Basketball

When I went to look at the pictures I'd taken of the week, I realized that I hadn't taken any! It was just a normal, mundane week in the Southwick home. The holidays and all the festivities are over. The kids are back in school. Jeff and I are back to the grind managing the business and the house. It was actually a pretty productive week though. I was able to get a lot accomplished in re-organizing the filing and billing for the New Year and also in working on a family history project. My amazing aunt is putting together a book of history about my maternal grandparents, their ancestors, and their posterity. I have been helping to edit and compile the information. It has been a fun project...and it makes me feel like I'm finally putting a check-mark in the "do your family history" box. In any case, once Saturday came, I was ready to relax a bit...but only after the boys' basketball games. Dallin has been participating in basketball for nearly two months, but Danny just started this week. I have to admit, Danny's games are a little more entertaining. It's pretty funny to watch a bunch of 4th grade boys scramble around for a ball then not know quite what to do with it once they have it. Danny did a pretty good job though. I think I'm more proud of him when I see him being a team player rather when he's being the star of the game.

After Danny's game, Dallin had a game. His team has really done well this season (even though they lost this game). It has been nice to see how Dallin is able to play with new teammates and to mesh well with them. I know I said this last year, but I think Dallin has grown even more as an athlete this year. I like to see him enjoy the game rather than get upset when things don't go his way. I'm proud of both my boys.

One last stop...

Our trip came to a quick close. I truly enjoyed spending time with my family. I love that Jeff and the boys like to spend time with them too. I still wish they all lived closer...but with Krystle's departure on New Years Day to Texas, it seems we're getting farther away. I miss my parents and siblings. I am so grateful that I have a family that I do love to spend time with and that I do miss when we're apart. A big part of that is because of the amazing parents my parents had. Before we left the Phoenix Valley, I had to make a one last stop. I dropped by the Veteran's Memorial Cemetery to visit my paternal grandparents' graves. I have taken Jeff to see my maternal grandmother and aunt's grave, but we have never made the trek out to the Veteran's Cemetery. Since we would be going that way anyways, I decided that I wanted to stop. I am grateful for good grandparents who helped instill good morals and values. I learned a love of country from my grandfather and loyalty to family from my grandmother. I was glad we were able to stop...and sad that we were heading back to the snowy, cold north. Oh well...all good things must come to an end. It was a great week in Arizona. Now it's time to get back to start the New Year!

New Years Eve

I can't believe 2014 has come to a close! I have to admit that this was a much better year than 2013. 2013 was amazing in the fact that I found my soul mate and one true love, but it was also filled with lots of bumps in the road as Jeff and I bumbled our way through blending a family. 2014 seemed to go a lot smoother. That's not to say that there still weren't bumps in the road, but those bumps seemed smaller and less frequent. I can't say that we are completely "blended", but I'm not sure there will ever be an end to that journey. We are not the "normal" family, but we are a family. We are our own imperfectly perfect family. I felt very blessed as I reflected over the last year. The Lord showered gifts in abundance on me. Some of those gifts came after the trials and tribulations, but others were simply given. As I look toward the new year, I am determined to return some gifts to Him. My gifts may be meager in comparison to what He has bestowed on me, but they come from my heart. I know I have a long way to go before I could ever reach a state of perfection, but I know He doesn't care about that. He simply wants to see that I'm progressing toward that goal...and to get there, I have set new goals for this year. I want to change. I want to be better...and I know, with His help, I can.

Well to start off this last day of 2014, I attended the marriage and sealing ceremony of one of my best friends, Johnny Jones. I have known Johnny since I was about 18. We met at ASU while completing our undergrad degrees. He was always my go-to guy friend when I was having guy troubles and couldn't understand why guys were so dumb! He and I always found time to have fun as we muddled through the adventures of single life after 25 years old (which most would consider young, but in the church culture you're practically a spinster by that age). He was there as I cried and he was there as I rejoiced in finding my ultimate best friend, Jeff. I was so happy to be there to see him finally find his one true love. Aubrey is such a beautiful person - inside and out. I am so extremely happy for them. Aubrey was married once before and has three kids. Each of them has had their difficult journeys to get to this point, but I am so glad that neither of them gave up. I know what a true blessing it is to have found your eternal companion and to have that best friend to journey through life. Congrats Johnny and Aubrey!

Jeff and I attended their reception that evening then got the party started at Nichole's house! Each year, Nichole plans and executes the best New Years party. She has activities for the kids (and adults) to do every hour on the hour so we keep ourselves awake and busy and having fun all night! This year her theme was "New Years around the World". Each game was related to a different country. She is so creative. The kids had a blast as we welcomed in 2015! I am so excited to welcome this New Year and all the adventures that lay ahead!

4 out of the 5 of us: Me, Michael, Nichole, Krystle

Gotta love my boys!

Happy New Year 2015!!!

Arizona fun!

Over the next week, the kids enjoyed visiting a couple jump places, paint balling, an arcade/ropes course, and more. Needless to say, they were a little spoiled. They also simply enjoyed playing outside without any snow! That won't happen again for a few more months at least. I didn't really participate in any of the activities, but it was fun watching them build relationships and memories. I can't imagine what it would be like to welcome a new family into my life, especially one I never expected to have, but I was pleased to see the boys blending with my family as if they had known them all their lives. Here are quite a few pictures we took of the kids' activities over the week: