2017 Christmas

What a whirlwind 2017 was.
Every year seems to get shorter.
Every year, we add some gray hair to our heads and my kid gets taller.
This year, as I look back, wasnt really as fast as it seems.

This is my 4th year at Early Childhood Center at Country & Town Baptist.
My group of kiddos this year are absolutely wonderful.
I enjoy them so much.

Jim continues at Equipment Depot in his 13th year.
He is also on the start of year 8 as the Upper Allen Township Fire Chief and the finish of year 22.

Audrey is in the 2nd grade.  She is  8 going on 21.  She is sass and Sweetness all mixed together, some days a bit more sass than we'd like.

Audrey started playing softball in the Spring and continued again in the Fall.  Jim enjoyed being an assistant coach and we all enjoyed watching the girls build a team and enjoy the game.

This year, my mom and I stayed incredibly busy with Bring Your Own Apron.  We saw thousands of new artists. We hosted art camp in the summer and had huge Santa events in the last few weeks.  We haven't killed each other yet, and we still enjoy what we are doing, so we will keep it up!

My photography business continued to grow. This year, I felt like it grew exponentially. I am grateful for the clients that seem to turn swiftly into friends.  I am blessed to do what I love in all facets of life.

In May, we headed to Pensacola with the fire department for training.  It is a vacation for Audrey and I, but they mix in some incredible learning for us.  Jim learns lots of new things in training, and manages an hour or two enjoying the beach with us for the week.

This summer, Audrey and I did a lot of camping.  I continue to take the summer off and I am blessed to be able to enjoy my days with my kiddo.  We did a lot of swimming, creek tubing, fishing, ice cream every day kind of days. It was great!

We spent some great times on our boat on the susquehanna.

In August, I went on a Missions Trip with our Church to Allison Hill in Harrisburg.
It was an amazing time and I felt a new sense of purpose when I reflected back.

This Fall has been the busiest ever for us.

Jim planned and executed the 75th anniversary of the UAFD.  The year ahead brings with it a new fire house. Jim continues to pour his heart into our community.

Audrey joined the kids worship team at Church.

In the Fall, I felt led to facilitate a women's bible study online for our church.  It was very full-filling and I decided that I would create my own Advent Bible Study for the 25 days of Christmas. The devotional has given me an outlet to write, which I have always enjoyed doing and I feel like it has brought a little light to the people who have joined.  I am wondering now if I will continue on this journey, as I have led a study now for 85 days in a row. It has become a routine for me now.

The first few weeks of December brought a lot of heart-ache.  We had to say goodbye to our 13 year old fur -baby Molli.  It was a terrible loss for us.  We decided within 2 days that our house was wayyy too quiet with just one dog. We are adding a new little Dachshund to our family, Delia.  She will join her big brother Dasher on January 19th.

On December 10th, my cousin Justin went to be with Jesus.  The loss was sudden. Throughout my 40 years of life with him, we had quiet an up and down relationship.  We fought a lot, disagreed often, and laughed and watched our families grow all at the same time...in the mix of that was a relationship where we always knew that no matter how mad we would get at each other, we still always had each others backs. He will be missed.

This year has taught me so much about myself, more than any year before. This year has taught me just how fragile this life really is and also how absolutely joyous life can be.

As we look ahead to 2018, we look forward to celebrating 10 years of marriage( I guess I will keep him), a cruise with 22 friends and family who have decided to board our crazy boat, a new camper to enjoy, wonderful changes to look forward to.

We do not forget the reason for the season.
A Baby who changed everything. Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

The Salters