Nothing says first week of February 2015 like reflecting back on the previous year, right? Yep! That’s what I’m thinking. ;)

It hit me that we are 1/12th of the way through a new year, and I still hadn’t gathered our personal photos from 2014. At first I considered skipping this ritual, but then I remembered how much my kids enjoy reading and looking back over these posts, so I decided to proceed.

Our year began with an extremely cold winter. I’ve never been one to fully understand winter blues, but now….NOW I get it. Last winter was so bitterly cold that we rarely wanted to leave home. It made me crave warmth so much that I just sat on the computer looking through tropical vacation rentals…FOR WEEKS. Spring couldn’t have been more welcomed!

Overall, our year was good. Very good. As is typically the case, I didn’t photograph with our big camera as much as I wish, but gathering for this post I was thankful for when we did choose to grab the camera, capturing indelible moments to experience over and over again. It pleases my heart to relive our simple school days, a walk to the park, the children’s’ growth in stature or ability, or one of our grand adventures through photographs.

This year brought much more intentional living for our family of six, waking each day and remembering our  proclaimed purpose and dedication to each other. A couple years ago we made changes to our business and our priority list. This past year we concentrated on that figurative garden we’re tending, and enjoyed harvesting those beautiful first fruits of this endeavor. What a joy to witness growth in the people that surround you daily.

Here’s a (rather lengthy!) peek into our 2014….

January 1st means our tradition of cinnamon rolls for the neighbors…

Our cold winter months were spent reading, making loads of broth and soups, and finding indoor hobbies. Our boys began woodcarving.

Adin loved that our park pond was frozen and his monster truck would slide across it!

Lots of warm baths….

Favorite records….

A good amount of snow…

And cousin love :)

In 2014 one of our dearest friends moved back! Days with Lucy are favorites of ours.

A Science Fair project that made her parents proud….

Walks for fresh air as we tried to break out of our cabin fever….

More reading…

And those rough grey days.

In February we cheered on Uncle Jason who was working as a producer for the Olympics in Russia! My sis loaned us a TV (we don’t normally have one) and the kids were in heaven watching the games.

Cabin fever called for an indoor fort take over.

We had a pretty decent supply of snow in the 2013/14 winter, which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.

Our days were consumed with educating our children. As they are getting older, the work is growing in complexity and the time spent with them has greatly increased. Even though my patience is daily tried, I continually feel blessed to grow and learn right alongside them.

SUNSHINE! Our spring gift.

With temps dipping into the negative teen digits, we had to bring our outdoor kitty inside. He despised it, and sat staring out the window.

The cold also froze all of my solarium plants, and broke my heart!

Lilah’s first birthday photos in March :)

I was honored to be there with my friend as she gave birth to her second child.

Riah became more passionate in his piano playing, which consumed the majority of his free time.

The boys studied for Memory Masters, a competition through our homeschool group, Classical Conversations. To become a “Master” they had to memorize over 500 facts about Latin, math, history and science all word for word.

Priya really found a love in Paleo cooking in 2014, and began experimenting with new recipes.

In early April we found a big surprise in our shed–five kittens! It was still dipping below freezing, so we brought them in for care and love.

Gabe’s favorite was a little girl he named Hot Dog.

Adin got to attend a special meet-up of Red’s players!

In April Brett’s Grandfather passed. We sadly made our way back to Tennessee for the funeral, making sure to visit his farm and reminisce a bit.

The kittens continued to thrive and grow. They lived in our solarium, so it felt like we had our own mini zoo behind glass. At this point I figured it was good the cold killed my plants, because these five ripped them apart!

The grass was back and green, and we began getting the yard in shape for spring.

In May Priya took part in a mock trial with her 8th grade classmates. They all had assigned parts for a murder case, and went up against another class in Cincinnati. It took place at a real courthouse with a judge overseeing.

After months of studying and passing through four rounds of being proofed, both Riah and Adin became Memory Masters. It was a proud moment for Mama and Baba!

In May we gained another sweet nephew, Ezel!

The kittens were big now and ready to find homes. The time came when our kids had to hold back the tears and say goodbye.

Gabe was crushed to see Hot Dog go to a new home, but mama did a photo shoot of them to always remember this special time.

Later in May we traveled to one of our favorite places, Edisto Island in South Carolina. On the way we visited with my Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom in North Carolina.

Gabe turned SEVEN in June!

We had the most glorious weather for our yearly 4th of July party! It was cool enough in the evening that we had a fire going.

Much of our summer was spent swimming and fishing  at my parent’s house.

Adin turned 12 in July, and suddenly was as tall as his grandma!

At the end of July I went to France with my parents and a group of wonderful folks, and had a grand time!

While I was in Europe, Brett packed up the kids and went to Canada for the wedding of one of our best friends (yes, I was so sad to miss it) where he was the officiant.

Adin and Priya took photos.

And our dear friend Matt sang and played the trumpet at his own wedding, because he’s awesome like that.

After France our group moved on to Switzerland where I turned 36!

I came home just in time to celebrate my last birthday boy with a day of kayaking, family and friends!

It seemed that before I had two minutes to catch my breath a new school year arrived, and I had a 9th and a 7th grader. GOODNESS, I am old. Priya also began a great soccer season.

