In the first blog of each new year, I always like to spotlight my most faithful commenters.
While I appreciate all of my wonderful readers, the ones who comment are the ones who help me know that my words aren’t just falling off into a black hole somewhere. To write words and then have words written back to me is what makes this blog the joy that it is.
So here are the top five commenters from 2022.
First place was a tie.
Phyllis (63) and Sue Elen (63)
LeeAnne (61)
Sharyn (51)
Suzanne (49)
And the rest of the top ten eleven:
Cindy (43)
Gloria (41)
Kaye (39)
Patti (33)
dmantik (31) and Kristina (31)
My thanks to all my commenters for taking the time to share your own words, stories, thoughts, and experiences. You are a treasure!
The four of us had a wild New Year’s Eve party complete with sparkling grape juice drunk out of Vernie’s old stemware.
And if that weren’t wild enough, we also had a chocolate orange provided by Gage.
All those activities were so exhausting I was in bed by 8:30!
Today, Steve and I celebrate 41 years of marriage.
I woke up to flowers and a card. (The beautiful vase was hand thrown by Gage’s mom, Casey.)
It seems crazy to me that after all the years we’ve spent traveling full-time and moving to different towns, we have ended up living just three miles from the church where we were married. Talk about full circle!
Last year was one of the toughest he and I have ever weathered so I’m especially thankful to have arrived at this day with him–still in love, still hand in hand as we prepare for joys and challenges yet to come.
Tomorrow marks my 20th year of blogging!
I have blogged on three different platforms: CaringBridge, Blogger, and WordPress. I’ve had a total of six million page views with tens of thousands of comments.
I know that there are a few of you who have been with me for almost all of those twenty years which absolutely boggles my mind. Thank you so much for following along for so many years.
Whether you are a long-time reader or one who just logged on for the first time this morning, let’s get ready for the next twenty years, shall we?
Oh dear. That means I’ll be blogging till I’m eighty! Well, if you’ll still read, I’ll still write.
We had sort of an unusual Christmas this year in that we didn’t open any gifts until yesterday due to coordinating schedules and gift deliveries with the Floridian Smiths. And then with that delay and all the ongoing unpacking and rearranging and hauling stuff up and down stairs as we continue to settle in, we decided we were going to give ourselves a break and do minimal wrapping.
If something came from Amazon all nicely boxed? That was good enough for us! (Trust me. Our family will never be on the cover of any fancy magazine demonstrating the loveliest ways to celebrate Christmas.)
Don’t you wish you could be as fancy as we are?
Wrappings or no wrappings, we still enjoyed the beauty of these sweet faces and voices.
Love these six so much and miss them terribly.
I asked for some succulents and battery-operated candles. My family came through!
We just happened to put our recliner in the same place in the living room as Ken’s recliner used to be. Ken was famous for unwrapping a present and then throwing the wrapper behind his chair. Steve honored his memory by doing the same thing.
Sarah and Gage decorated their room, too, complete with a stack of all the new books they got for Christmas.
They are still on the hunt for an apartment but unfortunately, apartments are mega expensive here and it looks like they will be winding up with one that is around 500 square feet. They are fine with living in small quarters although I think their books will take up at least half of that space!
I really admire Sarah and Gage’s ability to be content in all circumstances and also the way they diligently live within their means. This view from the refrigerator shelf is just one example.
Even though Gage works in a store (Trader Joe’s) that has an amazing array of lunch food available to buy, Sarah still packs his lunch to take to work. Steve and I are so proud of them!
Sarah had a great surprise on Saturday; she got to see her friend, Hope, who was her maid of honor at her wedding. I love these photos.
Hope has recently married and her husband’s family lives about 20 minutes from us. So that means there will be many more Hope and Sarah hugs in the future.
Steve also had a friend stop by recently: Kris Childress. His mom lives next door to us and has lived there for fifty years; she and Vernie were dear friends. Kris lives in Singapore with his wife and is home for a few days to visit his mom.
