2016 Merry Christmas Friends

I didnt do Christmas Cards this year.  To be honest, it truly wasnt due to lack of time. It was due to the fact that during the previous two years, I have only received half of what I used to get. I blame this on Social Media, of which I am a junkie...although I always hope to reform.  People are less and less inclined to connect with handwritten notes anymore and more and more likely to put themselves and ALL of their feelings out on the internet for everyone on earth to view.  I hope I can change that for myself.
In the meantime, here is our social media broadcasted Christmas Card/Letter to everyone.
This has been the fastest year of my life.
Perhaps, it is because I feel that 2016 has kept our household in a constant busy state with no time to even idle.
Audrey is in first grade.  I blinked.
She is 7 going on 19. She asked for her own phone for Christmas...umm...no!
She loves music and singing and dancing. Her body is in a constant state of motion.
She learned to ride a bike without training wheels and just recently to jump rope.
She loves school. She loves to read. She loves to write stories and draw pictures.
Most days, she drives me crazy...and most days I am simply amazed at the person she has become and is becoming.

 This year has been a busy one, like always, for Jim. He has had a building year at Equipment Depot, working hard to establish new customers.  He spent quite a few days at Susquehanna Speedway working in various roles at the track. He enjoys his time there on the dirt track.  Although I will NEVER understand why he has to wear white pants while working in dirt.
Jim celebrated his 20th year as a UAFD Member. He is about to begin his 8th year as Upper Allen Township Fire Chief. I realize that I introduce myself as Stacy Salter, the Fire Chief's Wife, Its just easier...everyone knows the Fire Chief.  I am so proud of him and I hope he knows that.
This past May, Audrey and I traveled with Jim to his training in Pensacola Florida.  It was a great training opportunity for him and a small vacation for us all. It was even an opportunity for me as a wife to be amongst other fire-wives and share and learn from them.


For me, this has been a year of a packed calendar, too many meals at the drive thru, growth, and excitement.  My photography business has had the busiest year yet. I cant believe that I am coming up on 7 years and I also cant believe how much I still have to learn.  I am so grateful for loyal customers and the occasional opportunity to feel like I am blessing someone.
It has been 21 months since my mom and I began Bring Your Own Apron Paint & Craft Events. We continue to stay busy and blessed with faithful clients and new folks each week. We partnered with Adams County Winery this year and so many fantastic fundraising groups. We are excited to see BYOA grow in 2017.
I am in year 3 at ECC! I have a great class this year, 21 wonderful kids.  I have finally found my groove in the classroom and truly feel like I have a ministry and not just a teaching job.  I love my "every day" job so very much.
I also continue to work at DeHart as a contractor with clients around our home.
Honestly, I am looking forward to a few days with nothing to do.  As I get older, I have learn to appreciate those kind of days more and more. There is something wonderful about waking up with no plans and just enjoying a quiet day.
As I round the corner to the final week of Christmas, I am taking that time to focus on the reason for the season...a king that came to earth as a baby, born in a lowly manger. How awesome is that, friends? It is that hope that carries me through this crazy life. every. single.day.
I hope that you also take the time to soak up the blessing sent down at Christmas!
Happy New Year and Much Love to each and every one of you,
Stacy, Jim, and Audrey Salter

To my daughter on her 7th birthday

What a fun day you had at Lake Tobias with 35 of our closest friends and family and neighbors.  We did a safari ride and reptile show and petting zoo and then walked the zoo.  It was fabulous!  We came home and opened presents.  Mom Mom and Pop made you a Little Free Library and Daddy and I got you Lea Clark American Girl Doll and Nana and Pap got you the Elena of Avalor Costume and accesories.  You are staying overnight at Mom MOm and Pops and then we head to Elk County for a stay in Camp Cant Keep it Up Cabin in Benezette!  We love you Audrey

Happy 6th Birthday

Today you are 6.  You have opened your American Girl Doll Salon and Spa Sets and are already done playing with them.  Now, you are watching HOME on tv and enjoying a plain bagel with butter.
In just 2 weeks, you are heading to Kindergarten.  The last few months have been a challenge for 4 hours a day, as you are in my classroom.  It is sometimes hard to manage your "personality" in class.  I have a feeling you will be the class clown. And that makes me laugh and worries me at the same time.  If I discipline you for your craziness, you tell me that you just want people to think you are funny.

You ARE funny.  You can spell now, even words that we dont want you to sound out.
Those times lead to VERY funny times.
You are kind. You are the first kid to help another kid.
You are stubborn.
You love BIG!  You hug BIG! You Kiss BIG!  You Speak BIG! You live Life BIG!
You love to dance, you love to sing!
Your favorite things are mint chocolate chip ice cream, Taylor Swifts Shake It off, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cartoons, going to Hershey Park, and anything at all really.
You come up with ideas and work on them daily, like your box car racer and a farm to design in place of Browns Berry Patch.
This year you have enjoyed a trip on the train to NYC. We managed to go crazy at American Girl Store. You bought Kit Kittredge.
We have enjoyed our camper and visits to Hershey Park with our season passes.
You had a BIG party a Monkey Joes this week to celebrate!
You are the best of both your dad and I.
You are very smart and growing so tall.
We cant wait to see where life takes you this year!

