Happy holidays from our house to yours. I write this beach-side in Florida where we are spending the week of Thanksgiving with the intention to be present and grateful.
We have so much to be thankful for- our year was occupied with a few house projects, travel and some family bonding on a couple of cross-country road trips, and two kiddos who are growing into their own lovely personalities.
Palmer is seven and has a heart of gold. He's fearless, independent, curious, vibrant, creative, happy, funny, easy-going, sensitive to others, and kind. He loves life every single day and is always up for anything. Palmer went to sleep-away camp in Arkansas this summer without knowing a single person when he arrived. He sprinted into the cabin (leaving us behind), introduced himself, and had an amazing week. We moved him to a new school this fall and have found him to thrive in the environment and expand his curiosity and love for learning. We were so proud to watch Palmer hold his head high and march into the new school with the confidence to make new friends and be open to change. Palmer played on a golf team this fall, loves mountain biking, snow skiing, chess, and sketching plans for his various inventions. Palmer says he's going to change the world one day with his new ideas and we can't wait to find out how.
Four-year-old Grace is a big ball of sunshine and fun. Her face is usually smiling and she spends her time laughing, singing, dancing, and tumbling. She loves her friends and is incredibly fond of her big brother. Grace is confident, matter-of-fact, and will always tell you her opinion. She's creative, can memorize any song lyric or picture book pretty quickly, and always has a song in her head. Grace started Pre-K this year and is starting to show interest in writing letters and is so proud of herself when she masters a new learning concept. Grace does gymnastics and ballet and is so excited to join the local high school cast of the Nutcracker in December.
I keep myself busy with nonstop house projects. We wrapped up our current mid-century project at the beginning of the year and prepped it to be featured on some local home tours for people who have interest in architecture and home design. Meanwhile, we took on Rick's long-time family lake house and renovated it. We got the lake property ready in time for the summer where we spent a little time enjoying the water.
Now that both projects are finished, I've been searching for the next big "fixer upper" project- it's safe to say I've got the remodeling bug. And with the projects done, I'm itching for another one! I'm also still working part-time juggling news production, commercial production, and keeping the Jordan ship sailing at all times.
Rick dialed back his travel schedule mid-year, and continues to thrive at his new law firm. He's actively preparing for a mid-life crisis by planning his pre-40 bucket list, which apparently includes helicopter skiing, destination golfing, and scuba diving. Sigh.
We enjoyed a few trips to the ski slopes this year, and put Grace on skis. We are so proud of her success with ski school. She can't wait to get back out, and hopes to join the rest of us on mountain this upcoming season. Palmer, meanwhile, has been racking up stickers for his ski helmet.
We also bit the National Park bug this year and enjoyed the splendor of Joshua Tree National Park and many parks in Colorado, Arizona, and Utah, including Zion National Park. Zion was a standout favorite. We are consistently amazed at the beauty within our own country, and I love to continue honing my photography skills with the incredible landscapes. It's not unusual for me to wake up early to try to capture some sunrise shots in these serene locations.
Lastly, some housekeeping for this blog...for those of you who have stuck with reading the blog over the past 8 years, thank you. This platform was originally designed for me to document the children's early years so that I could compile the stories and memories into annual books. Today, I'm moving to a new avenue to document the continued memories in quicker snippets and plan to stop updating the blog at the end of the year. Feel free to follow us at our new home on Instagram at "thejordanjourneys" (I'm going to try to avoid over-posting on my own Instagram page and use the new page to create books to print.)
Love,
Bethany, Rick, Palmer, and Grace
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