SO IT WAS AND WILL BE

Sometimes it's hard to say goodbye to favorite things and especially to old friends.  And so it is with 2012.  There were good times and a few bad times, but still I feel blessed to have been given every day of 2012.  In 2012 we welcomed Mason, our new great-grandson.  Not many blessings can compare with a new life and hope for the future of this precious family.

You know it was a great year for our health, if we didn't even meet the insurance deductible until the middle of December.  A real blessing.   There were a few bumps and dings, but nothing life challenging.  Thank you God. 

Our oldest daughter and family moved back to Iowa from Germany.  Still a long ways away, but much easier to get there than Germany. 

We were able to take two nice trips to see some of the beauty of this great country this year.  The April bluebonnets of Texas were so nice, but we may try to get there at the very height of the blooming season this year, rather than the end.  It was still a great trip and so much fun to try to capture that perfect picture.  Texas is so beautiful in the spring.

The month of October was absolutely great for spending a few days in Iowa with Paige and family and almost a month long tent camping trip.  Yup, it's true, you CAN survive a night in a tent in the blowing snow of Colorado, blustery Nebraska wind and driving Utah rain.   The wild, wild west has captured our interest in the last few years and we just can't get enough of it.  There are still a few National parks out that direction to be visited and we may just try to see some of them in 2013 if the Saturn still has about 7,000 miles left in her, and if Mr. O'Bama leaves us a few dollars.  I already have a bit of money in the Christmas pig our girls gave us about 13 years ago.  We needed to save for new furniture at that time.  The bonus to our trip out west was being able to swing through Palo Duro Canyon State Park to Texarkana TX to visit the brand new great-grandson and 5 year old great-granddaughter and family.  The visit to family and getting in some sweet baby sugar was great, but you should never follow up a trip to the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon with any other mountain or canyon.  Palo Duro would be a nice trip from Mississippi but not headed back east to Mississippi.  Oh well, at least we met and visited with a nice couple from Netherlands.  You just never know who you might meet out there in the woods in a tent.

This coming year will be full of surprises and that is the best part about new beginnings - the unknown.  I do know that the 2013 trip along life may be long and full of lots of detours and potholes, but with Jesus as our companion all will be well in the end.

Just saying, so far Mississippi State (1st quarter) is getting off on the wrong foot.  But, we still believe - there is always next year.  Sorry about that little side trip, but Northwestern is making mush of MSU.  Ugh!!

Hope you enjoy my last few pics in 2012 and Happy New Year to all!

Flying squirrel families are wintering in two of my bluebird houses.  So cute and have the prettiest big black eyes and sweet little faces.

Beautiful red/orange mushrooms in our back woods.  The big flat one has been out there since Christmas day and is about 8 inches across. 

Sidney just could not resist the big one and how pretty and icky it felt on the under side.

There was another shot that was not as good but showed three were a total of 6 deer.

 Not a trophy buck, but a nice shot anyway.

A few nice pics from my Christmas game camera in the back yard.  There were a total of 14 turkey out there at the same time, though not all in the camera range at one time.  We were watching the turkeys from my dining room table just about lunch time.  

Last shot (photo) of the year was Baker doing a little practice with Boppie and his new Christmas BB gun. He is practicing up for that big buck he plans to go hunting for with his daddy.   The area where we saw all those turkeys is right in front of Baker's target.