Since I haven’t posted anything since right after wedding when I updated the site to reflect my new name I thought it would be a good idea to post something before 2013 ends.

The months since the wedding have been a combination of highs and lows for us.

In October Brett’s aunt Jeanne lost her battle with cancer. She fought bravely and we miss her dearly. The memorial service for her was as lovely as such an occasion can be and the fellowship of family afterward is a resounding testament to Jeanne’s spirit.

November brings Thanksgiving and my favorite time of the year! This was the first year that we’ve had Thanksgiving at the lake house now that the kitchen remodel has been completed. After dinner the guys headed out to the Tennessee/Carolina border and spent four days fly fishing; I went to Tulsa to spend a few days with my Dad and nieces.

December always brings craziness and stress, but I think we mostly managed it with poise and grace. At our company’s annual holiday party Brett was honored with the company award for Culture; for the third year in a row. I could not have been more proud of him.

With Jeanne’s death, the tradition of Christmas Eve Eve was passed on to Brett and me. We hosted the entire Suddreth family at our home on the 23rd (all 30 of us); it was a lot of work but I am so glad we were able to carry on the tradition. We had lots of food, tons of laughs, and overall made sure that the spirit of the tradition Jeanne started was intact. I think we accomplished that – I hope we did.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were wonderful; watching the nieces open their gifts on Christmas morning is always a joy. I look forward to experiencing that joy with my own children in the future and hope that the nieces will share in their excitement!

While I certainly received some lovely gifts, I think the best gift of all is truly the time I get to spend with family and friends during the holiday. It is the gift I treasure the most because I know that someday we won’t have that gift – so I cherish while I can.

For now, I am preparing the house for my Dad’s arrival. Christmas continues this week at Suddreth Manor. I am also hoping to have a family dinner to celebrate Epiphany. We will see how successful I am with that!

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and that the new year brings you nothing but joy and happiness.