One interesting thing he told us was that since land in Singapore is so expensive, our house and land would be worth 20 million dollars! That makes me really appreciate the space we have, knowing that so many Singaporeans live on tiny plots of land.
It was nice for Steve to get to connect with an old friend; the two of them sat in the living room and talked for about 2 hours. Kris sang at our wedding so we definitely go way back.
It’s one of those tasks where it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I just try to focus on one area and make some order there and then move on to the next spot. I’m making a little progress and if I get too overwhelmed I run upstairs and sit in our orderly living room for a moment to recalibrate my brain.
here are a few old Christmas photos I came across from older days in this ol’ house.
What about you?
Does your family have particular New Year’s Eve/Day traditions you do every year?
Do you have a favorite post from the past twenty years you’d like to share? It would be so meaningful to me to see what stories were special to you.
What are some things you would like to accomplish this year? Not necessarily resolutions but just small and large goals you’ve got on your mind.
Hi Becky, I’ve had this entry up to comment on, and now you’ve posted again, but I want to comment here. First off, Happy Anniversary! I’ve been following you for most of your blogging time, since Caringbridge, and am pretty sure I’ve read almost all of your entries. My husband and I will celebrate 37 years married this summer. What respect I have for folks who have found a mate and made it for the long haul. What a depth of a relationship can happen, that I had no clue of, way back when we were youngsters for saying “I do.”
New Year’s tradition? The past few years, it’s been laughing about going to bed by 9pm, then getting up to pee around the time folks are out celebrating wildly at the midnight hour! And being perfectly OK with that!
I commented on this last year, but will again. A post I think about probably every week, or at least, once a month is “Cry Love.” I haven’t shed the kind of tears for my children, thankfully, that many have, for children who have wandered off our hoped paths for them. But I don’t take for granted the struggles of many, and give myself some grace, when my kids have hit the rumble strips on the side of the road.
So, resolutions this year are to move consciously, appreciating the stuff here and now, and developing more depths in relationships. And resolving that my house will never be Martha Stewart worthy! And being perfectly OK with that!
Ann,
I love your description of your New Year’s Eve; you and your husband sound like our kind of people. ” . . . getting up to pee around the time folks are out celebrating.” I am also definitely perfectly okay with that!
Thanks so much for mentioning your favorite post, “Cry Love.” I just went back and re-read it and was especially touched by all the comments that were left on it. What an enormous blessing to be reminded that some of the words I have written continue to make a difference. Thank you for passing along that encouragement.
We too had sparkling grape juice, but for our 56th anniversary, which was on Dec. 30th and Happy Anniversary to both you and Steve – continued blessings for many years. For Christmas I got my husband one of those orange chocolate balls – boy great minds run in the same track. Reminds me of some wrapped gifts our son gave to us as a young man – newspaper or cartoons. Worked for us. Amazon works too – all wrapped up. Well, looking at those boxes, if anyone needs one – we know where they can get one? New Year’s Eve tradition – yep, trying to stay awake long enough to say Happy New Year, give my hubby a kiss and then go to bed! So Happy New Year to all the Smiths – oops Gage and Sarah too (forgot the last name).
Sharyn,
It had been years since I’d had an orange chocolate ball; funny that you got one, too! I didn’t even know they were around anymore.
I think it’s a great idea to use cartoon pages to wrap gifts. Who doesn’t love cartoons? 🙂
Sarh and Gage’s last name is Long. And Happy New Year to the McDonalds.
Happy anniversary!
My husband and I celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary on Tuesday and his birthday on Wednesday. It is the first time since meeting that we have not been together to celebrate as I had to work away.
Our Christmas was quiet, spent with our adult children, 33, 31 and 27 and my mum. New year was also quiet, just Rob and I, but we did stay up to ring it in.
January 2nd was a big day as my mum turned 90 and we had a celebratory lunch with 4 generations present. It was a bit overwhelming for mum but she did well.
