I hesitated and debated writing this post. The older I become, the more private I tend to be – especially about something this tumultuous and heartbreaking. My Papa died January 12, 2010. I want to write something to honor him, the man he is, and the legacy that he has left.

He was born with his twin brother on August 15, 1929. Sadly, his twin only lived a few months.

This is my favorite picture of him when he was little. Isn’t he serious? My little guy is really serious like that sometimes.

Mema and Papa met in December 1945. The day they met, Papa went home and told his mom he had met the woman he was going to marry. They were married March 1946. Isn’t this picture romantic?

Papa enjoyed working on trucks. If he told you something about your car, something you needed to do, you had better listen. He knew his stuff when it came to automobiles. He made great wooden farmhouses, bug houses, trucks and much more. We enjoyed playing with them when we were little, and my little guy will play with them, too. He was a great yodeller and singer. He always wore cowboy boots, a big belt buckle and big hats with feathers in them. Later in life you would find him around the house in his overalls and chewing gum. His great past-time was fishing. Papa got to know my dad by asking him to run a trout line with him when he was a kid. (which dad later told me gave him a great advantage when he became interested in my mom!) When we were kids, my brother and I would each spend a week with Mema and Papa. My brother and Papa spent the entire time fishing. After I got married, he even taught my hubby a thing or two about fishing. He caught his biggest fish with Papa, and Papa got a big bang out of that.

This is my favorite family picture of Mema, Papa, my mom and aunt. Isn’t it so cute?

Papa was a hard working man of integrity and honor. He loved his family and enjoyed spending time with them, especially his sweetheart of 63 years. Papa became a believer in 1974 and he has now seen the face of his Savior. I am happy for him, I know he is no longer in pain or weighed down by his earthly body. Papa has left a living legacy of honesty, integrity, hard work and love. We cherish our memories of him and he will be missed. We celebrate the life he shared with us here and his new life in heaven.

My little guy is 16 months old now. He is turning more and more into a little boy. He is saying more and more words. “No”, unfortunately, is one of his favorites. Since we keep saying it to him, he bosses around our dog and my parents dog and tells them “no no no” all the time. He calls our dog, Mandie, “baby”. She is a small dog, so that makes sense!

He is mr. independent. He wants to do everything himself, especially eating. He will not let us feed him, so meal time is now messy, but fun. His favorite is yogurt and apples. He can say apple, but he calls them “ball” most of the time.

It has always been fun to have this “cutie guy” (as I call him), but this stage is really fun. He is learning how to play. He will run and laugh and hide. It is exciting to watch him grow and we are having a great time having a son.

We woke up Sunday morning to three inches of snow. It is still freezing cold today (17 degrees was the high), with more snow on its way. I hope not, we need to get to a sweet man in Oklahoma. Despite the bad timing of the snow, my little guy had a great first time playing in it. He did not want to come inside.  Can you see the delight in his face?

Happy New Year! Last night, we rang in the new year with sparklers and sparkling pomegranate apple juice. The debate of the night was how to say the new year – two thousand ten or twenty ten. We decided on twenty ten.

I enjoy the new year. It is a fun and refreshing close to Christmas. I like the thought that it is a new beginning, just like waking up every morning to a fresh new day. Instead of careening through life it gives us an opportunity each year to reflect on our lives, the good and the bad.

Have you made any new years resolutions? I don’t like calling them resolutions, but I make goals every year. I like the reminder the new year gives us to look at things we may need to accomplish or work on. Here are ten things I want to accomplish in twenty ten:

1. eat five fruits and veggies most days
2. save money
3. listen to music more often
4. use coupons more consistently, save lots of money on groceries
5. memorize 100 new verses
6. start running again on a consistent basis
7. go to networking meetings for our design business
8. open an etsy store
9. get up early every day (6-6:30), go to bed at a decent time each night(10:30-11).
10. teach my little guy to use the toilet!

Of course, these are really just the beginning. There are financial goals, personal goals, parental goals, family goals, business goals… The list goes on and on. Things to keep doing we are doing well, things to adjust, new things to try. Relationships to be evaluated – some are better to let go when they do more harm than good. Taking time for yourself is something many women and moms do not do (and no, making the grocery list while watching tv does not count!). Renewing yourself and family is something you could go on and on with. The one thing I would remind myself is to make goals attainable. You can always save “run a Marathon” for next year!

Hope it’s a great one!
-Nikki