Welcoming 2013

Our New Year's plans, like our Christmas plans, got derailed this year due to a virus (not in our family this time), so we did not get together at my parents' house for the Wray family Christmas as planned.  Instead we've had a cozy time at home, making some special food, having some friends over, and doing our annual New Year tradition:  making our Year Box!

First we painted our 2012 box...

 Then we got out all of the accumulated souvenirs, notes, crafts, and tangible memories from the year...

 ...It was fun reminiscing -- even for things that just happened a few short months ago.  Some of it was a whole "world" away!

Then we packed it all into our new box.... ready to join the previous years' on the closet shelf.

Today some friends came over and played Apples to Apples, Clue, and Road Trip.... We adults just talked in the other room. :)

(And our new camera broke, so we're back to fuzzy, not-as-good photographs.)

For New Year's Eve, Pete and Strider went to a murder mystery play that some friends were in, and for New Year's night we're watching "The Princess Bride" as a family -- Rayna's, Colsen's and Milo's first encounter with this classic.  I fully expect someone to be walking around the house saying, "Anyone want a peanut?" tomorrow.

What will 2013 bring?  Good to know we're walking into it hand-in-hand with a very big God.