Blast from the past "

I made something for dinner last night from a cookbook I got at my bridal shower MANY years ago. It's from the Betty Crocker cookbook "New Cooking For Two Cookbook". The copyright date is 1971...the year we got married. I made the Shrimp Creole recipe. I hadn't made it for a very long time...I sort of forgot about it, actually. I don't know what made me think of it, but I'm glad I did. It was so good! 

It made me think about old things versus new things. Old recipes are usually pretty good. Old cars (pick up trucks, too) are very good. Old men are really good...at least my old men are (that's you, Craig and Dad). Old[er] sons are super  good...Josh and Steve...they become friends as well as sons. Old books, old music, old homes...lots of really good old stuff. 

New things are good, too. We've had many new things this year. There were trips to Oregon looking at property. In March we welcomed a new baby into our family...Emily Jean made her appearance a little early. She, just like her big brother, Jason, are bright stars in our family. (Their older cousins, Megan and Caedon are quite smitten with both of them). We purchased property in Oregon for our retirement and spent our July vacation working in MoHo to make it a bit more livable. As we moved into the summer months, my job changed. I look back on that time now as preparation for retirement. When we first started talking about moving away from the kids, I cried...because of leaving the kids but also because I truly loved my job and the people I worked with. Not being at the hospital working gave me a chance to separate from the job and the people which made it easier to leave. Retirement is a new thing for both of us and I highly recommend it. We left AZ Oct. 10 and I drove the car while Craig drove the truck with all our possessions...I had never done a drive like that as the driver. 

Once we got to OR, there was finding new stores to shop at and a new church to go to...we haven't lined up new doctors yet. We found the stores, and are going to a church with very nice people. And then there's getting accustomed to life in a single wide. And now, the cold and rain...lots of rain! It was a good decision to move here...we love it...it's beautiful. We're only a 5 hr. drive from Craig's folks and that will allow us to see them more often. 

So, as we look forward to this new year, we look forward to the new things the Lord will bring our way. He has truly blessed us with a wonderful family and a beautiful place to live and so much more.

Happy New Year!