Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015 Thoughts & Looking forward to 2016

Hi, everyone!
I hope 2015 was a great year for you all, and that 2016 is an even better one!
I just wanted to take a few minutes to chat with you about my 2015.

2015


Where We Lived

We moved twice this year - to the lake and then back to North.
We are currently getting things ready to move again in February / March time frame back to Alaska. I can't wait! 

What I Read

I didn't read nearly as much as I have in years past, but still enjoyed several good books and several audio books. I actually, for the first time in my life, read the Bible all the way through instead of just bits and pieces. I'm sure at some point I have covered it all, but in 2015, I know I read every page, chapter, and book. I'm pretty happy about that.

I read a couple of odd books including The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. It started off much better than the rest of the book. Just sayin'.

I'm currently reading Beth Moore's Children of the Day Bible Study.

I discovered The Message Bible. I love the easy language and flow of it.

I threw in some Sci-fy and Mysteries too. Always good choices.

Tom & I have bought the first three Harry Potter books on audio so far. We plan on getting the rest of that series and then listening to that in the car on the drive to Alaska. That will be entertaining. We've both read the books already, and Tom has read them 2 or 3 times. LOL But having an audio book or six on such a long drive should help with those times when we are bored after being in the car for several days.

Scrapbooking

In 2015 (okay, really December 2014), I started using the Project Life scrapbooking system. Oh why did I wait so long to start this? I actually STAYED caught up all year!

 

 

Most of the pages are by the week, but let's face it, sometimes there is nothing noteworthy to scrapbook, so there was a month here and there where I did "monthly recaps" and combined several weeks into one small scrapbooking page or two. The point is, I LOVE USING PROJECT LIFE!

 
I use the Digi Files, the App, AND the physical cards and pages. I have 2 albums for 2015! Yesterday, Tom & I placed an Amazon order, (I LOVE AMAZON PRIME!) and I ordered 2 more Project Life Albums for 2016 plus a couple of Core Kits and extra mini sets of cards. 

Weight Watchers in 2015

Join me at Weight Watchers HERE
Thank you all SO MUCH for your encouragement and support for my Weight Watchers lifestyle in 2015.  I will admit I took "off" a few months not being diligent. I'm still pleased to announce I lost over 30 pounds this year!
Woo-Hoo!

Our Babies

Mary Ann & Ginger (our Pit Bulls) turned 2 in November this year. They bring so much joy to our lives. Both of them have heart murmurs, and Mary Ann has several health issues. Her arthritis has bothered her more than usual these past several weeks. I'll need to take her to the vet before we move and find out what meds she can start taking to help relieve some of her stiffness. I can't wait to see how they like the snow. I know they are going to love the new scenery and hikes in the mountains. Mary Ann will probably have to start wearing doggie clothes in the winter. Ginger is going to go crazy wanting to go on hikes with Tom all the time.

Carolina to Alaska

Tom & I will be updating our Carolina To Alaska blog regularly starting this weekend with a video testing snow chains on my car. LOL I hope that you guys will hop over to that blog and become a Follower. You can scroll through posts from the last 2 times we lived there and see our adventures from then.  Tom plans on posting lots of videos too. It's fun to share our experiences with you all. Alaska is an amazing place. We've wanted to get back there ever since we left. 


The YouTube channel is not really "ready" yet. But still, go ahead and subscribe. I'll work on getting some of the videos uploaded from when we lived there before, and we'll be posting videos regularly starting this weekend with preparing snow chains on tires. There's going to be lots of fun stuff going on over there even before we start the actual driving for the move. Exciting News! We will have DASH CAMS this go round! You are not going to believe some of the things we see on the way. For instance, I will never forget the Bison who were moseying along the Alaskan Highway. We had to go real slow and wait for them to decide to move on along. They were just doing their thing in the road! AND THEY SMELL! Just in case you ever have wondered about that, now you know. You're welcome.
From August 2011...


From December 2011.... Santa's Reindeer! They were jogging at 20mph along side us.


My 2016 Design Teams

I am VERY excited about the new and continuing Design Teams I'm a part of for 2016. I am so honored to be able to work alongside very talented ladies!
PDE Linky Party (Owner & Design Team Member)
{PIN}spirational
Die Cuttin' Divas
2 Creative Chicks
Silhouette Showcase
Miss Kate Cuttables (Guest Designing now and them)

Thank You

Thank you so much to everyone who has been a regular visitor and commenter on my blog. You have no idea how much I appreciate that! My blog will be BUSY with various crafts and links to challenge sites for you in 2016 again. I hope you'll continue to visit and comment! If you own a challenge blog, feel FREE to comment with the link. I like to keep a challenge blog list on my sidebar and am always looking to discover new challenge sites. 

Enjoy the rest of your day! Don't forget to go FOLLOW our blog and SUBSCRIBE to our new YouTube channel!!

Enjoy your New Year's Eve out or in. Be safe wherever you are.
So long 2015!
Hello 2016!



3 comments:

  1. Hello 2016! I am so excited to hear the wonderful news and look forward to your adventures traveling and living in Alaska! I can't wait to watch the videos and read on your blog all that you guys experience on the way. You guys have dreamed about this for a long time. Dreams can come true! Give Bon Bon a hug from Ree!

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  2. With tears in my eyes I subscribed to your new You Tube channel. I know ya'll have wanted to go back to Alaska for a very long time, but I really wanted to visit ya'll again before you did!!!! I'm truly happy for ya'll!!! I really, really am!! Can't wait to see new videos and hear about new adventures! Happy New Year!!! I'll be heading off to work shortly, so ya'll celebrate a little for me, too!! :)

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  3. What an amazing woman you are!! I <3 you so much my friend!! I look forward to experiencing your new adventures this time around. Isn't The Message a wonderful way to just "read" the Bible? Take care Lewis family. Happy 2016!

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