Word of the Year

Well, WE didn't meet our daydream goal of waking up in our new house on January 1, 2015, but STEVE DID!

Since we knew the new house wasn't quite ready for me to move into, we revised our New Year's Eve plans. My Aunt Edie and her husband decided to come up from Bessemer for a visit, and we all planned to drive up to Copper Harbor together, visit the park decorated beautifully with Christmas lights, have a nice meal at The Mariner, and stop by the new house to show them the progress on the way back to Calumet. The weather threw us a curve ball in the form of frigid temperatures, high winds and lake effect snow with lots of drifting and whiteout conditions. We also had a lakeshore flood warning, so we knew Hwy 26 would not be a good choice for traveling to or from Copper Harbor. Aunt Edie & Randy made the decision to cancel their plans when we discussed the weather forecast on Tuesday evening. The forecast proved true. It snowed - and blowed - and snowed - and blowed - all day yesterday. It was bad enough that Steve and I decided that the wisest decision was for him to stay put at the new house by himself last night. He called me at 11:40 p.m. and we stayed on the phone until after midnight to celebrate the new year together. We missed the kiss, though.

So, I didn't wake up in our new house this morning, but we're close. We've been looking forward to living in our new home since purchasing the property in the fall of 2003, so we have plenty of experience with waiting! 

In honor of the change that will soon be occurring in our lives, I've decided that my Word of the Year for 2015 will be: 

I can't wait to get there!

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Countdown to a. . .

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Today's Giggle

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Looking Back

I spent some time looking back today. 

First, I looked back at some of our local snowfall totals for the season. The total I've been posting on the "Snowfall Chart" page this season was taken from a local source, and I had some doubts about the accuracy. During the final days of November and the early days of December, I suspect an addition mistake was made in his seasonal totals, and his total is more than what actually occurred. I have also been following the official Keweenaw County totals done by the Keweenaw County Road Commission. There were several days in November and December when Steve said he was getting a lot of measurable snow at the new house, but the Road Commission didn't record a total. Thus, I suspect their total isn't entirely accurate either, but it's less than what actually occurred. However, since I've used the Keweenaw County measurements as the guide for my Snowfall Chart for the last 3 years, I decided to go ahead and use their totals again. After all, the big "Snow Thermometer" along Hwy. 41 in Keweenaw County uses their totals, so I revised my "Snowfall Chart" page today to reflect the 92" Keweenaw County total instead.

Secondly, I spent some time looking back at the last 30 years and thinking about how different my life has been than I thought it would be. I married my first husband 30 years ago today. At that point, I presumed a long, happy marriage, two kids and grandkids would be in my future. Little did I know that Tom's life would be taken by a drunk driver 4-1/2 years later and I would spend a large part of my adult life as a widow. There was happiness, but there was also sadness and loneliness. Through it all, however, I always felt God's presence and I knew He was guiding my steps along the way, so I was usually content. Then, right when I wasn't expecting it, the Lord brought this wonderful man into my life.

What a blessing Steve has been, and I can't imagine my life without him in it. He makes all my days so pleasant and joyful, and he makes me laugh. What an incredible gift he is, and I thank the Lord for him every day!

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sneak Peek Friday - More T & G

We hope your Christmas was a merry one. We had a nice day in Calumet with my mom and did our very best to overeat. That's required on Christmas, right?!

I have more photos of the tongue and groove for you this week. The tongue and groove has been the major project of the last couple of months, of course. These photos were all taken on December 20th. First, here's a shot of our master bedroom ceiling (smoke detector hanging).

Next is a wall in one of the guest bedrooms.

Another view of one of the guest bedrooms:

Most of the trim was on the loft ceiling when this shot was taken.

This is the center of the loft ceiling - the spot designated for our antique double angle light fixture. 

The last photo shows the trim work on the stairway with the temporary railing.

So, things are coming together. We won't be making our permanent move by New Year's Eve, but we're getting close. 

All is well in the Keweenaw.

We wish you a. . .

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Holy Night

All is well in the Keweenaw.