The warm days stuck around a bit, and we loved them! Lilah had some fun with her boy cousins…

She has NO problem letting them know what to do!

These two started school a couple weeks after their big sis and bro began. I now was working with a fifth and second grader!

It felt great to soak up some outdoor time in September. We headed over to Indiana to meet friends for a camp-out.

A couple weeks later we headed down south to North Carolina, praying we’d hit the right timing for the fall foliage. It was breathtaking.

We went hiking and adventuring with our traveling buddies, the Hunley family.

In October we had fun celebrating my mom’s birth month with a salon day…

And our girl turned 15!

My niece, Lilah, made a BIG announcement! (Yay!!!)

We visited southern Kentucky with my whole family, and saw the leaves at the most gorgeous time for the region.

We had our 8th annual Friendsgiving at our home. I managed to get a photo of most of our kids together.

In December Priya assisted us at a wedding for the first time! Verdict–she loved it, and will be doing more with us.

If you made it through this VERY long reflection, thank you for taking the time! We wish you all a 2015 filled with joy and peace. We’re excited for more change and growth in this new year, and may you experience the same!

With love, The Z Family

{To view Part I (Paris), click HERE. To view Part II (Strasbourg and Chartres), click HERE.}

The final portion of our European adventure involved exploring parts of Switzerland. I have to admit, these are the days I remember most fondly simply because our pace was slowed, our itinerary  lightened, and then there were the views. In my last post I mentioned the privilege of witnessing some of the greatest creations on earth, both of men and of God–this would be the part most notably fashioned by the hand of The Almighty. It was majestic.

I spent much time riding the Swiss buses contemplating how I could just stay….forever.

We took a train from Strasbourg, France to an area near Zurich. The gentle ride gave us all a time to recoup and regather before exploring this next culture. I spent my traveling hours enjoying the calmness and devouring a book.

Rain began as we approached our station. We had a bit of transportation confusion with trains, buses, etc. for our group of 27, but we were all so thrilled to be in Switzerland.

Looking out at the terrain, my initial thought was noticing the odd juxtaposition of modern development beside sweeping green country, sprinkled with traditional Swiss style homes. I much preferred the scenes with only traditional homes and rural views…

On July 27th I woke up a year older, and without my husband or children. The kids messaged me a funny video wishing me a happy birthday from Canada where they were currently vacationing. What a strange birthday; separated from my family and none of us in the U.S.!

Our day began early with a quick Swiss breakfast in our quaint hotel, and then boarding a large bus for a long day of sightseeing. I had been especially looking forward to this day in our trip, as we were venturing to one of the highest peaks in the world accessible by train.

Before reaching our first train station beginning our long ascent into the Alps, we passed through the beautiful city of Interlaken.

After a nice break, we began the journey up Jungfrau, one of the highest summits in the Bernese Alps standing at 13, 642 ft. From my previous research I learned that the outcome of this trek would be unpredictable. Reviewers reaching the summit claimed that “this is a sight to see before you die, one of the most beautiful places on earth,” if it is a clear day. And if it’s foggy, well, you see a whole lot of nothing. I was kicking myself for investigating…and praying for clear skies!

Goodness gracious, these houses and hotels…I could hardly handle it! They’re just so adorable.

Let me just say, my photos do this countryside NO justice. You just can’t capture how vastly beautiful this land is…especially photographing through your train window, but we all tried.

On the way up, the train stops for a few minutes at two other stations, Eigerwand and Eismeer, where passengers can see through the holes excavated from the mountain. The journey from that last point to the top is all underground (yes, frightening), until you reach the final destination. The Jungfraujoch, at (11,332 ft) above sea level, is the highest railway station in Europe.

Looking out the window at a stop we noticed there was very minimal visibility. Still, they told us conditions on top of the mountain could be completely different. We hoped.

Finally, we arrived to the summit and decided to first go find something to eat. We sat in a beautiful restaurant that overlooked the Alps. It seemed a bit surreal, and this feeling was manifested more by the lack of oxygen that was so evident. I felt dizzy. Food and water seemed to help this subside.

At first the fog was SO THICK and I figured visibility would be low, but while we had lunch the clouds began to part. Then, I spotted blue sky! It continued to clear….and WHAT A VIEW.

Lord, your creation is a marvelous work…

Isa 40:26- Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Descending, we continued to soak up the rolling green hills that seemed to be hiding beneath the stature of the grand mountains. I dreamed of life in a modest dwelling, right there in that valley. Can you imagine peering out your window to that scene each day? Would you, could you tire of that view??

Ahhhh…It was the most grand birthday.

The next two days we spent time exploring the cities of Zurich and Lucerne. Just like in the mountains, I couldn’t believe how clean and crystal clear the lakes were, and such a striking color of blue green…

Zurich was lovely, but I was blown away with the high prices. My simple lunch of a water and bowl of broth (I’m not kidding) was around $50. Lucerne seemed more cozy and old world, which I enjoyed more.

This trip was so meaningful to me, and my parents truly gave me one of the best gifts possible…experience. I am incredibly grateful to them.

We made glorious memories across the world, and I celebrated a new year of life while standing on top of the Earth. Did I mention everyone at the rail station breaking out in happy birthday to me? *blush*

Seriously, what more could one ask for…