Not so fast 2014, I've got some stuff to say.

Dear 2014,
You were not horrible. And I truly appreciate that.

We did some amazing things this year. And if I were to just lay out all of the photos here, you would probably be like, "Cry me a freakin' river, Melissa!" And in so many ways, that would be true. We are so blessed to have had the opportunities for these experiences! But that isn't the whole story is it?

For one thing, we fought like hell to get away and do each and every one of these things. The days that are represented in these photographs and events are the ONLY days that JBA had off in 2014. And I don't mean in addition to weekends or in addition to regular days off......I mean the. ONLY. Days. It takes a lot of flexibility to pull this stuff off at the drop of a hat but if nothing else, our family has definitely learned to be flexible! We have learned to just drop everything and go whenever the opportunity arises.

 There are other things that are not represented in these photographs. There are the moments of toughness that go along with being married to someone who has done the job that JBA has done. Moments that would have never been part of our family's tapestry without the war. Without combat. But something different happened this year. We began to learn to roll with those moments. To not kick against them quite so hard. To accept them as just a part of the whole package that is our family. Not perfect. Just....US....as we are now, and armed with the knowledge that God has a plan for it all.

 Also unseen in my pictures, is the absolute fear and trepidation that JBA and I feel as parents as we watched our children begin to jump out on their own in 2014. We could not be more proud of them or more confident in their abilities. But as we listen to their plans and hear all about what their next move is going to be, we fight falling back into that oh-so- familiar protective role that we have had for so many years, as their parents. Savannah was on her own in the South African bush again this year, and the stories that she brought back are completely hair-raising! Jackson caught rattlesnakes out in Colorado with his bare hands this year! And Austin spent two weeks camping, without us, up on the Continental Divide trail.  To be truly accurate, there would be photos of JBA and I sitting on our hands, keeping our mouths shut, but showing an airline ticket for ourselves on stand-by.

 I also wish that I had pictures of all of the incredible people that we have met and spent time with this year. There were friends who have dropped back into our lives after years and years apart and people whom I had never met before, who became fast friends. I wish that I could put up pictures of the heroes who have sat at our table and laughed with us. I wish I could spill out their amazing stories of ordinary humans doing amazing things.

Friends and family were also lost in 2014, and I hope that the way we live our lives pays some respect to their memory and eases in some way, the pain of those that they left behind.

So, 2014, while you dealt us some difficult moments, you also doled out some pretty amazing ones as well. And as I look at our pictures, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness to be a part of this particular journey, with these particular people.

A few firsts this year: First time ever, snowshoeing. First time ice climbing. JBA and I traversed across two glaciers this year, in Switzerland, for the first time ever. We spent a night in a Swiss alpine hut. Jackson caught his first rattle snake this year. Savannah became the first girl in her MMA school to ever earn a black belt. Austin did his first work for Samaritans Purse and got his Wilderness First Responder medical certification.  As a family, we hiked further, climbed higher and camped longer than we ever have,

Here are a few pictures from 2014. It has truly been a great year and I am super happy to have been part of it all!