When I look
at our photos from this past year, our lives could look very much like a
fairytale. Most fairytales begin with "Once upon a time..." and end
with "Happily ever after." I am not sure this year could fit in
between those two lines but we do have so much to thank God for!
We welcomed new beginnings--new life stages for Emily and Wesley...
Omar and Saimon launched...
Marian moved to College Station...
Katerin opened up to new possibilities...
and renewed health for Savannah...
We celebrated 3 graduations--Savannah completed high school a year early, Omar graduated from THS, and Wesley from College of the Ozarks...
The biggest family celebrations included 2 weddings less than 3 months apart!
And in between those two weddings Omar pulled off a sweet
surprise proposal for his now fiancé, Savannah. (Yes we will have two
Savannahs!)
Wesley and
Sarah's Spring wedding took place in Bentonville, Arkansas and was likely the
most beautiful wedding in all of Arkansas! No kidding--their wedding made the
pages of Arkansas Bride magazine this past month. What made it an even more
special union was that it was the first family reunion where all nine of us
were together since July 2023. The day of the rehearsal dinner was filled with
storms and tornado warnings, which made the next day's plans for an outdoor
wedding look pretty bleak. But thankfully the torrential weather moved out and
their wedding day was dreamy. Rain and shine, we soaked in
every beautiful moment.
Emily and
Zach's Summer wedding took place right here close to home. It was everything we
hoped it would be--a true glimpse of God's glory as family and friends shared
the weekend, and what this couple meant to them, with us. Their wedding
provided a second family reunion for us. Emily had her 3 sisters in the bridal
party, along with 4 sweet friends, and Savannah shared a lovely tribute to the
couple in her Maid of Honor speech. I replay the photos and memories in my mind
and heart and continue to be amazed at what God has done.
With all of
these changes, we traveled over 41,000 miles in 2024. But what is more than the
miles, accomplishments and life changes, is how we have grown in number and in
relationships as a family. If I picked a word to describe 2024, it would be
GROWTH. God restores our weary, tender hearts.
He is still working, and I think because He is who He says He is, one day we
will have a happily ever after.
Merry Christmas!
The
Evermons
