Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to our family and friends,
Hope this finds you well! What a year.! We have had many changes, and felt as though it was the shortest year ever! So sit back and enjoy ….
Starting with the oldest and wisest ...Dad and Mom – suffering from empty nest syndrome, (said with a slight grin) they went out and bought a new truck (2004 Dodge 2500 diesel Cummins for those that care) yes its loud and Dad loves it, and a new (27ft) camper. Then they took off camping for several weeks this year! They met some great people along the way, (hi Tom, Melissa, Ashley, Emily, and Paul). Small side note Ted put a Kayak through the front of the camper. Alls well : )
Ted got to be “almost a judge” as Denver put it, on the Verona Town Court. Of course he was only the Forman. He still works at the Oneida Correctional Facility, its his 22nd year ! Mom continues to hold the farm together! If you wonder how in the world she fills her days I can tell you in a few words.. Denver’s school and farm animals!
Ashley- started the year by getting her own apartment (we don’t know why we still get all her mail ). . After driving the 93 suburban at almost $3.00 a gallon for gas, she was in need of a car and was given a Dodge Stratus (thanks Chris & Pat!!!)…. Thank you Bob for working on her car : )Then to finish the year off she got a new job working for our wonderful Chiropractor…..
Teddy and Angelie…. Celebrated their first anniversary! They still live in Oneida. Teddy is still a faithful farm hand, he has now been at the farm for 9 years! Angelie has enjoyed working as a medical transcriptionist at the Oneida hospital. They are also blessing our family with a new Elliott due in July!!
So lets see …. that makes Dad and Mom grandparents and everyone else great grandparents !!! Denver thinks being an uncle is the best thing ever : )
Autum…. Has had a wild ride this year! She worked with many wonderful people and formed true friendships. Autum’s summer was busy working with disabled children what a blessing to her and them.
After making sure the hay was done she took off to Kentucky to live with the Lindsey family! What an adventure getting there, 50ft outside the Buffalo thruway exit the car stopped running ! Yes right there in the 4 lane exit! As you can see we did make it out of that alive but it was scary, people are in such a hurry ! We had to find a car dolly and tow it the rest of the way to PA . We met the Lindseys in Ohio at the Creation Museum, then followed them to their school house/home.
She got to spend Thanksgiving in FL with Uncle Dan and cousin Bree and had a wonderful time!! She also got to go for a motorcycle ride thanks to Uncle Dan! Autum flew home for Christmas and a dear friends wedding.
Denver….Well he has grown by leaps and bounds this year! Being 11, now, he is growing into quite the young man! Soon he shall pass Mom in height and already has out grown her boots! Denver gets the benefits of traveling with mom and Dad on their camping trips and greatly enjoys it! He makes new friends wherever he goes! I know that is hard to believe as he is so shy…He bought himself a new bike to take on his camping trips so that it is easier to terrorize the whole campground! Denver and Freckles attended obedience class and graduated tops in their class ! Denver also got to volunteer at the summer camp with Autum and the kids, it was a great learning experience for all !!!!
Denver is still taking guitar lessons after a short break, (his guitar teacher got married and wanted a honeymoon) : ))
ON the Farm…The sad news (which we want out of the way first) is we had to put down our dear old dog Max . He was a great dog and I am not sure we will never have another like him….So knowing that was coming we got another Shepherd to help ease the transition…Rio is special in his own way, he is black and brown, and is afraid of his own shadow! But we love him anyway… he’s still just a baby at 90lbs. Freckles ( our Bassett Hound ) still rules..
With only 3 people in the house we decided to get rid of the chickens (just about broke Denvers heart) We still get farm fresh eggs and milk from local farmers.
We have 3 pigs, and 35 head of cattle, but we’ll be cutting back to about 20 in the spring. Lady and Lucy (the horses) still graze our pastures. This year Denver has become quite the cowboy! If we are looking for him most times we could find him out riding Lucy.
Special Blessings,
We had a nice family gathering at U. Dan’s new home on Oneida Lake , it was great to spend time with the great Aunts and cousins. (thanks everyone for making the trip up). Autum got to spend a lot of time visiting with Uncle Dan and Bree while they were up, as Mom and Dad were off camping!
Gramma Judie and her dear friend Nancy came in for A.Daris and Mark’s wedding, it was special weekend for all. Our dear friends the Lindseys parked for a week, always a joy to spend time with them.
If you’re in the state and need a place to sleep just let us know ,we are more than happy to let ya use the extra beds!
Wow! We can’t even tell you how the Lord blessed us on the 4th of July in 90 degree weather with a wonderful work crew to put 10 loads of hay in a 130 degree hay mow. Blessings upon you Mike, U. Tim, Nate, Andrew, Jason, Marianne. Without you all it would not have gotten done!
So yes, as you have gathered, the Elliott house has gotten quieter with all the older kids out and just Denver left at home! But not to worry cause we all are never more than a phone call away!(although it may take Autum 14 hours to get here) .
Hope you enjoyed this small glimpse into our year! Know your all in our prayers. May this be the year Jesus reigns in your heart.
Love to all,