I can’t believe you have been blogging for 20 years because that means I have been following you and yours all that time. In good and hard times you have always shown grace and hope, and trusted God through it all.
I’ll be here to continue to enjoy your blogs which really are a ministry to many.
Suzanne,
Happy anniversary to you both. Thirty-six years is a big deal!
And how special to have four generations present for your mom’s birthday. I know you got plenty of pictures to commemorate such a grand occasion.
Thanks for your encouragement about my writing and especially, thank you for being part of the CaringBridge/Smithellaneous family for TWO decades. Truly hard to believe. I am grateful!
My husband & I are so boring our kids go to their Grandma’s house for New Year’s! 😂 She has some land, a fire pit and gives them alcohol plus doesn’t mind staying up til midnight on that one night of the year. I have no desire to stay up that late, especially after the year, specifically the past month, I’ve had! Nope. I’m good with my 9:30pm bedtime!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO YOU & STEVE!!! Wishing you many many more to come!!!
Lizz,
Yep. I’m with you. If people want to stay up till all hours, more power to them! By 9 p.m. my bed is calling my name. 🙂
Nice your kids have a fun Grandma!
I’ve been reading for the last 20 years. I found Sarah’s CaringBridge page when I was pregnant with my daughter. She turns 21 this year.
Jessie,
That is just so incredibly amazing to me. Twenty years! And the daughter you were pregnant with is twenty-one!
I am honestly so humbled and honored that anyone would stick around that long. From the bottom of my heart–thank you.
Happy anniversary to you and Steve!
We don’t really have any family traditions for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. For 13 years, I lived in Tampa and was usually back home by New Year’s. In fact, I flew home on New Year’s Eve many years as it usually had less people flying then.
I started following Sarah’s Caringbridge site after her relapse. I found it through Katia Solomon’s site as her mom had links to several kids. I don’t know that I could ever pick a favorite post although the ones about Sarah and Gage’s wedding were pretty high up there. Also, when you found out right before her wedding that what you thought might be a recurrence of cancer wasn’t.
I have picked self-care as my word of the year for 2023. The past two years have had a lot of caregiving for others and I need to put my well-being higher. My parents will still require a lot of my time but I need to not feel guilty if I don’t make it to see them every other day like I have tried to since they were admitted to the nursing home.
Phyllis,
I love your word, “self-care.” And I also love that you are giving yourself some leeway in not needing to visit as frequently so that when you just really need a break, you are able to take it. You’ve been such a wonderful daughter to them over the years.
You’ve been following a good long while! Thank you for being such a loyal reader AND commenter. Yes, the wedding posts were a lot of fun to write; such a momentous occasion.
Happy Anniversary! My family has a tradition around Christmas-we get together and decorate gingerbread houses. We meet at my parents’ with our kits and sit around tables and decorate our houses. We laugh and make memories. Our New Year’s tradition here is pork, sauerkraut and kielbasa. We went to Ginny’s for dinner.
Rachel,
Vernie used to have sauerkraut and pork on New Year’s Day, as well!
I love the idea of the whole family decorating gingerbread houses. I know those memories made will last a very long time.
My favorite posts: Every post where you post yet an other Sarah milestone. At one point you didn’t know if she would. Look at her. God is good and she’s a celebration. 🙂
Brooke,
I’m right there with you on Sarah Posts. I love the thought that she is a celebration. So true!
Happy, happy anniversary to you and Steve and the blogs!
We host a big gathering on NYE every year with food, dancing, and fireworks. This year it included nail-biting football but our team pulled out the win as the clock counted down! I think I aged 10 years watching that game!
I’ve been reading your posts for years although last year is the first year I committed to commenting because I love your writing so much. I love all the posts!
This is my year for travel!
Happy New Year to the Smiths and the Longs!
Suzanne,
What a great comment that you “committed to commenting because you loved reading so much.” That just makes me all kinds of happy.
