January 2021 - December 2021

January - March highlights including "Sunday Fundays" and lots of snuggles with fur babies 💗💗💗

Happy 15th birthday Ella

In May, Evan and Danee attended a beautiful wedding in Hilton Head, South Carolina. They both look STUNNING!!

Memorial Day weekend we visited the Sewell family in Birmingham, AL -- (welcome to the Sewell family ......"Flynn" he's an adorable Havanese 💙 

Beginning of June, we flew to Palm Beach, Florida and visited Paul's parents, his brother David and his wife Nicole.  Due to the pandemic, we hadn't seen them in 18 months 😒.  We all had a wonderful visit😁

June 17th we left GA and started our journey to SD. We spent three weeks in Watertown, SD at My Place hotel which had kitchen with full refrigerator, two burner stove, desk and ample room for all of our stuff ha ha! Paul was able to work from the hotel most days and Ella took high school chemistry class so she was busy studying etc.  While they were working, I went out most days visiting my sister, niece, aunts, uncles and old friends.  In addition, we attended the Athey Family reunion, boat fishing in Aberdeen, drove by the Schmidt's (my mom's parents) family home, went to Bramble Zoo, toured Redlin Art Center, day trip to Fargo, ND, Canterbury Park Horse Racing, BBQs and much much more !  It was so  fun reconnecting with family and friends !!  After putting over 5,000 miles on the rent-a-car, we made it home July 15th. Below are some highlights of our adventure:

August 9th Ella's first day of 10th Grade

Northview High School Marching Band fun!!

Happy Halloween .... made and decorated a cake to share with friends and carved a "cat" pumpkin

Happy 5th birthday "Biscuit " 🐶🐶🐶🐶

(thank you two sweet neighborhood girl Milee that brought him birthday cookie 💛)

Enjoyed the Sunday before Thanksgiving visiting our wonderful friends the Sewells, that feel like family, in Blue Ridge Georgia

Celebrated Thanksgiving in Florida with Lazar family and friends....so much fun and LOTS of laughs

Evan and Danee came over for lunch with more cake...lol and opened Christmas early because they were headed to Danee's family for the holidays

Mom and Dad Lazar drove up from Florida for a few days during Christmas.  We had a lovely time cooking, playing Quirkle and enjoying the dogs!!

We played shitzuopoly (monopoly) on New Years Eve and Paul bankrupted both Ella and myself...ugh

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2022 ....take time to enjoy making memories with family and friends.....see you next year 😍

January 2020 - December 2020

 2020.....Year in Review during Covid 19 Pandemic!!

January 25, Ella participated in the ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal School of Music) recital playing piano 

On February 6th and 7th, Paul took Ella to University of Georgia in Athens for the All State Concert practicing and preforming with her middle school band class.  Below is a picture to her and her friend Libby enjoying some ice cream while on a lunch break....wonderful experience!

Woke up to SNOW on Sunday, February 8th.... 😍

President's Day weekend (2/15-16), we went to Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange Georgia with the Sewell Family ..... fun times!!

***Friday, March 13th the school board shut down face-to-face school due to Covid 19 - Pandemic! It was an uncertain time of watching the news stations documenting everything.  I helped close down the cafeteria at the middle school, Paul gathered his computer etc. and Ella did school work from home.  We stayed home for several months and only going to the store for essentials once a week.  Below is a picture I took outside Walmart....they set up a defined entrance using shopping carts to control the amount of people entering and exiting the store - crazy!! 

During the pandemic, we took the dogs on daily LONG walks which we enjoyed except miss Oreo....Had to get her a stroller because her little legs couldn't keep up with us ha, ha!!

Celebrated Ella's 14th birthday at home with her favorites!

Ella graduated 8th grade/Middle School virtually on May 22, 2020. Our neighborhood recognizes students that graduate preschool, elementary, middle school, high school and college with a banner posted onto the entrance gate into our subdivision.

After being housebound for months, we decided to drive to MN and SD visit friends/family in June with the dogs.  

 We visited everyone at a distance and/or outside due to the pandemic.  Our first stop was my Aunt Pam (my deceased uncle Larry's wife) in Rochester, MN.  She prepared us a delicious lunch and we visited/toured her beautiful abundance of flower gardens....WOW

After visting Pam, we headed to Waconia, MN where my BF Dawn and her family live.  Their middle child, Whitney, graduated High School June 2020.  Due to Covid 19, they only had a small celebration at the house and the High School had a "drive by" graduation which was very unique. We had a wonderful time celebrating Whitney and all her accomplishments!!

After leaving Waconia, we headed to South Dakota...quick chat with Wanda DeBoer (high school friend) at the Ortonville Hospital.  Wanda is a nurse at the hospital and was in the middle of her shift.....thanks or coming out to say hi!  After that, we headed to visit Dawn's parents, Bill and Connie Voeltz and from there we went down to see my Uncle Elmer and Aunt Charlotte....love them!! While we were reminiscing, my Aunt showed us my dad's military identification while serving in Vietnam
  

Wonderful outdoor visit with my sister Lisa and her daughter Jayden in Milbank, SD 😘

Enjoyed delicious bbq with Uncle Roger and Aunt Dolly in Aberdeen, SD

After visiting family and friends, we headed for western SD.  We visited Pierre,Wall Drug, Badlands Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Needles Highway and Devils tower in Wyoming. 

Evan adopted "Atlas" black lab mix over the pandemic.  He is almost 2 years  old and the sweetest dog!

We babysat Atlas for couple of days .......Fur babies enjoying their best life xoxo

Evan took Ella and Atlas camping in North Georgia...so beautiful!!

 

Joyful days of kids and dogs 💜💜💜

Due to Covid 19 Pandemic, Ella started 9th grade of high school virtually at home on August 17th

Sunday afternoon visit with Evan and his girlfriend Danee.....sooo many laughs and having fun playing games!!

Due to the pandemic their were continued changes with the school system.  Ella had the option to continue school virtually or she could go back to school face to face with face masks that had to be worn all day except for eating lunch.  She opted for face to face so on September 24th she headed to high school with a huge smile behind her mask!!!

Evan and Danee spent Thanksgiving with her parents in Arkansas....they are soooo cute together

Throughout the pandemic, Ella started crocheting green and white granny squares to assemble this beautiful  blanket!  Just before this crazy year was about to rap up she finished...... now she has a tangible item to remember 2020 year of covid 19- pandemic ha ha!!  So proud of her talent and tenacity! 

Christmas 2020 🎄😋

2020 is finished and we made it!!! xoxo