One of our many family jokes is that the Smalls do not send out Christmas newsletters. There's something about it...I think it's the fact that we have to have it ready and out at a certain time. However, this year we decided to break tradition and put one together! (We have yet to actually send it out, so they'll be more like "New Year's Surprises" for when the Christmas card rush ends.) Between Mom, Tirzah, and myself writing parts, the newsletter got quite lengthy and had to be cut considerably. This was a very tricky job. So here's my full version of the year's events....
2016 has been both a long and short year. I think this is my concluding evaluation at the close of every year, though. As I look back over the past year, a lot of fun memories come to mind, defining 2016.
Back in January my brothers, Tirzah, a friend, and myself got to visit White Pass and go snowboarding again for the first time in several years. A snow day at the pass used to be a yearly family tradition, which eventually had to be dropped. Being on the mountain again was a fun reminder of "old times," and a tragic reminder of how bad I had become at snowboarding.
Also in January, I became classified as an adult and promptly got my license. I'm afraid that I've inherited more of my dad's driving style, and I love being behind the wheel. My long-standing love for cars quickly escalated to me buying my first car in June, due to other mechanical problems and a slight lack of wheels between 3 drivers. Having my name on a car title is both exciting and frightening and has made me feel shockingly old. I hope to not take so much money out of the bank again any time soon.
Through the spring months, 2 friends, Kea and Anna, came to live with us, helping Mom with writing and editing projects. At the time of Anna's arrival we had not yet met her, but we had no short-term trial in mind. She was very brave to commit to 3 months of living with us, and getting to know her proved to be a safe, fun adventure. We really enjoyed having extra bodies and smiles living with us, too.
During the summer months, a good friend of Tirzah and mine, Johannah, got to stay with us and work a job nearby. We are always happy when someone willfully moves in with us for a temporary time. Having Johannah be part of the family over the summer kept us from either getting into trouble or being bored.
Tirzah and I also expanded our independent house cleaning business over the summer. Thanks to various people recommending our work, we were able to take on cleaning several vacation rentals. Tirzah and I have been glad to be able to do all of our work together, figuring out a routine that works well for both of us. Thankfully we tend to each like doing the job that the other one dislikes. These jobs kept us quite busy, and we have been grateful to work for very kind homeowners who want to keep us on as their regular housekeepers.
In June my mom, Tirzah, and I returned to my original home state, Alaska, to visit for a week. I got to surprise a friend at her highschool graduation, spend time with her, and re-connect with several other family friends. It was a refreshing get-away before returning to work and the busy remainder of summer at home.
The summer came to a quick conclusion with a wonderful bang. My sisters treated my mom, Johannah, and myself to a Piano Guys concert in Seattle, which felt like a dream come true. As an enthusiastic fan, I was thrilled to be seeing them in person, and the experience only intensified my love for their music. Check it off the bucket list? No, I wrote it on the list a few more times.
I could go on for some time about this lovely evening, but then I would begin to sound like their personal salesperson.
As summer came to an end, our lives didn't slow down at all. But something about summer being over made life feel a little quiet and lonely, even though the calendar was full. This was the first time in 6 months that only the 3 of us lived under our roof. By mid-fall we were severely lacking the friends and heat that summer had brought. (though the level of busyness was still not diminishing.) To remedy this sad, lonely situation, 2 friends from Alaska came for a 10 day stay. We got to be the first to introduce them to Washington and take them to all of "our" waterfalls. And, since their visit was already too short, we spent many late nights enjoying deep conversation and long laughs (unrelated to each other). Now we want to make their visit a traditional post-summer consolation.
Within the first week of December we woke up to a few inches of lovely, silent snow, which we have been very thrilled about. This is our first "real" snowfall/pile up in 4 years! The snow has brought back many memories of our move to Brinnon four years ago, and only 5 days before Christmas, when we moved in the middle of a snow storm. Tirzah and I have enjoyed several days out sledding and snowboarding on our hazardous hills, which have gotten quite icy. Most of our hills tend to have either a fence or some kind of post at the bottom, so we are getting good at maneuvering these obstacles.
As an 18-year-old, the question I may have gotten more than any other this year is "so are you graduated?" And along with that comes at least 10 other questions, such as "what are you doing now?" "what are your future plans?" "are you planning your wedding yet?" and so on. Although I sincerely appreciate the thoughtfulness that is usually behind the interrogation, the questions do get a bit old after a year.
By now you are doubtless also wondering what the answers are. To satisfy your curiosity, I will provide some answers that I am thus far aware of. Being homeschooled simply means that the learning stage never ends and the point of graduation is more like a blurred dot on a seemingly distant page. For the past several months I have been in that awkward stage of standing on either side of the finish line, partially graduated. I am planning to finish obtaining all of my necessary highschool credits within the next month or 2. I am anticipating the relief and joy of being entirely across the finish line, dancing in the confetti.