You must be a fabulous hostess to have food AND dancing AND fireworks! I feel like I deserve an award for getting a couple of bowls of chips and dips on the table.
Happy traveling this year!
HAPPY, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!! You make me happy with your happiness!!! I am excited to celebrate in June, 50 years with my hubby!! We dated for four so we grew up together so to speak.
I love reading all your blog posts and love the ones about your frugal shopping adventures… I am one of those too.. lol.
I don’t envy you having to unpack and get settled in down there. it can be fun though to make it your own and add your own little details. Hope Gage and Sara can find a nice place soon without having to pay an arm and four legs. There seems to be a shortage of nice, low rent places everywhere. I don’t see how anyone can pay $1000 or more a month for rent… SS doesn’t even pay me that much every month. Cost of living is ridiculous.
We had a quiet Christmas and an even quieter New Years. The hubby is still recovering from foot surgery and has only been out of the house one time since Dec. 12th. and that was to the dr. I am trying to care for him and the house and do all the shopping and still going to church and to see my mom who just turned 86 on Friday. I have found that I am a true homebody and never would go out of the house unless I have too. I love to read, and crochet and work puzzles, so I stay busy all day.
Hope you get to see the Florida kiddos soon. It is still hard to believe that Nathan has four kids. It seems like he was a kid last week.
I hope you and Steve have a Happy New Year along with all your precious family. I have been reading your posts since Sarah started her C journey years ago. I am going to celebrate 11 years of being cancer free this month and I owe it all to God. He gets us through it all.
Kaye,
A quiet holiday season is just the ticket sometimes, especially when your husband is in recovery from his surgery. Sounds like you have your plate full with caring for him and caring for your mom, as well. Glad you have things to do that you enjoy around the house; it’s a blessing to get to be in a home you love with people you love.
Thanks for being a long-time reader!
Happy Happy Anniversary!! We don’t really have any New Year’s/New Year’s Eve traditions except watching football (We are HUGE college football fans, so the bowl games are a big deal to us). After commenting last week that we were staying home for Christmas, plans changed. Me being the same age as you, my in-laws are fortunately still alive, but beginning to “show their age”. So Friday, the 23rd, my husband & I were awakened at 6:38 by a phone call (usually NOT a good thing), and my husband & brother-in-law decided we should make a quick trip to Arkansas to surprise their parents for Christmas! So Friday was spent getting ready for the trip, last minute shopping & celebrating Christmas with all my brother-in-law’s family (his wife, children, & grandkids). Saturday morning we pulled out at 5:21 am and arrived around noon. We met at my sister-in-law’s home where my other sister-in-law & family had arrived from Houston on Friday. My brother-in-law went to bring them over, and we were able to surprise them!! That moment made Christmas for all of us! We enjoyed lots of family time and got to meet our newest great-nephew who was born December 13th. Then Monday, was the drive home. I’m feeling accomplished tonight, because my decorations are packed up for the year. Tomorrow is staff development at school and we welcome students back Wednesday ( and begin the countdown to Spring Break). I’m glad you’re making progress on your unpacking. I see a path in your basement and consider that a win!! I hope you have a wonderful week!!
And looking at last week’s comment, I already wrote about our Christmas surprise. I guess it’s been a longer week than I thought!! But I ALWAYS enjoy your writing…since Caring Bridge days, and plan to read as long as you write!
Sue Ellen,
I think it’s interesting to read a story that someone else has already written because I get to see different facts that were left out the first time or told with more detail this time around. 🙂
I’m glad you consider a path in the basement a win. That makes me feel better!
Yay for 41 married years and 20 blogging years! They are accomplishments to be very, very proud of.
I could never pick a favorite post. I know there are some that maybe made me cry or laugh more than others, but I have enjoyed each one. I do appreciate your humor and your ability to wrap words around all the emotions that enables your readers to experience what you’re writing about. I’ve often thought that you wrote what I would have felt but didn’t know how to put into words.
