went to high school camp on the Oregon Coast. Mom and Dad took our family and the Smith family on a road trip to visit Dad’s birth place, and several other places that he lived as well as the town where he and Mom met in high school. It was such a cool trip, and we all learned a lot.

July involved family time and fireworks on the Independence day. I visited my sister in Gresham, Oregon for some sister time – enjoyed fresh blueberries, thrifting, and tea. We enjoyed Slurpees on Seven Eleven Day. Visited the High Desert Museum and checked out the Bigfoot exhibit (I’ve seen Bigfoot in real life). We planted the Westside Community Garden as well as our personal garden on the hottest weekend of the year. We had smokey days due to the wildfire. The boys both did intern work. Zane worked at a local reptile pet shop – cleaning cages, and feeding the critters. Jude worked with Cenith Innovations helping with a drone project. We celebrated Zane’s 15th birthday and headed to the coast for our annual coast trip.

In August we continued our annual family beach time at further north than we usually go and had heaps of fun. We spent time in Seaside, Astoria, and Cannon Beach. We visited the Goonies house after watching the movie with the boys for the first time. I found my first Sand Dollar – and got a cool story to go with it.

A little later in the month we headed to Richland, Washington, where Melissa was born and got to spend time with family. Westside hosted our annual back to school giveaway and party. The gardens were slow in producing because of the high temperatures.

September was back to school. 10th Grade for Zane, 12th Grade for Jude – he’s full time at the Community College this year having finished all his high school graduation requirements. He’s going to be pursuing engineering and would like to be involved in aerospace engineering. We harvested from the gardens. Both boys got their first Doc Marten boots!

October was super busy with the Community Center, but I also traveled to Portland to attend the Christian Community Development Association National Conference. While I was there, my sister treated me to a fashion show that included one of my favorite designers, Mondo Guerra.

We hosted our first Game Night at the Community Center and had an amazing time. Halloween was fun with Zane rocking his Steampunk costume. And the weather finally cooled down!

In November there was a national election…

Westside hosted our annual Christmas Market and this year, I decided to not just host it with the team, but also to have a booth with my sister. It was great to have a project to work toward and get some things created. It was a fun day hanging out with my sister and friends. We even sold some stuff. We are hoping to do more craft markets in the years to come. Check us out here.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad’s and had a soup theme this year.

December rolled around and it was suddenly Christmastime! Winter break, parties, celebrations, traditions, decorations, and treats. Westside had our annual Giving Tree celebration and we gave gifts to hundreds of kids through our community partners.

So, those are some highlights. Mostly just the good stuff. There’s always hard things, boring things, stressful things, and lots of little details that make life rich. Relationships, partnerships, the things that we are passionate about, the things that we dread and do anyway.

The boys and I read a lot. Our family played lots of games – together, with family online, with family in person, with friends, with community groups. The boys continue to grow and change, challenge and delight. Colin and I try our best to be good parents, good examples – we get it right some of the time.

We have so many things to be grateful for and we are thankful for our lives. We are excited about what 2025 has in store.