Love, Mom

Getting Ready for Summer

I am going to vow to get back to blogging, not for anyone else but truly myself. Well, and I want Audrey to have it to read when she is older.
Life is the Salter House is in full out ready for summer mode.  We have opened the camper, the boat is in the new dock at City Island, School is ending and the summer program is beginning, Hershey Park Season Passes have already been used twice.  We are so ready to enjoy the summer before Kindergarten begins. Audrey will be moving into my classroom for the summer months.  I am sure it will be an interesting challenge, but one I am ready for. I am hoping to keep to some sort of a schedule so her internal clock sets itself to be ready for kindergarten.
The Golf Cart is serviced, the patio swing is hanging. Let Summer 2015 begin!

Merry Christmas Friends and Family

It is Christmas Eve. I am sitting here in my new Christmas jammies, a holiday tradition.
This year, I didnt get Photo Christmas Cards!  As a matter of fact, I did something unspeakable...I mailed Christmas Cards in response to the ones I received.  THE HORROR!  Sorry if I missed ya...it may mean that your card came after the 23rd, I figured after that I wouldnt get it out in time anyhow.
Here are some smiling pics of our year:

What a year!
Audrey has, learned to ski, gone to farm camp, joined soccer, and so much more....

This past May, a newsletter came home from Audrey's Preschool. It noted that the Pre-Kindergarten Teacher was going to be retiring and that the position would be vacant.
I laid the newsletter on our counter.
Jim read it and said, " I think that is your job"
I laughed at him.
But God's plan was certainly just that.  I accepted the position in June.
It has been an amazing wonderful challenge. I have my own classroom of 15 kiddos with an awesome assistant.  I am surely blessed to work with a group of amazing teachers. Who would have thought that 18 years after I graduated with an \Education degree I would finally be using it.

In July we bought a new camper and parked it permanently at Pettecote Junction Campground in Cedar Run PA. We are so grateful to my mom and dad for landscaping, extending the deck and making it a second home for us.  We look forward to spending many weekends in the year to come. It is right along Pine Creek, perfect for kayaking, swims in the creek, biking along the rails to trail. We even have our own eagle pair with twin babies. With it, we bought a golf cart, and goodness knows we need the Dish Tailgater. But, it is a second home!

In August, we traveled to Yellowstone National Park and all of the surrounding points of interest.
10 days in a Class C motorhome with my mom, dad, Jim, Audrey, myself and our turtle Sundance,  It was crazy and awesome at the same time! We visited Jackson Hole Wyoming, Rapid City South Dakota and so much more.  Too bad the gas prices werent the same now as they were then.  LOL!  What memories!

Jim has seen some changes with his job at Equipment Depot but has risen to the challenge.  He is covering a wider territory, but is enjoying every minute of it. And of course, he is still The Chief.  I am pretty sure I will be saying that for awhile. He makes me proud, as I watch him serve our community.  Sometimes it gets the best of me, when I put dinner on the table, and the pager goes off, or when we have a plan, but the pager has a different plan. But...being the Fire Chief is who Jim is, so I love him through it.

Audrey is growing like a weed. Seriously, she is 4 ft tall. She is doing well in her classroom (right next door to my own) and I can hardly believe that in 2 months we will be enrolling her in Kindergarten for Fall.  She says she isnt ready. I dont think that I am either,
As I type, she is sleeping in MY bed, with visions of Elsa dolls dancing in her head.
Christmas is magical to her.  And it makes it magical for us.
She loves her Elf on the Shelf, Cookie, who leaves with Santa to go back to the North Pole Tonight. She has been making her Santa Wish List for months now.  I hope that she is pleased with what she unwraps in the morning.

Tonight at dinner, she told us that the best things about Christmas are family, friends and Jesus. That is all I really need for her to understand.  She knows the reason for the season. I am so blessed by that!

May the reason for the season, the baby born so simply in a meager manger, no crown for his head even as a king, bring you peace on this Christmas Day. May HIS presence fill your day and the year ahead.

Merry Christmas!

The Salters

A journey that got a late start

So as some of you know I have headed back to the classroom, after 18 years of not being in the classroom. I accepted a positio at Audreys school and I am loving it. I started summer class there and now have begun Fall semester with a new set of students.  I feel so blessed to be doing what my original plan was!

A letter to my daughter on her 5th birthday

Dear Audrey:

You just fell asleep in my bed. Funny, you do that still quite often. But I realize, as I lay beside you, after prayer and a book, that it really won't be like this for long. Soon enough, you will want to do it all, everything, on your own.  5 years old, is that when the turn begins? I sure hope not.

The past year has been beautiful, yes, that is the word I choose; beautiful!

We have celebrated so many awesome days, from our Halloween Disney Cruise to Farm Camp at Paulus Farm Market. You make my life so enjoyable, even when our day goes awry. We always come back to happiness.  This year, you conquered the Bunny Class with Mrs. Shute. I am amazed by all that you learned and how much you grew and I cant wait to see what the year ahead holds...the year before Kindergarten.

We made the choice to give you an extra year before we send you off, I am trusting GOD that the next year will be filled with all of the learning you need before you head off on that big yellow bus.

You are bossy (lets call it leadership in training), you are always good for a silly comment that completely throws me off for the day. Your heart is so big. You love people with all of your heart! 

You love church, school, riding your scooter and bike, watching the eagle and getting ice cream at Pettecote, and everything in between. 

You are my GOOSE, my buddy, my whole world wrapped up in beautiful brown eyes and a dimple in your chin!

God has so many amazing plans for this year, your 5th year of life.

Happy Happy Happy Birthday Goose!

Mommy