I’m happy I made the top 10 (or 11) commenters!
I’m so glad you could have at least a facetime Christmas with the FL Smiths and that Steve and Sarah got to visit with treasured friends.
Loved all the pictures! And I think too that Sarah and Gage are doing a great job at living within their means and being content. Those are life skills many people never really learn.
Happy New Year to the Smiths and Longs, with love!
Deb
I declare, Deb! You are just the most encouraging people I know. Thank you for taking the time to say such meaningful things about each part of the post and especially what you said about my writing being something people can relate to emotionally. That is high praise.
Congrats on being a Super Commenter!
Well I was pretty well behaved in my grocery shopping, probably because I only wanted to make one trip from my car to the house. While I did buy some healthy stuff, I bought comfort food too. I have two pizzas in the freezer along with ice cream. They had my favorite cookies so I bought two containers. I am well prepared now before the next two storms arrive. Lots of salad fixings!
Cindy,
Storms, salads, and comfort food. Sounds like you are good to go!
20 years of blogging!!! What an accomplishment. Congrats! I really like your blog about being fired as Steve’s plumber assistant. lol!
Greta,
Ah, yes. That’s one of my favorite stories, too. 😉
Since I married 15 years ago, and retired to Michigan 12 years ago, I joined in my husbands New Years Eve tradition of a group of friends that have been meeting for 55 years. They have gone from newly marrieds to talking about kids, to talking about grandkids, to talking about all our aging ills. New Years Day is usually just watching the Rose Parade.
Our year ended on an upswing as our great granddaughter made a surprise early appearance. So exciting and hope we get to meet her soon.
I don’t remember a favorite post but I love when you do photo posts. You have a great way with words and photos.
I may have mentioned this before, but I don’t write resolutions but rather a list of 52 (1 for each week) things that I want or need to do. I only accomplished 18 last year, but still fun to try. This year has a couple of trips to a granddaughters graduation in DC and maybe a trip to San Antonio Riverwalk. The need to do’s are a lot of clearing out different things that aren’t needed anymore.
Prayers for Sarah and Gage to find a suitable apartment and that you are able to get your new home all set up and relaxing in each room. Happy New Year
Patti,
I have to admit to a little jealousy reading about your husband (and now you!) gathering with the same friends for 55 years. Lifetime friendships are such a rare treasure. You two are blessed.
What a great idea to write down 52 things that you want/need to do. Whether you get just a couple of them done or all of them done, it’s a great exercise. Love it!
Happy New Year, let’s hope for a better 2023! The first few years I was married we lived near all our husband’s college friends so every New Year’s day they would gather on the Rutgers football field and play a game of touch football and then come back to someone’s house for a big brunch and some football bowl games….those were fun times but over the past 25 years kids have entered the picture and we have been flung far and wide! I feel Gage and Sarah’s pain looking for apartments, my daughter lives in the Raleigh area and has a two bedroom with a roommate but they are going their separate ways so she has been looking for a one bedroom and in the past 3 years since she got her first apartment, the price of rent has skyrocketed!!! A mortgage would be less so she is looking into buying something once THOSE prices go down, my husband is a CPA so she’ll have good financial advice!
Dale,
What fun memories to have played touch football on an actual football field. I can only imagine the laughter that erupted during those games!
I hope your daughter can find a workable solution soon, whether an apartment or a house. You’re right when you say some mortgages would be cheaper than renting. Glad your daughter has her own personal CPA to help with all the decisions. 🙂
I’ve been with you for 19 of your 20 years! I found you on CaringBridge while following a fellow cancer patient. Your writing inspired me, and Sarah’s story (and her name) touched my heart. I’ve been blessed to follow her for so many years. I have loved watching her grow and thrive after surviving a disease that very few do. Her miraculous life is never lost on me.
