My
favorite part of the end of the year, ranked in order behind, you know, the
whole birth of Jesus our Lord and Savior (Amen!), the playing (on repeat!) of
Amy Grant’s indelible classic (and creatively named) A Christmas Album, and (how could I forget!) the cookies, oh the
cookies, is the various “Best of” lists that pop up as the new year approaches.
Music,
movies, photos...every topic you can think of receives its very own “Best of” list.
(Seriously…I just saw one for ‘the weirdest gifts asked for by kids from mall
Santas this year’. Uh? How about a dry cleaning gift card, which the kid can
then give back to the mall Santa? Wash those suits, fellas!)
So
allow me to add one more to the stack: here is the Young Family’s Best Ten Moments from 2014.
1.
2014 proved to be the year of the road trip. We tested the trusty old van’s
mettle with drives to Pennsylvania in January, Nashville in May, and
Minneapolis in August. So, pretty much ten hours in every direction but North.
Sorry Canada, but that ain’t happenin’!
2.
Kim and Doug continued their globetrotting ways, adding “Konnichi wa” and ”Buon
giorno” to their vocabularies. (Consider this your yearly linguistics/geography
quiz.)
3.
Their Tuscany trip, with dear friends the Lisulls, was in honor of a special
occasion: enhanced AARP benefits! Cheap movie tickets! Blue hair specials!
4.
To commemorate this special year (ahem, 60!), Kim was surprised by an epic
gathering of family and friends in September. Doug, you sneaky fellow!
5.
To return the birthday favor, for Doug’s turn the family gathered in Chicago
for food, fun with friends, and laughs at a Second City improv comedy show.
6.
Doug and Cam had the opportunity to attend the Final Four in Dallas in early
April, even lucking into courtside seats. As Dickie V would attest, “It was
awesome, baby!”
7. Two
weeks in early August were tranquilly spent on the shores of Lake Huron, in
Tawas, MI, interrupted only by a quick jaunt down to see Manchester United play
Real Madrid in The Big House.
9. Speaking
of Mac and Liz, they’re creating a splendid life for themselves in MN, spending
much of their free time working on remodeling their new house, when they’re not
shoveling snow or scraping ice off of windshields.
10.
The whole family remains in good health and good spirits, with Cam devoting two
days per week to intense physical therapy, and Doug and Kim each climbing out
of bed when it’s still dark out to do exercise-related things on a semi-regular
basis. Even Jon has been spotted speed-walking here and there. Chalking that up
as a win!
We wish you and yours a
happy and healthy holiday season, and a #blessed 2015!
