Dear Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas (late) and Happy New Year! (Frohe Weinacht und Frohes Neues Jahr!) I had the privilege of spending the Christmas holidays in Germany and Switzerland this year with my parents and other dear friends, and so I send you these late seasons' greetings just hours after arriving home.
After all the health challenges I had in 2015, I feel grateful each day for how quiet and uneventful (in a good way!) 2016 has been. And so as the year comes to a close, I’d like to share a list of some of the many things that I have been grateful for this year:
January:
Amazing doctors who healed me from pneumonia and patiently helped me find asthma medications that have actually worked!
Visiting our cousins’ cabin in Idaho where I always feel peace and quiet out in the snow and warmth inside with my family
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| Cross country skiing with Christina (sister) |
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| Beautiful view of Henry's Fork of the Snake River from inside the cabin |
February:
An entire month of good health for the first time that I can remember
March:
Birthday kite flying with my family
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| Rhys (nephew) helping me master proper kite-flying techniques |
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| Family members flying their own kites |
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| Best way to spend a birthday!! |
Visiting my family in Austin -- for free! (work trip that was paid for by my office)
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| Dave (brother), Otto (nephew), Simon (nephew), Karin (sis-in-law), Sofie (niece), and Moses (friend) |
Enjoying late winter hikes and dog sitting in Pinebrook (Park City) and remembering my friend (and former colleague) Emily
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| Views from the Pinebrook trails |
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| Rosie (L) and Bailey (R - RIP) |
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| Emily's Bench |
April:
An amazing week in NYC with my sister-in-law and niece and other family and friends
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| Breakfast in Brooklyn! Phoebe (niece), Mary (sis-in-law), and Susannah |
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| Our Brooklyn brownstone! Susannah and Phoebe |
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| Waffles with Phoebe all day and night! |
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| Boating in Central Park! Mary and Susannah |
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| Top of World Trade Center 1. Susannah and Phoebe |
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| Yum Yums! Our favorite restaurant on Broadway! |
June:
The beauty of flowers and remembering our families who have passed on
July:
The freedom to color my hair!
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| It's kind of unintentionally patriotic, just in time for Independence Day! |
The many opportunities I had all summer to dog sit for my friend (I’m especially grateful for this time because one of these beautiful dogs unexpectedly died this past November)
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| Rosie and Bailey (RIP) |
August:
A wonderful family reunion and subsequent Thomas women retreat
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| Brunch in my backyard |
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| Brunch in my backyard |
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| Thomas women retreat - Stewart Falls! Rebecca, Erin, Christina, Amanda, Paula, Susannah, and Mary in front |
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| Thomas women retreat - Foundry Grill at Sundance. Mary, Rebecca, Susannah, Celeste, Amanda, Paula, and Christina |
Seeing Josh Groban AND Sarah McLachlan together in concert! 2 dreams come true!!
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| ANGEL |
September:
Seeing my parents finally fulfill a dream of serving an LDS mission together in Germany (though it was really hard to say goodbye)
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| Departure day! |
Getting to know and dog sitting a new puppy friend
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| Cooper! (with a wounded paw) |
Visiting Star Valley, Wyoming for the first time and enjoying its natural beauty
October:
Getting a new roof on my house and a new fence around my yard
Dressing up as JOY (from Disney's Inside/Out) for Halloween with my newly blue-d hair
November:
Spending a lovely Thanksgiving in Indiana with my sister and her family and my cousins and their families
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| Jill H (cousin), missionaries, Nancy H.B. and her kids (cousins), and Erin (sister) |
December:
Celebrating the Christmas holidays in Europe with my parents and our dear friends in Switzerland and Germany.
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| Dad and I in Frankfurt, Ger. |
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| Mom and I in Frankfurt, Ger. (Christmas market) |
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| St. Peter Zurich with the Fraumuenster (green steeple) in the very background. |
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| Susannah, Erich Schnider, Mom, Irene Hummel, and Dad. Zurich, Switz. |
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| Me! with the Grossmuenster in the background. Zurich, Switz. |
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| The best creche ever, found at a convent in Switzerland. |
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| I'm talking with teachers at one of the two schools I visited as the special American guest. Bauma, Switz. |
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| Esther and I (with cat Moriz) in Villa Flora, Haetzingen, Switz. |
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| With the Henning-Dziallas family at Christmas (I'm behind the camera) |
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| With the Henning-Dziallas family at Christmas (Dad is behind the camera) |
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| Frankfurt am Main |
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| Hanging out in Roman ruins, Saalburg Archaeological Park, Ger. |
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| Hanging out in Roman ruins, Saalburg Archaeological Park, Ger. |
Jesus Christ whose birth, life, Atonement, and Resurrection made all things possible
And most of all, I am thankful for all of you and for your love and friendship that mean so much to me.
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| Saalburg Archaeological Park, Ger. |
As the sun sets on 2016, I wish you all peace and love in 2017!
Love,
Susannah
Beautiful life, beautifully memorialized. Thanks for being with us. We love you.
ReplyDeleteDad and Mom
Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Sue! I hope the good health continues into 2017. Thanks for joining us for Thanksgiving in Indiana! ❤
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to get a little glimpse of your life this past year. Thanks for sharing! I love you!
ReplyDeleteBest e-card ever! Well done on the monthly journal snapshots through 2016. It was definitely a good year! Love you cousin.
ReplyDelete-Ted
Kept wishing for a LIKE button, as I enjoyed this e card. Thank you for including me among your friends. You are a beautiful soul! Wishing you all the best in 2017.
ReplyDeleteDearest Susannah, you made our first Christmas away from home a joy. We miss you. We love the life you are living. Thanks for sharing your year in pictures. Love!
ReplyDeleteYou have way too much fun, Susannah! But thanks for sharing your experiences and pics. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi Susannah!thanks for a brief overview of some of your 2016 highlights. It was surely a big change year for us! Come down to Kolob. You can't high to it in a twinkling of an eye, but a 3.5 hour drive is very doable! Bring family. Bring a friend. Bring a dog. Just c'mon down!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing some highlights from your year. We love seeing your pictures and hearing how you are doing. You're lovely as always :) Travis and Emily Dastrup
ReplyDeleteLove it. Thanks, Susannah! Isn't Star Valley gorgeous!! So glad you enjoyed a year of good health and happy travels!
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