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TWELVE Things of Thankful: 2013 in Review

I know I told you that the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop was taking a break until January, but apparently I was just kidding!  We just couldn't stay away from sharing our gratitude.  This last hop of the year, though, features not 10, but 12 Things of Thankful--one for each month of the year.  I might cheat a bit, though, as I don't think I can limit myself to just one thing on some months.

January:  
John blessed our granddaughter in church.


Guide dog puppy Reno returned for formal training, and Drexel arrived.




February:
I shared how my mom helped clear up a childhood misconception.
Believe it or not, my parents were NOT married in this building:



March
I enjoyed sharing memories of John's first car.




April:  
Thanks to good syrup, John and I have enjoyed 26 happy years of marriage.

 



Also in April, I was able to fulfill a long-time dream to find another Anglia for John.

 

May I'm thankful for blogging.  (Though my blog has changed a bit since that post was written, the general reasons are the same.) 

JuneI learned about the 10 Things of Thankful Blog Hop, and jumped at the chance to participate. 

Ten Things of Thankful

JulyI was welcomed as a co-host of the TToT!

August:   We (my siblings, our families, and our parents) had a wonderful family reunion, which began as a surprise to my mom on her birthday. 





Following our reunion at Yellowstone, I attended Brigham Young University's Education Week.



To finish off the month, oldest daughter and I ran our first-ever 10 K race!






September: I'm thankful for freedom of speech, and friendship that allows for differences.

OctoberI'm glad I was in the right place at the right time, even though I didn't recognize it at the time.

November:  Granddaughter celebrated her 1st birthday.

 

Thanksgiving brought a houseful of family members. 

 

December:  Granddaughter number 2 made her appearance!

 

Christmas Eve brought all of our children and grandchildren together, and we took a photo with everyone in it.  


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I'm thankful for the opportunities of 2013, and look forward to the upcoming year. 

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Please consider joining us in this, the last (yes, I think I'm serious this time) TToT blog hop of 2013.  The more the merrier!  

Twelve Things of Thankful



Comments

  1. Looks like you and your family had a good year. Being blessed with two grandbabies is just wonderful. I hope their mom and dad think so too....
    Sometimes I think it would be good for me to join in the TToT-movement, for I often have a hard time to see all the things I should be thankful for.
    Have a wonderful last week of 2013 and I wish you all the best for 2014 too!!!

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  2. Loved seeing your year here in photos and that last one was absolutely perfect of all your children and grandchildren, too!! :)

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    1. We don't all live in the same state, so it was nice to have everyone together and to get a photo. I don't know the next time that will happen--probably not until next Thanksgiving at the earliest.

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  3. Wow!! Congrats on granddaughter number two! And a great 2014 ahead too!!

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    1. Thanks. It's amazing how much growth happens in just one year. Granddaughter #2 seems so small-- yet she isn't much smaller than granddaughter #1 was just last year.

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  4. 10 K... Im so impressed! love those grandbabies!

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    1. Don't be too impressed--I definitely finished the 10K at a tortoise's pace! :-)

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  5. I enjoyed seeing the year in review - so many Thankful things - Life is Good!

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    1. Life is good!

      You should join the hop sometime--we'd love to read about your thankful things!

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  6. What a priceless collection of pictures and blessings, Kristi! I just love your final photo of the family, it is often hard to get everyone together for those and this one is beautiful, a memory captured that will be cherished for generations! Love shines thru all your gratitude lists. Freedom of belief and freedom of speech are the most treasured gifts of all!

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    1. It is hard to get everyone together, especially as the kids leave the nest and move to other states. As soon as I realized that we would have everyone under one roof, I knew we had to get a photo!

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  7. First comment, and from our fearless leader, no less--I'm honored! :-)

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  8. I am biased, but I do find them deliciously cute, too.

    Thank you for having the idea for the hop.

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  9. Isn't it fun to go back and look over the year. I so often forget all the things that happened.
    I had completely forgotten about John's car! How's it coming along? :)
    Such a wonderful year you had. So many changes, big and small, but mostly lots of family and love.

