2022's First Hodgepodge

Today is January 5.  Where were you and what were you doing 5 years ago?

On this day 5 years ago we had just wound up the Cotton Bowl game where our grandson played the best football game of his 4-year career at Western Michigan.  The team his senior year, set and broke all records at the school and ended the year 10-1, losing only against Wisconsin by 7 points in the bowl game.  What a year 2015 was and what a great way to close it out with lots of family together.

Now to begin 2022 with a brand new Hodgepodge.  Thanks for joining in and thank you Joyce for hosting us again for another year.  Check in with her on her blog HERE.

1.  Share one happy moment/memory from the holiday season.

It would have to be when Jackson and McKenna told us on Christmas morning that they are expecting their first baby and our to-be 2nd great grandchild in 2022.  Wow!  What a year this will be - both our children will become grandparents within 3 months of each other.  How exciting is that!

2.  Let's be reasonable with our expectations going into this new year, k?  What is one thing you'd like to accomplish/improve/complete/do in 2022?

DO?  Definitely love on 2 great grandbabies as much as possible.

ACCOMPLISH?  I know, every year I say I am going to paint more and never actually accomplish very much.  Recently, I found a place of business that consigns paintings and is willing for me to show mine.  I'm hoping that motivation will help me get out the paints more often and see what I can accomplish.

3.  Every January 1st (since 1976) Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English.  Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse or just general uselessness (go here to read more about how the words are chosen).  Here are the words/phrases they'd like to see banished in 2022- 

wait, what?-no worries-at the end of the day-that being said-asking for a friend-circle back-deep dive-a new normal-you're on mute-supply chain

Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly?  Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why?  Is there a word/phrase not on the list you'd like to add?

If not the exact words, I surely have overused what would amount to "WAIT, WHAT?"  And with good reason, I might add.

I would most like to see the phrase "no worries" cease to be used.  So often "it's all good!" is added to those words and it seems to be used in order to sluff off what really might need to be dealt with.  And things worth being concerned about are all too often not good.  Why don't we try saying, "worry not because God is in control even when it appears things aren't going so well."

Yes, I would like to add "mandate!" to the list.

4.  Best thing you ate in the month of December?

December was a month filled with a most diverse assortment of delicious food, both in homes of friends and eating out.

This was our Christmas Eve traditional finger-food dinner display at our son's.  How about that appealing charcuterie arrangement that Savannah created? Everything was delicious, but perhaps my favorite was the Hot Corn Dip.  It was so good I made it for our Dallas family New Year's dinner as an appetizer.

5.  January 5th is National Bird Day.  Are you a bird lover?  What's your favorite bird to see in the wild?  Choose a phrase from the list that follows and tell us how it relates to your life currently...eat like a bird, bird's eye view, early bird, bird-brained, free as a bird, a little bird told me, or kill two birds with one stone.

I am not a bird watcher, but I do certainly enjoy hearing and seeing them.  My favorite would be a male Cardinal, but I also love Hummingbirds.

I am hesitant to bring anything political into this 1st post of the year, but the only phrase that really seems to relate right now is "bird-brained."  No other explanation required.

6.  Insert you own random thought here.

On our way to Northern Indiana to spend Christmas with our son and his family, we made a stop for a much anticipated visit with dear friends and former neighbors, Randy and Cele.

They have recently completed their dream home in Cornelia, GA and it truly is everything they have dreamed of having.

It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and perched atop a mountain with the most amazing views from every one of its wrap-around porches.

The house faces west and affords the most amazing sunsets.

It is here that you will find Randy and Cele almost every evening and I now understand why.

One afternoon before sunset, we drove down to a nearby walking path that meanders around the base of massive rocks and over quiet streams.

Another evening we drove to the most delightful little town, Dahlonega, GA for dinner.  I can understand why Southern Living Magazine featured it as "The Perfect Christmas Town" in a recent article.  You can read all about it and see pictures HERE.

Our trip northward from Georgia took us through the amazing scenery of the Smokey Mountains into the Mid-West.  We never tire of seeing God's incomparable natural creation.

This man-made creation was a sight to see.  This is what happens when sprinkler systems in Texas aren't turned off before a freeze.

Happy 2022 to you and yours!