As for my plans for the more distant future, I am still uncertain. This month I have finished my first-ever college applications and am trying to imagine living fall of 2017 on campus somewhere on the continent. However, the decisions of "where" and "if" are still in progress.
I am so thankful for the memories, experiences, and opportunities in this year. I trust God will fill 2017 with just as many joys and adventures.
Guys, January starts tomorrow! Already! I've heard a rumor going around that says that January is the best month of the year....I think there might be some truth. May your December end beautifully.
2016 has been both a long and short year. I think this is my concluding evaluation at the close of every year, though. As I look back over the past year, a lot of fun memories come to mind, defining 2016.Back in January my brothers, Tirzah, a friend, and myself got to visit White Pass and go snowboarding again for the first time in several years. A snow day at the pass used to be a yearly family tradition, which eventually had to be dropped. Being on the mountain again was a fun reminder of "old times," and a tragic reminder of how bad I had become at snowboarding.
Also in January, I became classified as an adult and promptly got my license. I'm afraid that I've inherited more of my dad's driving style, and I love being behind the wheel. My long-standing love for cars quickly escalated to me buying my first car in June, due to other mechanical problems and a slight lack of wheels between 3 drivers. Having my name on a car title is both exciting and frightening and has made me feel shockingly old. I hope to not take so much money out of the bank again any time soon.
Through the spring months, 2 friends, Kea and Anna, came to live with us, helping Mom with writing and editing projects. At the time of Anna's arrival we had not yet met her, but we had no short-term trial in mind. She was very brave to commit to 3 months of living with us, and getting to know her proved to be a safe, fun adventure. We really enjoyed having extra bodies and smiles living with us, too.
During the summer months, a good friend of Tirzah and mine, Johannah, got to stay with us and work a job nearby. We are always happy when someone willfully moves in with us for a temporary time. Having Johannah be part of the family over the summer kept us from either getting into trouble or being bored.Tirzah and I also expanded our independent house cleaning business over the summer. Thanks to various people recommending our work, we were able to take on cleaning several vacation rentals. Tirzah and I have been glad to be able to do all of our work together, figuring out a routine that works well for both of us. Thankfully we tend to each like doing the job that the other one dislikes. These jobs kept us quite busy, and we have been grateful to work for very kind homeowners who want to keep us on as their regular housekeepers.
The summer came to a quick conclusion with a wonderful bang. My sisters treated my mom, Johannah, and myself to a Piano Guys concert in Seattle, which felt like a dream come true. As an enthusiastic fan, I was thrilled to be seeing them in person, and the experience only intensified my love for their music. Check it off the bucket list? No, I wrote it on the list a few more times.
I could go on for some time about this lovely evening, but then I would begin to sound like their personal salesperson.
As summer came to an end, our lives didn't slow down at all. But something about summer being over made life feel a little quiet and lonely, even though the calendar was full. This was the first time in 6 months that only the 3 of us lived under our roof. By mid-fall we were severely lacking the friends and heat that summer had brought. (though the level of busyness was still not diminishing.) To remedy this sad, lonely situation, 2 friends from Alaska came for a 10 day stay. We got to be the first to introduce them to Washington and take them to all of "our" waterfalls. And, since their visit was already too short, we spent many late nights enjoying deep conversation and long laughs (unrelated to each other). Now we want to make their visit a traditional post-summer consolation.
Within the first week of December we woke up to a few inches of lovely, silent snow, which we have been very thrilled about. This is our first "real" snowfall/pile up in 4 years! The snow has brought back many memories of our move to Brinnon four years ago, and only 5 days before Christmas, when we moved in the middle of a snow storm. Tirzah and I have enjoyed several days out sledding and snowboarding on our hazardous hills, which have gotten quite icy. Most of our hills tend to have either a fence or some kind of post at the bottom, so we are getting good at maneuvering these obstacles.As an 18-year-old, the question I may have gotten more than any other this year is "so are you graduated?" And along with that comes at least 10 other questions, such as "what are you doing now?" "what are your future plans?" "are you planning your wedding yet?" and so on. Although I sincerely appreciate the thoughtfulness that is usually behind the interrogation, the questions do get a bit old after a year.
By now you are doubtless also wondering what the answers are. To satisfy your curiosity, I will provide some answers that I am thus far aware of. Being homeschooled simply means that the learning stage never ends and the point of graduation is more like a blurred dot on a seemingly distant page. For the past several months I have been in that awkward stage of standing on either side of the finish line, partially graduated. I am planning to finish obtaining all of my necessary highschool credits within the next month or 2. I am anticipating the relief and joy of being entirely across the finish line, dancing in the confetti.
I am so thankful for the memories, experiences, and opportunities in this year. I trust God will fill 2017 with just as many joys and adventures.
Guys, January starts tomorrow! Already! I've heard a rumor going around that says that January is the best month of the year....I think there might be some truth. May your December end beautifully.
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