Merry Christmas 2018

Welcome to Hedlund Happenings!!

2018 has been a busy year for the Hedlund household (what year isn’t busy, right?). To give you a peek into our lives, I decided to share some of the events of the past year using the theme of Christmas carols! (Tap on any picture to make it bigger.)

Go Tell It on the Mountain

 

In May we flew out to Breckenridge, Colorado, for a family vacation. We rented an awesome house with a stunning mountain view. During our week there, we hiked mountains, shopped, fished, hiked mountains, toured mines, rode railroads, hiked mountains, lounged in the hot tub, and played games. Did I mention we hiked mountains? 

Silent Night

The three oldest kids are all at Cedarville University in Ohio. My son is a senior double-majoring in Finance and Accounting and the twins are sophomores majoring in Social Work and Pre-Physical Therapy. Without them home, the days and nights are definitely more silent! Because we missed the noise and chaos (wink!), we visited them over Homecoming/Parent’s Weekend. 

O Little Town

Over the summer, we spent a weekend with my two brothers and their families in a quaint little town in Michigan called Frankenmuth. In between water park rides and swimming, we shopped, ate at fun restaurants, and of course visited Bronner’s Christmas Store. 

The Nutcracker

My youngest daughter turned 13 this year and is heavily involved in dancing. She had several performances including the opportunity to participate in the Grand Rapids Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker. Another highlight of her year was her youth group mission trip to Butler, Pennsylvania.

Up on the Housetop

My youngest son turned 15 this year and started to drive. We’re warning everyone far and near to stay up on their housetops while he’s on the road. No, seriously, he’s a great driver and hasn’t caused too many gray hairs. A highlight of his year was going on the Discipleship Adventure trip with his youth group friends as well as a father-son trip to Cincinnati. 

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

One of the most wonderful times of the year is my annual writer’s retreat with a group of author friends. This year we met in Branson, Missouri for a fun weekend writing, brainstorming, encouraging each other, meeting with readers, and sight-seeing.

We Three Kings

We squeezed in another trip, this one to Nashville, Tennessee where we stayed in the Gaylord Opryland Resort. Talk about an amazing place! While I was busy attending a writer’s conference, three of my family (my husband and two youngest children) lived like three kings—taking in the sights around the city and relaxing in the beautiful BIG hotel (yes, it had waterfalls inside!).

Deck the Halls

This was a year for home improvements including re-doing our main stairway as well as ripping out old carpet and laying hardwood floors in our upstairs hallway and in our living room. Due to a strange experience with very unreliable carpenter (not showing up to work for days at a time!), my husband, son, and a friend from church finally laid the hardwood floor in our upstairs hallway (and it turned out fantastic!).

This Christmas we pray you would know Jesus, the child born Away in a Manager. Let There Be Peace on Earth and Joy to the World. From my family to yours, We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

The Hedlunds