2020 Review

Warning: Pollyanna post ahead!  That's right, I'm recapping 2020, but I'm only writing about the good.  None of us are going to forget what COVID did to 2020, but there was definitely some good thrown in.  Please don't judge me as insensitive.  I know it's been tough.  The losses have been tremendous.  In the past month four people I know passed away - two from cancer, two from COVID.  BUT GOD... GOD is still good!

January:

I started the year thinking I was going to study visions in the Bible, but turned to studying "fear not" after reading those words in four different passages in my Bible reading for the first two days of the year.

Les' nephew, Reece, spent a month with us.  He was in his senior year of high school and got a job working on the filming of a TV show in our town.  His hours were crazy, sometimes he'd go in at 3:00 p.m. and get off at 3:00 a.m. but we enjoyed having him and getting to know him a little better.

February:

We took a quick trip to Fresno to celebrate Elder Morton's 80 birthday.

 

I didn't blog about it, but we celebrated Valentine's Day in Hawaii.  Les had received a gift card from his trumpet student to Morton's Steakhouse and we really enjoyed ourselves!

 

March:

Sis. White asked me to speak at ladies prayer on March 10th.  I spoke about worry and the peace that comes from God.  Little did I know that God was preparing our hearts and minds!

April:

I read (and blogged about) Lessons from Pollyanna.  I guess you could say this post is about playing the "Glad Game."

We celebrated by 56th birthday and rode my age in kilometers!

May:

We celebrated our 29th anniversary by building a planter wall!  It was hard, back breaking work, but we also had a lot of fun.  We've lived in this house for almost 20 years and met more of our neighbors during that time than ever before.  We did what we always do - worked together and laughed a ton!

 

June:

For a few weeks we were able to have church inside again!  We still had to wear masks and social distance, but after months of online church it felt SO good to be together.

 

July:

We had unexpected visitors - our nephew, Reece, along with two of his friends were on a summer road trip and stopped at our place for a couple nights.  

Our church had "Quarantined Revival."  We were back to online church, but that couldn't stop revival.  Only heaven will tell the story of what God did this year through online church services!

August:

We celebrated Les' 57th birthday with another bike ride!  My first 100 kilometer ride.  And a Bodacious Cinnamon Roll!!

 

 

September:

We began having church services in our parking lot.  Victory Without Borders brought our church back together again. 

 

 

One of our nieces got engaged!

We also took a trip to Tennessee that I never blogged about!  We got to see Les' Mom and Pops, along with his sister and her family.  I flew home after a few days and Les joined Lance in Georgia for their delayed annual cycling trip.

October:

We did a few practice hikes in preparation for our November trip to the Grand Canyon.

 

November:

I got new hiking boots - purple, of course!

 

Our wall was finally completed!  We hired a contractor to do the finish work - stucco, caps, and stone work.  The first crew he sent made a mess of the stone so we had to wait a while.  The second guy was a master at his craft and it now looks awesome!  We're looking forward to Spring when we can do some planting.

 

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Arizona and I still haven't blogged about the Grand Canyon!

 

December:

After the Supreme Court sided with a Southern California church, Los Angeles county reversed its ban on indoor services.  We were back inside again for our final services of 2020!

Another one of our nieces got engaged!  Yes, that's right, TWO of our nieces got engaged in 2020!

Les and I had a wonderful Christmas at home - all our gifts were cycling, running or coffee related!

Les' new mug that says, "Fuelin' Up for Cycling"

 

I went for a nice walk this morning, under the light of a huge full moon!

 

 

Tell me something good about 2020!

Our Arizona Thanksgiving

Merry Christmas Eve!  I started this post after we got home from Arizona.  Then I tripped and blackened my eye.  Typing with one eye swollen shut just wasn't cutting it.  Then I fell into a bit of a writing slump.  So here I am writing about Thanksgiving on Christmas Eve!

 

Since we were able to spend Thanksgiving 2019 with the McElhaney crew, our plan for this year was to be with my family.  In September my uncle who normally hosts our gathering let us know he wouldn't be doing that this year.  Not even knowing how restrictive the holiday would end up being in California, we decided to take a trip for just the two of us.

Our criteria:  within driving distance, out of California, somewhere we could be active outside, and somewhere cold.  Our top two choices were southern Utah and Flagstaff.  They were both around 500 miles.  I started searching AirBnB and VRBO and finally decided on Flagstaff.  We found a cute townhouse that would allow us to cook our own food and we were set.

