It's a New Year

     I really can't believe 2012 is gone.  On New Year's Eve I tried to think of what I've accomplished in 2012 but not much came to mind.  Realizing this was a bit painful as I always try to accomplish something during the year.

     I couldn't even continue to blog in 2012 for goodness sake!  My last post was when I wrote about Micah.

     Realizing that there was very little accomplished during the year, I also had to be brutally honest with myself about my health.  January 2012 brought about a heart condition that I did not become aware of until October.  In the beginning it felt more like a panic attack.  Something I thought had been long gone for about seventeen years.

     Because I thought it was my panic attacks, I treated it as such. So did my doctor since my heart seemed to do what it was supposed to when I went to an appointment.  My blood pressure was always 120/70 or in that general area.

     Still, something was wrong.  I was feeling more anxious than usual.  I blew that off as getting used to the anxiety again.  Clonazepam helped me through some of this some of the time.  The anxiousness brought about tiredness and this led to weariness.  I didn't feel like doing anything.

     Believing it was anxiety, I still tried to do things.  It seemed once I was involved in doing something I would begin to feel better.  It didn't matter what it was.

     I still love to take pictures and although I don't have my old 35mm Pentax, I try to take photos of the things I enjoy.  People pictures have always been my favorite but my second favorite is photographing the sky.  Below was taken February 2012.

   

     In April 2012, we, the family, decided it was time to start getting together again.  We went to Logan's Roadhouse in Troy.  Please note:  The flash on my camera tended to "blast" everyone with white light; hence the b&w pictures.

Jake and Kelsey

Jenny, looking beautiful as ever.

Kelsey and Jeff.  Not the best photo but still a good picture of them.  Kelsey is about seven months pregnant in this photo.

Lisa hates her picture taken so I took one far away. Luke on the other hand always has a smile for me.

A closer picture of this handsome young man.

Randy my brother, my sister Jeri and her husband Eric West.  Jeri has a bandage on her head from some skin surgery she had.

Randy and me. I really like this picture.  Again, it's b&w because of the flash.

   

Tabitha, Jenny's joy.










An April sunset looking towards downtown.

   

I love clouds and watching them march across the sky.  It seemed like May was a good month for this---Day or Night.

These aren't the best shots but I think I got the idea across of how colorful the sky was during this sunset.

I couldn't believe I actually got these next two, it was getting really dark but the colors were amazing!

Not one of these photos really do justice to what I saw that night but at times it seemed the sky-----

------was on fire!













Also in May, Kelsey graduated from high school.  Randy and Lisa had a party for family and friends.  I may have known about ten people out of what seemed like a hundred people.  I never did find out how many people were actually at her party.

These first photos are drawings and artwork by Kelsey.  I think she's very talented.

This one is my favorite

This is just sweet.

She also has made some beautiful jewelry.

My cousins, Diana Maggard and Teresa (Davidson) Allen.

Lisa, my sister-in-law was in the kitchen almost the entire time we were there so it was funny when I just posted these two photos and see her standing in the background talking to people I do not know.

 Eric, Lisa (Davidson) Miller, Jeri

Not the best picture of Eric but still a good picture.

Jeri and Kelsey

Lisa

Lisa and daughter Malina who also graduated this year.

Randy and Diana

Rick McKinley, Kelsey, Diana and Jeri

Sweet Sandy ~

My lovely cousin Teresa who can't seem to smile for any photo I try to take of her.

The graduates, Kelsey and Malina

Rick, Kelsey, Diana and Jeri
A much better picture than the above one.

Flash blasted us both so bad that our faces were almost not there.  A little fixing made it a little better and it was the only one of Kelsey and me.

The next few photos show Kelsey's many accomplishments.

June 2012.  Micah showing me how handsome he is.

Mason Patrick was born to Kelsey and Jeff Kuenning.  We got to see him on June 24, 2012.

Look how serious.

He's lying on Kelsey's lap and looking at his Uncle Luke who is talking to him.

 


It's July now and I'm not feeling well.  I'm confused that my panic attacks have continued for so long.  I have more bad than good days and it's frustrating.  It still doesn't occur to me it could be anything else but panic attacks.

At this point, I want to add a few pics from my Florida Family.  I believe the last time I wrote about any of them was when Anna had her first, Evelyn Davidson Abella.  Just goes to show you how long it has been since I wrote or posted pictures.

Ellie is about 20 months here.  This and the one with Catie were taken during vacation.

Grandpa and Evie

 

Tita Lee and Evie

Victoria

                         

Ellie and Evie

I don't get to see too many pictures of the dads so here is one with Jonathan and Ellie.




And below is Gabe and Anna with Victoria.

Here are what the Florida three look like at Christmas 2012.

Anna and Evie

Grandpa and Victoria

I could sit here and add a million pictures and still not be satisfied that the reader has sufficiently seen how my  family has grown but I'll end with the two below from 2011.  One of these days, I'm going to make a photo album of Evie's expressions!

At the end of July, Shelby made a trip up to Dayton.  He would be attending his 45th class reunion.  His timing to be with family was a bit off though. Randy and Lisa had already planned on going to Hilton Head for vacation.  Plus, Anna, Gabe and Evie and Lee would be coming in for that weekend only.

Randy and family were leaving for Hilton Head on July 28th, Shelby and his clan would be able to visit with them for a short while on the 27th while Randy and Lisa packed for the trip.

The next day, they had plans with Yellow Spring Friends and I think one of the girls left Sunday.  On Monday, Jeri and Eric, Jenny and Tabitha and myself, finally got to see Shelby.  He would be working and visiting until his class reunion on August 3rd and 4th then head home that next day.  Below are the only pictures I took while we got to see him.

Jenny Shelby and Jeri

I have a few more pictures I want to post in my blog but I'm saving those for the next posting.  I'm ending this here as by this time, I'm not doing very well.  It is August and I was fooling myself into thinking it would all pass.