Boy, oh boy, was December ever a big month. I didn’t realize how much happened until I went through the pictures! I’m going to break it down into sub-categories to keep it organized.

Wrestling
The wrestling season for Derek and Peter ramped up in December. Derek was happy to be competing at the heavyweight level, for this meant that he did not need to cut weight. As soon as football season ended, he ate to his heart’s content, knowing he would not even come close to the 285 pound maximum weight.

He found much success at the beginning of the season, which proved to be a sign of things to come.

We enjoyed watching Peter as well.

This video captures his very first pin. The video was taken by my mom and dad, since we found ourselves split up on this day. Peter wrestled in Chicago, while Derek wrestled in Stillman Valley.

The team bonded well this year.

Every once in a while, I scored a meet or tournament (with my helper by my side).

Family Stuff
The guinea pigs continue to entertain us. Ever since we found out that Cinnamon is male and not female, I never imagined how often I’d hear the phrase, “Sugar’s in heat today.” Thankfully, she was not in heat the day this picture was taken.

We continued work on the bathroom. The kids were a tremendous help with tiling.

Bet you’ll never guess in what romantic way Jim and I spent our 23rd wedding anniversary. Grouting and cleaning the tile! #truelove

Jeremy has taken the reins of the espresso machine.

He took it to a whole new level when he created order sheets for me to fill out in the afternoon.

Jake found out his glider won and is now encased with gliders from decades past outside the aeronautics department.

Ruth sang in the Christmas concert at church.

We enjoyed having some family join us. Some brother sister bonding…

Derek went to WA’s Soiree.

Dad joined us for our annual Lord of the Rings marathon.

Molly joined us for part of it too.

Engaged!
Big, big news came from USAFA in December. Jake proposed to Tiffany! He surprised us all with how thoughtful and romantic he was.

He had set up a scavenger hunt all around CO Springs, with clues for Tiffany, which led her to the USAFA chapel. He dropped to his knee and asked her to marry him.

And she said yes!

What’s even more special is that he proposed on our anniversary!

Christmas
We kicked off the Christmas season with a cookie exchange at Judi’s house. I came home with about six dozen cookies which lasted all of a couple days.

The Vacudas had us over for some dinner and presents and games.

We appreciate all the work Linda puts in to make the night special. Here’s a glimpse into Christmas at the Vacudas’:

The Johaniks came over Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning we lit the center candle of the advent wreath,

and took turns opening presents, Molly first.

Molly and I went on our annual Christmas morning run. I figure this allows me to eat some extra bread pudding later in the day!

We headed to Mom and Dad’s Christmas Day. It was great to hang out with cousins!

After nearly 50 years of marriage, Dad continues to enjoy surprising Mom with Christmas presents.

Some of the kids went ice skating at Maggie Daley park.

Christmas break/New Year’s
Jake and Tiffany arrived home a couple days after Christmas. We were so eager to see them and celebrate Christmas with them.

The next day, three of Jake’s friends came and stayed with us the rest of the break. A couple of them joined us at church.

There was much activity here, and we loved every minute of it!

As we have for the past several years, we spent our 2018 Thanksgiving in Michigan. We were excited that both Jake and Tiffany were able to join us!

They made the long drive home the night before we were to leave for MI.

After a few (short) hours of sleep, they piled into the car and we all drove up to Holland, Michigan. It was a packed car, as not only did we bring food for the long weekend, but also the dog!

We played some Nertz when we arrived.

And the next morning was the Giere Classic race day!

This has become quite a tradition.

Again, Mom went all-out by providing t-shirts, bib numbers, and medals.

Everyone ran their race well…

with some making it more of a competition than others. These two have been fierce competitors for 18 years (and counting).

Then we enjoyed a post-race breakfast.

Through some creative geometry, we managed to arrange a long table to accommodate our large group.

Jim was tasked with carving the turkey…under supervision of the master.

It was nice to visit with Chris and Ronnie during the weekend.

And also nice for Jake to connect with his great-Grandpa. They speak the same language.

The next day we took advantage of the gorgeous day and beautiful backdrop by taking pictures.

Grandma and Grandpa with their ten grandkids!

After that, we got comfy and played on the beach,

in the yard,

and in the house.

One reason the kids claim Thanksgiving as their favorite (or at least second favorite) holiday is because of the time we spend as a family. We play, have heart-to-heart talks and just enjoy uninterrupted time together.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7)

Following is a slideshow of Thanksgivings past, dating back to 1999!!

Hello! We’re back, and we have a lot of catching up to do. I’m going to start by summarizing each month this blog has been on sabbatical, starting with last November.

As an aside, you may be wondering what the catalyst was to get this blog up and running again. Jake and Tiffany just started their own blog as a subdomain of this one! Check it out: jakeandtiffany.johanik.com

After turning 18 in September, Derek acted on his right to vote for the first time in his life. What a good citizen.

We are enjoying our animals. Jeremy has decided that Cinnamon actually helps him perform better on his English homework when the guinea pig sits atop his shoulder.

And Molly continues to serve as my running partner on the prairie path. She vigilantly watches for squirrels, rabbits, coyotes and deer; all of which we saw regularly during November.

On a whim, we went to Great America one weekend. It was cold. Too cold for any roller coasters to run. It was a bust, but we made the most of it.

The WA football banquet happened. It was sad to officially recognize the end of Derek’s high school career. The team prayed at the end of the night.

And how about these handsome brothers…

Peter played in the evening service at church one Sunday. Here they are rehearsing before the service:

Jeremy’s FCA Force team made it to the championship in Michigan City. The boys spent the night in Indiana the night before the big game.

Literally the day after we returned home from that, it began raining by the back door. Raining shower water from the upstairs bathroom. Guess who got to work right away?

We figured if we were going to replace the leaky tub, we might as well replace tile and paint.
Jim employed the help of the kids, who ripped up floor tile. They came away with bloody fingers from minor cuts and scratches; but as my dad used to say, it built character!

Derek, Peter, and I represented the wrestling team by scoring a basketball game one night. None of us knew what we were doing, but we picked it up and managed to successfully score and time the entire game. (apparently, I need a class on how to take a good selfie)

Derek gave a speech on character at the National Honor Society induction ceremony. He actually enjoys public speaking. Here’s a portion of the speech:

**Be on the lookout for a separate Thanksgiving blog post**

The day after we returned home from Thanksgiving in Michigan, a terrible ice storm came through and downed trees and power lines. There was quite a bit of destruction in the area. Our trees bowed under the weight of the heavy ice.

But the worst was yet to come… amid the 25 degree temperature, the power went out for several hours! We started a fire in the fireplace, wrapped up in winter coats and blankets and hunkered down.

Boy, did that day make us thankful for electricity and heat!

And following tradition, we capped off November by decorating the Christmas tree as Handel’s Messiah played in the background.