Oh, what a year it has been! The one word that comes to mind over and over again when I think of the past year is gratitude. Sheer gratitude. When Olivia originally asked if she could start a blog, her hope was that it would inspire other families to do adventures together and become closer to each other as a result. I could not be more proud of Olivia and of her sincere desire to make the world a better place and to help bring kids closer to their parents.
We have loved hearing from you all – about your adventures and about your families. Some of you began doing adventures because of some hard times your families were going through or because of some illnesses – kind of like how our adventures got started. Some of you reached out and said you saw our adventures and wanted to try some out with your own families. And some of you have just shared personal struggles you and your families have gone through, and you have given us the opportunity to pray with and for you. We have treasured all of these moments and appreciate so much that you would take the time to share snippets of your lives with us. It has truly been an honor.
We are grateful for all of the adventures we were able to do this year: ice fishing, scuba lessons, an amazing trip to Maine, and some close to home adventures like visiting the Haines Shoehouse. But most of all, we are grateful for the time spent together. We do our biggest dreaming while riding in the car to and from our destinations. There’s just something about being away from home that gives our hearts and minds the freedom to get carried away in our big, beautiful dreams.
We dream about one day walking into our very own farmhouse and being able to see Colt out of our kitchen window. We dream of opening our pet-friendly domestic violence shelter and taking Colt and our other horse there to provide equine therapy for the shelter residents to help them on their healing journey. We dream about cooking for the residents and sharing meals with them so that they always know that they are valued and loved. And of course, we dream about our next adventures. We dream a lot, a lot, A LOT about going to Paris, and one day soon we hope to go.
The adventurePages has been one of the sweetest, most unexpected gifts I have ever received – and it all started because my precious little girl had a dream that she was bold and brave enough to pursue. 2022 has been so beautifully memorable, and I am incredibly thankful for all of you who have been a part of our story. Thank you!
Olivia and I wish you all an adventurous, amazing, dream-filled 2023! We closed out 2022 with a little afternoon dance party and a Harry Potter movie marathon. We’ll be ringing in 2023 doing the Penguin Swim at OCMD. (And having crepes at Bayside Skillet and flying Olivia’s new stunt kite and maybe a visit to Dumsers Dairyland and of course a visit to see the ponies at Assateague before we come home.) We’re nothing if not predictable. Happy, Happy New Year All! Can’t wait to see what amazing adventures await all of us in 2023!