 

We drove (actually my awesome husband did all the driving for this trip) part way on Sunday, November 22nd and arrived in Flagstaff on Monday, November 23rd.  Much of our route was the same that Les and Lance took in 2017 when they rode their bicycles across the country.  Les had so many stories from those first few days of their trip.  (If you've never read Les' blog from that trip, you owe it to yourself to take the time and do so.  It's here: http://mcbraam.blogspot.com/)

 

We made a grocery run on Monday night and started settling in.  Our rental had everything.  We've stayed in a lot of rentals over the years (especially in Hawaii) and this one had the best kitchen.  There were enough dishes to fill the dishwasher and not run out.  Every type of pot or pan was available.  It was at the end of a circle drive and completely private.  It was a duplex, but we never saw or heard anyone next door.  There was open land directly behind us and though we were less than three miles from Interstate 40, it felt so far away.  The fireplace was also a bonus.

We went for a relatively flat hike on Tuesday, just getting acclimated to the elevation - Flagstaff is at about 6,900 feet, while we live at 1,000 feet! We spent Wednesday at the Grand Canyon and took hundreds of pictures.  It's SO amazing!  I'll do a separate post because the Grand Canyon deserves it.

Our Thanksgiving day started slow.  We ate breakfast, texted with our families, and relaxed.  A little after noon, we finally loaded up our bikes and headed out.  We rode the 15 mile Mormon Lake Loop.  It was a beautiful day!  The route was hilly, but fun.

We wanted to eat out for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Our first choice was Cracker Barrel, but with a 90 minute wait, we decided to pass.  We end up at the Northern Pines Restaurant, connected to the Days Inn.  They were serving a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and could seat us immediately.  It wasn't our typical Thanksgiving feast with family, but we enjoyed it.  We got pie to go and both slices were excellent!

Our plan for Friday was to not get in the car!  I was going to go for a run and Les was going to ride his bike.  The weather had other ideas.  It was cold like it had been all week, but the wind was howling.   We basically hibernated for the day and thoroughly enjoyed it!

We checked out on Saturday morning and headed to Sedona, with plans to drive to Needles to spend the night.  With no plans or reservations, it was tough to find an activity.  We finally booked a trolley tour and it was just right.  I'd definitely like to go back to Sedona for a longer visit.

 

We spent the night in Needles and drove the rest of the way home on Sunday.  We got an early start and were able to avoid too much traffic.  All in all, it wasn't a typical Thanksgiving, but it was a great one!

Friday Fotos ~ The Progression of a Black Eye Series

As I mentioned, I fell while out running a week ago Monday.  Along with the normal scrapes and bruises I also got my first black eye.  I thought it was important (or weird) to document the changes that happened each day:

Day 1, Monday 11/30 about 30 minutes after I got home:

 

 It was hard to capture just hard large the bump over my eye was.  By that evening, I had my first "shiner."

Day 2, Tuesday, the purple had set in completely:

This is the only non-selfie, that's why it appears my black eye switched sides!

Day 3, Wednesday, was my eye opened or closed?

Day 4, Thursday

Day 5, Friday, starting to see some green above my eye and bruising in my cheek:

Day 6, Saturday, the "bug eyed" look.  I actually left the house for the first time. 

Day 7, Sunday.  Guess who was scheduled to praise sing?  Thank God for outdoor service so I could keep my sunglasses on!!

 

Day 8, Monday.  One week later, most of the swelling was gone, some of the purple is starting to fade:

Day 9, Tuesday.  The purple above my eye is fading, but still a dark purple ring below...

Day 10, Wednesday

Day 11, Thursday

Day 12, Friday.  Here I am today, wondering how long that dark purple is going to hang around!

I'm feeling better each day and plan to start my Christmas baking today!  There has been one great thing that came out of my injury - I've started using Target's online ordering with drive up pickup.  It's so awesome to have someone else walk the store aisles, bag everything and bring it out to my car.  They even load it into my trunk!  Now if I could just get someone to put stuff away once I get it home...

Hope Came at Christmas

I received this poem from my aunt yesterday:

Twas a month before Christmas, and all through the town,
People wore masks, that covered their frown.
The frown had begun way back in the spring,
When a global pandemic changed everything.

They called it corona, it brought with it fear,
It didn't bring good time. It didn't bring cheer.
Contagious and deadly, this virus spread fast,
Like a wildfire that starts when fueled by gas.

