where it went

Yesterday, I finally allowed myself to take down the 2013 calendar and christen the 2014 by opening her pages, writing in important dates, and magnetizing her to the side of the frig.  Her new job is family command central.  But as I flipped through each month from '13, pulling out the birthdays to copy over, I realized that we really did a lot this year.  Like, really.  The first thing I counted were doctor/dentist/eye doc visits.  They totaled 43.  And then there was all this....

January '13 started with hours and days of rain.  So much rain that it flooded a lot of our property, garage and all. The Gunny and I spent one Sunday afternoon wading in inches of water in the garage, moving things to pallets and plastic totes.  The next day, it all froze, turning Lake Conger in the backyard to an ice skating rink.

My Reagan turned 8 with her panda themed birthday party.  That gal is c.r.a.z.y about panda bears.  She's also the most compassionate person I've ever met, and I cannot tell you how excited I am to see what she does with herself in years to come...

In March, we said good-bye to Grandpa Russie.  He died in his sleep on the 11-year anniversary of Grandma's death.  Our entire family was together for a few short days, but oh did I enjoy that bittersweet time.  The laughter was more abundant than the tears.  And even now, the fam has grown by two more sweet little girls.  Grandpa sure did love his girls.  For me, I miss him in so many little things...

Easter.  It meant a visit from Gramma Sandy, frilly dresses (which also doubled as funeral attire, clearly), hunts for plastic eggs, and all the regular hoopla.

The introduction of 5 barn cats.  We got them as tiny kittens, but as fate would have it, they started disappearing, thanks to a coon problem.  And the older and more inquisitive they got, they ventured into the dog's well-patrolled backyard.  Needless to say, now there are two.

You cannot say that Kennedy isn't a brave soul.  She tried out for the 5-6 grade softball team and made it, her first time ever playing.  She had fun, learned a lot, and marked it down as a success.

This May marked my 4th  (or 7th? I've honestly lost track) visit to Washington, DC, this time again with my 8th graders from school.  It's one city that I love.  Completely.  So much that I'd visit it four or seven times.  Arlington is still one of my fav spots in the city to be.

Oh, the snakes.  The 6-ft black snakes that have inhabited our land, our garage, and my nightmares.  My only reprieve is the winter months.  Hibernation.

Spring Hill church camp came to our church this year.  R and McK went and LOVED it each and every day.  Tie-dying shirts, bungee jumping, Bible stories, etc.  It was money well spent.  And when my Reagan gets to spend the week with her bestest friend in the world, that's worth it, too.

It's been just over a year that our Life Group has been 4-families strong.  This year, we really piled on the events and experiences with our Lifers.  Bible studies, fun game and movie nights, serving together, and of course, playing together.  We had a 4th of July get together at our house, complete with a romp in the creek.  A few weeks later, we went to the farm.  The kids went crazy in the garden and picked enough produce to feed all 13 kids for days on end.

My Kennedy turned 11.  Did you read that right?  Eleven.  Goodness gracious.  She's nearly an inch or so away from my towering 5 ft 3 1/2.  She's going on 16, most days.  She loves a good book and a few hours to waste on Pinterest.  She's 98% her dad.

My baby girl turned one.  Oh, how she makes me smile.  She's a dancer and a smiler and a Mickey Mouse lover.  She's full of spunk.

My creative and mischievous McK turned 7.  She's got an inventive mind of her own.  One day she'll know how to harness it all, and then.....watch out, world!

Nothing says "Happy Father's Day" like a present in the form of a date with Mom.  We took off at the end of August for a Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls concert.  It almost made us feel like we were 18 again.  Well, not so much.  But it was loads of fun.

Girls, meet your first cousin.  Baby Sarah came to visit us, all the way from Colorado.  She had sweet cheeks!

Camping trip.  Normally, the Conger fam embarks into the outdoors 3x in one summer.  This year, with the baby child in tow, once was all we could handle (correction: all MOM could handle).  All 4 of our Life Group families went with us on Labor Day weekend.  Minus the extreme heat and thunderstorms one night that had us swimming in our tents, we had a blast (minus the look on K's face that tells you otherwise).

On my bday weekend in September, the Gunny and I headed north to Chicago.  It was our trip for our 13th wedding anniversary.  We ate at Weber Grill a few too many times, walked a few too many miles in flip flops, and spent a little too much money on Michael Buble tix, but it was all worth it.

USMC Family Day happened again this September, filled with bounce houses and face painting and goodies won in the raffle.  This year marked the 15 year point since the Gunny became a Marine.  Ooh rah to that.

Year 2 for K on the tennis team, and oh was she fun to watch this year.  She improved vastly from last year, and we were her biggest fans.  Normally she played #2 singles, but in this match at the end of the season, she and her doubles partner Sam carried out an awesome match.

First ever Conger family vacation.  Onslow Beach (thanks Marine Corps for our cheap beach stay) during Fall Break.  We're counting the days until we can go back.

Captain America, fairy, leopard, and cowgirl.  Must mean it's Halloween.  And the girls' first ever time at trick-or-treating in a neighborhood instead of doing our usual stops at family members' houses.  Holy candy.

November brought the dreaded days to search for yet another formal gown.  USMC birthday ball.

Girls, meet cousin Mason.  It's the year of cousins.

Thank you to my husband's employer for the free (and might I say, expensive and very close up) Colts tix.  We had a blast.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from my house to yours.

That, dear friends, was 2013.
 What you can't see in these few pics here are all the moments of mundane goodness--school projects, field trips, homework, outdoor movie nights, arguments, gifts, tears, lawn mowing, laughter.
It may not be a year that stands out boldly in my memory.
Yet I'll choose to remember the good, the laughs, the memories.
God, thank you for another year of life, and please richly bless what lies ahead.

Amen...