Well, it’s hard to believe it’s been another year . . . but it has. We remember how our parents used to say that time speeds up as you get older, and we’d question that. But not anymore. Time just keeps speeding up!
We’re not sure if we can say that we’ve had more changes this year than any other year, but it’s sure close! Matthew finished comps and started his dissertation, Ginger got a new job, we sold most of our stuff, moved away from California, and hit the road.
We are currently dividing our time between our parents in Alabama and Tennessee, happy that we can be wherever we’re needed most. Over the last year, we became even more aware how far Southern California is from them, and affordable flights are often impossible to find. We may find monthly temporary housing, may go back and forth between the two (as the weather permits), will make regular trips to California for work, and hopefully one day, we’ll become completely “mobile.”
Most of you know that we have always dreamed of selling everything and hitting the road full time. We love being together, we love traveling, and we want experiences rather than “stuff.” This will also allow us to split our time between both our families. We’re hoping that sometime in 2017 we’ll get some sort of large vehicle (see the album below for some fun test-driving photos!) that will allow us to be as mobile as possible. We hope that also means we’ll get to see many of you as we travel from place to place and/or as you may be in areas close to us. (Let us know if you’re ever in Knoxville or Gulf Shores! We’d love to see you!)
So it’s a new adventure! We’ll be posting regular updates here if you want to keep up with us.
We pray your 2017 will be meaningful and filled with lots of love. (Click the photo for more pics!)
Of course our first stop has to be at the beach for gumbo and fried shrimp.
Thanksgiving Dinner at Dad’s church
Great to be with family and friends.
We worked some at the local library and I love this installation by it.
But we loaded up again to head to….
Tennessee
Where our niece and Bailey were reacquainted…slowly
Thanksgiving Day with our Tennessee family
“Aunt Ginger, take silly photos.” Yes, of course.
Uncle Matthew reads…the expressions on Lydia Grace’s face are my favorite.
Bailey found a toy and enjoyed a backyard.
Little People nativity
LG keeping Bailey company
Candy Land never goes out of style!
We had to. Really. Best ice cream on the planet.
We may not be in a house for decorations, but I put together this tree for a work contest…a Louisiana Christmas. And I won!
Brothers (you can’t tell at all!) and a cozy fire
PaPaw snuggling on the couch.
MeMe built a “castle” on top of the bed. I hear there was tea too!
These two liked to hang out under the dinner table.
LG helping PaPaw with the dishes.
God blessed me a million times over with an amazing mother-in-law!
At the Living Nativity
I guess Bailey wanted a story too.
Always fun to see this amazing woman! The biscuits and gravy were an added bonus.
Cookie time
Beautiful
We tried not to make a mess!
Cookies!
The best part…
Which one should I eat?
We did a little big rig test driving…Matthew aced it as always.
I did pretty well…but I’m not parallel parking yet!
Two peas in a pod.
So much excitement out the front door
LG narrates for Bailey
So when we left California, we were in our CRV
And it looked like this!
In Tennessee, we downsized to Frank’s car because we had already surpassed our mileage allotment for our leased CRV.
We managed pretty well and we didn’t just throw things out the window as we drove down the road. Better get used to smaller spaces.
We headed back to Alabama…
to warmer temperatures
And Bailey had another beautiful yard to explore
Celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary
Alabama bugs always intrigue me…always wish I had a microscope.
Beverlyn’s Christmas cactus
This one won the prize (my personal prize) for best house in the neighborhood.
Presents
People know Dad well. 🙂
I wore mom’s brooch to the Christmas service. It was always one of my favorites.
We splurged on Christmas morning…all fat, all whip, all syrup…everything!
Prepping Christmas dinner…the famous Cheese Pudding!
David and Bailey…she never gets any attention!
Beverlyn’s pine cones
We’ve always tried to train Bailey to stay out of kitchens…and she usually does pretty well. However, you can see here that she’s out BUT BARELY!
Christmas dinner
Our attempt at a Christmas selfie
While we weren’t looking, Bailey darted under the table for scraps.
FaceTime with Chuck and Mindy…we missed them!
The week between Christmas and New Years is always puzzle time.
Cornbread lessons from Dad…
His is the best!
Traditional New Year’s Day dinner and Mom’s Christmas dishes makes it even better!
Happy 2017!
From Bailey too…since most of this album is of her! We wish you all the best this year.