My hand has been wanting to write “2016” on things for the last two months which leads me to believe that it will be a very good year.  I don’t have much else to base that on, but the last week has been utterly depressing and nearly crashed my belief in the goodwill of man – the next year can’t be much other than better!  (That was a completely ingracious complaint about troublesome customers and an overarching lack of Christmas Spirit through the area.  I’m blaming the high temperatures, no snow, and full moon. People were just such Scrooges this year, not even content when they were getting what they wanted.)

We have had a fair amount happen in 2015.

One of the branches I work at was robbed very early in the year.  It was my first time ever being in a robbery and, honestly, if I ever have to be robbed again, I’d like it to be the exact same way.  No fuss, no muss, over and done.  I was able to take on some different responsibilities at work throughout the year, helping in areas that I’ve not been a part of before.  I also took over a new function which pretty much exactly suits me.  There’s a lot of organizing, detail, and filing. I am loving it!

We did a fair amount of exploring this year, though not as much as I like. 🙂  We stopped through Greenville, OH, checking out Bears Mill, which is an actual functioning water-powered grain mill from 1849. We also walked around one of the parks in the snow and sat through a star gazing (indoor, thankfully!) We got to see the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra after a few years for me. I think even Matt enjoyed parts of it. We traveled to Virginia Beach for our summer vacation and stayed at a Frank Lloyd Wright house which was partially turned into a B&B.  Probably would have stayed somewhere else for the bulk of the week, but it was super fun to learn about the house and the couple who owns it now – just what you would expect from two old Jewish folks from New York.  We visited Colonial Williamsburg, USS Wisconsin, Chrysler Art Museum, Fantomworks, and our friends, the Mehrings. To continue local exploring, we visited Englewood MetroPark and stopped at all three waterfalls on the land.  I also went to the Lebanon Apple Fest with friends Jan and Shelby – aside from the horrendous traffic to get out, it was a lovely time. Matt went with the men in his family (and the “adopted” Ken) to see a cool car expo at the Indianapolis Art Museum.  They totally gear-headed out and came back with some great memories.

Matt dabbled a bit on his wood lathe, making some lovely little bowls.  We’ve had other projects, though, using his workshop.  He made some shelves for me in the project room (which is still being organized) and also helped me with a couple little projects I have – more to come on that in the future.  We had insulation put into the house and are anxious to see what difference it makes during the cold, snowy winter (if it ever comes).

I had my first dentist visit in 7 years with no cavities!  I also started using and distributing Young Living Essential Oils and I’ve been amazed at the difference it is making in our lives.  From the health support, emotional benefits, and cleaning products – I am learning so much and I feel like our house is already on the path to being a healthier place.  We took the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University and have made tremendous headway with our debt.  I can’t wait for us to have everything but the house paid off, it will be such a relief, and that time is approaching faster and faster!

The flowers in the garden keep coming up and getting prettier and prettier. I can’t wait to see them in the Spring, although the crocuses are a bit confused and are trying to push through even now! Our irises from Michigan bloomed and were gorgeous. I hope they spread and shoot out even more flowers this next year.

We are always seeking to honor God in our lives and marriage and want to continue growing in our faith and dependence on Him. Going to church, reading the Bible, praying together – we are lacking in quality time with other believers outside of a church setting.  We both tend to be introverted home bodies, but building into others in the church and building those relationships is a key part of growing in Christ. I am praying that we will have more opportunities and be more willing to take them, even if it’s “inconvenient” or out of our comfort zone.

I hope you have a great start to your 2016!