We don’t have any New Year’s Eve traditions. We’ve never been big party-goers, so this year, like many others, we stayed home. This year was fun as we watched the Georgia Bulldogs win at the ringing of midnight. Both of our children are alumni of UGA so we’ve become pretty loyal fans through our kids.
Happy new year!! Good luck with your organizing!
Lisa,
Hooray that your family’s team won. Nice to you can all agree on the same team to cheer for; some families are not so fortunate. 🙂
A nineteen-year follower. I feel so sad that Sarah didn’t get to live out the years that our Sarah was given. I know her memories and your love for her fill every corner of your heart. Remembering her today.
Beautiful old pictures! Happy New Year and blessings for 2023. I spent ringing in the New Year working as a nurse in the NSICU. I love working New Years and have most often opted to work that holiday instead of Christmas so I guess that is my tradition. I then sleep most of New Year’s Day away recovering.
My husband and I always start the New Year off with a 21 day fast and prayer time. It is such a great way to reboot and refocus our lives after the busy holidays. I am hoping for great days ahead for 2023. I love getting out that new calendar and transferring birthdays and anniversaries into it thinking about how each day and week will be filled with new adventures and new memories.
Congratulations to you and your husband on your 41st anniversary and your 20th year of blogging. Both milestone moments.
Donna,
I had to look up what a NSICU is. What a gift and ministry you provide to those you serve in that unit. My hat is off to you; I so admire what you do. Glad you get to catch up on some rest on New Year’s Day.
Yes, starting a year with an emphasis on prayer is such a great thing to do. And then moving all the birthdays and anniversaries over reminds you of all the people you love. A great beginning to the year!
When I was a kid, our new years day tradition was to get together with our family friends who had 3 boys about our age. We would spend the whole day together and only go our separate ways once a kid had either thrown up, split a lip or gotten a concussion, or it was time for bed. With 5 kids creating chaos, it was a real toss-up which of those scenarios it would be that ended our day.
Robin,
Love that description: . . . once a kid had either thrown up, split a lip or gotten a concussion, or it was time for bed.” Sounds like you made some good memories back in the day, throwing up notwithstanding. 🙂 Kid-created chaos is the best! (For the kids, that is.) 🙂
I am feeling more than a little house bound these days. Today I will be shopping at the closest most expensive grocery store, just because it’s my favorite. Tomorrow we will have another snowstorm, the worst so far this year. We are expecting at least five inches of very wet snow. I’m so thankful for my friend who always digs me out. Yesterday I cleaned my bedroom within an inch of its life. So grocery shopping sounds kind of fun, until I am checking out. I plan on spoiling myself since I don’t get out of the house very often. My next project is cleaning out the upstairs guest room which has become a catch all. Then on to the bathroom, which really doesn’t need it, but is something to keep me busy. Pretty soon I might be on my hands and knees scrubbing floors. On the plus side I have many books to read.
Cindy,
Many books to read while a storm whirls outside is the very best feeling. Especially if your cupboards are full and your house is clean which is certainly sounds like your house is!
Hopefully the sun peaks out soon and you get some warmer temps. I am already counting down the days till spring.
Happy Anniversary! Our RV, which as you know is also our home, is in for repair so we spent most of last week staying in it overnight inside the service bay. They did bring it out for the weekend and provided us with an amazing New Year’s Eve prime rib dinner. The neighborhood outside of the dealership celebrated starting with firecrackers in the afternoon and continuing with the last blast being at about 1:30 am! In the past I have been watching the ball drop while Ken gad fallen asleep or gone to bed earlier. With all the activity he was awake this year to watch 2023 come in with me. We are looking forward to an active 2023 spending a lot of time in Iowa planning for an event we are hosting in Amana this July. We traveling to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah from there before returning to Florida.
Ginny,
Well, we’ve slept in a lot of places in our RV but never inside the service bay of a repair place.
And then to “get to” celebrate on until 1:30 New Year’s Eve–well, what’s not to love, right? 🙂
Sounds like you have a busy, happy year planned. Enjoy!