Holiday Card & 2024 in Review.
We figured it would be easier to do a recap via the web so those interested could read, versus looking at a lot of text on a card.
We had a lot of big events this year, highs, lows and the in between.
We started the Year off in Paris celebrating New Years Eve and from there went to London. We were on a two week trip and prior (December 2023) we started in Amsterdam & Brussels. We also attended Gasparilla Kids parade, a Tampa Tradition.
In February we started renovations on our Panama City Beach condo. We updated the floors, built a custom bunk bed and hired a muralist to make the property really stand out. The reviews since completion have been stellar, and lots of memories have been made by families visiting.
In March we traveled to Stevens Pass Washington for a ski trip with our friends. We also had friends visit us from Charlotte, NC and were able to watch the Air Force Thunderbirds Air Show by boat in Tampa Bay.
In April we celebrated Aspens 6th Birthday. The same night of the party our dishwasher flooded our home and led to the start of our unexpected renovation of our kitchen. We also went RV’ing for Aspens birthday, and her school put on a Kindergarten performance.
In May, Aspen officially completed Kindergarten. We spent several weekends out on the boat, and had manatee encounters while out boating.
In June we started our annual Summer RV trip. This year we checked off several state and national parks. We visited the towns of Atlanta,GA- Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge,TN- New River Gorge, WV- Cleveland, OH- Geneva on the Lake, OH-Niagara Falls NY & Canada, Letchworth State Park,NY & Watkins Glen, NY. We also found out we were pregnant with baby #2 on this trip.
In July we continued our Summer RV trip. We started the month celebrating Joeys Birthday. We spent time with our friends at Kellystone in Afton, NY. We traveled from there to Gettysburg, PA. Afterwards we went to Shenandoah, VA. The morning sickness was progressively getting worse for me so we left Shenandoah and drove all the way back to Florida.
August was the beginning of 1st grade for Aspen. We found out Baby #2 is a GIRL. We decided on the name Autumn Astrid. We attended All Star Jam in Orlando and finished out the month visiting our friends in Georgia at their lake house for Labor Day weekend.
September we celebrated Rebeccas Birthday and started the worst few weeks in Tampa (weather wise) with the arrival and departure of Hurricane Helene. The storm wreaked havoc on our area and we all banded together to help in any way we could with supplies and cheer.
October continued the hurricane streak with Hurricane Milton. The months of September and October are a blur due to the post storm fatigue. We were able to get a sense of normalcy in time for Halloween.
November we traveled back to Europe to meet up with our friends in Amsterdam, Brussels & Cologne. We were able to visit several museums and Christmas Markets. We stayed through December 5th so Aspen missed a few days of school.
December. December started off horribly. Our beloved dog Knox unexpectantly passed on December 3rd, while we were in Amsterdam. He went quickly due to hemangiosarcoma of the spleen. Our friends had him and served as our physical arms since we were unable to get home fast enough to say goodbye in person. We are extremely heartbroken and working to get through the holidays as best we can. We are looking forward to welcoming our 2nd baby girl Autumn in the New Year, and focusing on that blessing is really helping.