Airplanes were grounded, travel was banned,
Borders were closed across air, sea and land.
As the world entered lock down to flatten the curve,
The economy halted, and folks lost their verve.

From March to July we rode the first wave,
People stayed home, they tried to behave.
When summer emerged the lock down was lifted,
But away from caution, many folks drifted.

Now it's November and cases are spiking,
Wave two has arrived, much to our disliking.
Front line workers, doctors and nurses,
Try to save people, from riding in hearses.

This virus is awful, this Covid-19,
There isn't a cure. There is no vaccine.
It's true that this year has had sadness a plenty,
We'll never forget, the year 2020.

And just 'round the corner - the holiday season,
But why be merry? Is there even one reason?
To decorate the house and put up the tree,
When no one will see it, no-one but me.

But outside my window the snow gently falls,
And I think to myself, let's deck the halls!
So, I gather the ribbon, the garland and bows,
As I play those old carols, my happiness grows.

Christmas ain't cancelled and neither is hope.
If we lean on each other, I know we can cope.

- by Shawna Hickling

Shortly after receiving that poem, our monthly church bulletin came out.  This came from our pastor:

During the best of times when God brings to us extra special blessings, the righteous say that God was with us. However, the blessing that was laid in Bethlehem’s manger, did not come during the good times. Challenging government edicts were bringing much hardship to the people of God, and the Light of the World was revealed in the darkest of night.

This year we celebrate the birth of our Savior, in the midst of a world-wide exhausting plague. Our normal routines of church, home, and school have left us with a fatigue, that begs for things to get back to normal. Our cause for celebration is that through the gift of the Holy Ghost, we have Immanuel (God with us) all the way through a pandemic.

~ Pastor White 

In spite of the many, many, many ways the government has pushed and pulled us through COVID-19, hope isn't cancelled.  Jesus came to bring hope!

Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins... Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us... For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  (from Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 2.)

30 Days of Thanks Wrap Up

We had a fantastic time in Flagstaff.  We spent as much time as possible outside.  Our internet was painfully slow, so I didn't get to post for a few days.  Here are the days I missed:

 

The Grand Canyon, more on that later.

Day 23:  Bundled

I told Les last year that I wanted to go somewhere cold for Christmas.  We ended up in Hawaii for most of December 2019.  He made my dream come true last week.  It was SO cold in Flagstaff, most nights it was in the teens.  I loved it and I'm thankful for warm clothes so I can be bundled! A warm fire is also a bonus...

Day 28:  Communicate:

I have to say I am very thankful for the many ways we are able to communicate. I definitely prefer face to face, but during these months of lock down, safe at home, and restrictions, the many ways we communicate have been so important. Phone calls, texts, emails, online service - they have all been so important.  I'm thankful every time someone reaches out to communicate with me... unless they're a telemarketer!

Day 29:  A Blessing

We drove home on Sunday.  While we enjoyed our time away, it's always a blessing to be home.  I'm so thankful for the beautiful home God has provided us.

Day 30:  Final

I got up yesterday morning and wanted to take advantage of a week of altitude training.  I went for a nice 5 mile run.  I felt great until the final mile...  my feet got a little tangled up and I found myself flying and then landing with a painful thud.  I'm not sure how it happened, but my sunglasses slammed into my face and I'm now sporting my first ever black eye!  I am okay, banged up and sore, but I'm thankful that I was able to get back up and hobble the final steps home.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 27: Sweet

Did you get your share of pie yesterday?  I had cherry and Les went for pumpkin. I’ve been cooking all week, but we ate out last night. We were pleasantly surprised with the Northern Pines Restaurant. 

I definitely have a sweet tooth.  I’m thankful for all things sweet, but more importantly the sweet people in my life!  I received text messages from a few yesterday and they were all so sweet!

A picture of my sweetie having a sweet!

Next week is the first week of December.  Typically I’d be planning my Christmas bake fest.  I don’t know if I should give sweets away this year, I may go with a limited run just for my sweetie and me!

30 Days of Thanks, Day 26: Family

Happy Thanksgiving!!  Today is a perfect day to give thanks for my family.

 

My first family, the Fultz family.  It started with these two:

They added these four:

These three were added:

 

My family grew when I married this guy:

The original McElhaney five:

The crew has grown quite a bit!

If I tried to post pictures our extended families, I know I would miss several.  So I'm just going to leave it here.  

 

I'm so thankful for the blessing of family.  Some are families were are born into, others are families we create.  I hope you all have a wonderful day with whoever you call family today!