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    1. Well, John's working out the bugs of some creative wiring. He can get the engine to turn over if he does some hot-wire bypass thing. (I really don't know what I'm talking about--can you tell?) The horn still honks when the ignition is turned, in an apparent early anti-theft wiring scheme. Basically, the car's coming along slowly, but that's OK. It makes John smile, which makes me happy.

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  10. What a beautiful set of photos to commemorate a great year! Your grandkids are lovely. Congrats on the 10K and 26 years of marriage. I'm only at 5 - so, I honestly don't know yet if we have a maple syrup thing. I'll have to give it some thought... I remember my grandparents use to do an annual bus trip to Florida together for YEARS because each thought the other enjoyed it. That always made me smile - because it made me think how much they must have loved each other.

    All the best for the new year - Louise

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    1. I love the story of your grandparents' annual bus trip! :-)

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    2. Yeah - it's one of my favourite stories about them too :)

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  11. (you know what's coming)

    …hey! excellent dogs! lol

    tell me the race was not run in the terrain depicted in photo # 8! I think I have a photo of that 'Y' from previous year's business trips to Salt Lake City… cool.

    been an interesting year, it has.

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    1. I might not fully understand everything you say, but I get the idea of good dogs! :-)

      Oh, no, the 10K was on the flat, nearly-sea-level streets of Anaheim, CA. It's been years since I've hiked the "Y," and I've never run up to it!

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  12. The photos of your family and granddaughters were absolutely beautiful. I loved that you found your husband another car like he had............... and of course the car is a 'she'. At least not Christine. That book and movie gave me nightmares. lol. A family reunion surprise for your mom's birthday!! How exciting! Oh, and your blog is so pretty.....the layout and colors!! Hope 2014 is filled with joy for you.

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    1. Thank you. The car actually hasn't been named yet; "Anglia" is the model. Ford Anglias are English Fords, rarely seen here in the states, and mostly just called "Harry Potter cars" now. Of course, in the Harry Potter books (and movie), the car was damaged by a whomping willow tree. We're going to try to avoid that fate with ours! :-)

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  13. Now that is a great year, indeed! Just clicked the link for the syrup and marriage thing because something tells me that will be a great read!

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  14. Amazing how many of your thankful moments I remember! Hope 2014 brings you and everyone much peace and happiness.

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    1. You're such a faithful reader! Best wishes for 2014 for you and your family, too!

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  15. I came back because I wanted to have time to read your maple syrup theory... Im so glad I did... funny story... when we were kids whenever any of us (8 kids) went to a fair or some such thing we would always by my dad a piece of maple sugar candy in the shape of a little farmer...a maple man... when he died I was helping my mother clean out his things and found a drawer full of petrified maple men... I asked her about them and she said that he hated maple but always pretended to like them because he didn't want to hurt our feelings!

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    1. Oh, I love that story! What a wonderful man your dad must have been! With 8 kids, I imagine he must have had a whole army of maple men. :-)

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  16. You certainly had a busy and wonderful year!

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    1. It was a good year for us. I wonder what 2014 will bring?

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  17. What a lovely look back at your year...lots to be thankful for, absolutely!

    Blessings for the New Year!

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  18. Beautiful family and such wonderful things in your year. Thanks for sharing them.

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  19. This is a list of wonderful memories. Of course I'm jealous that you have grand babies. That is high on my list, but may never happen. We'll see. In the meantime, I loved it that maple syrup has kept your marriage together.

    I didn't get the notice that we were to pick one thing from each month this last year. Instead, I allowed Lindsey (my daughter) to list her twelve things of thankful and my heart was warmed by her answers. Thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of this awesome hop. It sure makes my Sundays that much brighter. Happy 2013 to you and your amazing family. Linda at Out One Ear

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  20. Happy, happy, and Merry, Merry, Kristi...I love that you are a grandma. Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!

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