2015 Recap - Slideshow and Calendar Pages

 As the end of the year rolls around, it's time for the calendar and slideshow. 

It is always interesting to reflect on all that happened on the Westra side in 2015.

Most memorable, was Dad(Grandpa) having a heart attack.  Jase, who had been with him when it happened, had to make the phone calls to all the siblings. Dad has been in excellent health and very active, so this was absolutely unexpected. All the siblings gathered at the hospital and it was touch and go for a bit. Then, it seemed he would pull through physically, but his mental health was still in question. Happily, after just a few rough days, Daddy was back.

In Scott's family ... we had a wedding!

The first wedding of a Westra grandchild.

... it was the year of the missionaries! Chris and Kim and THREE missionaries out for 2015. Kim's two girls, Crystal and Kourtney. They both finished their missions here at the end of the year. Kaden is almost home (January) and Corin will be leaving. They will have a combined "homecoming/farewell" for their family! Landon left of course, but so did Janika, Wendy's oldest. 

Shane's family made a big move as the year came to a close ... literally. Due to job changes, they are leaving Utah and heading to California! We've been so lucky to have all our family close by. We will really miss having them around.

Derek and Danielle had some unexpected, but wonderful news! They are pregnant! After infertility and two darling adopted daughters, they were going to get to experience the entire pregnancy process themselves as well. Derek has been so cute documenting Danielle's pregnancy progression. It's another girl, and she's expected in January.

So THAT's what has been up with the Westra bunch this past year. 

Here's the Slideshow 

(it is a little long, I mean it's the WHOLE year from seven families!)

... and there are the calendar pages

 January

 February

 March

April

 May

 June

 July

 August

 September

 October

 November

December

Golden Anniversary

50th Wedding Anniversary!!

Mom and Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary is on June 29th. We decided months ago to celebrate this special occasion a couple of weeks early since the Jensens in town this weekend. It also worked out well for Chris's wedding this weekend too. Mom suggested a simple dinner out with the family. So mom and dad and all of us kids and mom's brother and sister all came to celebrate this wonderful occasion. Jen made up a slide show video of pictures through the years and Wendy had prepared a Photo History Book she been working on for the past year.

 

 

The book turned out really nice. 

It is 12X12 and came to 313 pages. 

Here are some sample pages:

 

 

Here's the letter from Wendy ~

Dear Mom and Dad:
A year ago I felt impressed to begin work on a photo book that would include pictures and memorabilia from your life and our family. I wanted to put this together as a gift for your 50th Wedding Anniversary. That is what started the big project of gathering photos, slides, negatives, and other memorabilia to be digitally scanned as well as researching dates and names and editing pictures! I wanted to include as many pictures as I could find from these past fifty years so that they could all be preserved in one place. I realized halfway through this project, however, that I had too many pictures for just one book (and not enough time) to give justice to all 50 years.

So in order to break it down into a more manageable project, I decided that this book would focus on the first 20 years of our family with pictures and details as well as pictures and histories from your growing up years. (Getting you to start on your personal histories was an added benefit!) I figured I could do another book (or two) later focusing on the rest of the years. But I didn't like the idea of ending this book in 1982 and so I decided to add one or two pages of pictures from each year after that to bring it up to the present year, so that it does still cover all 50 years. I hope to make another book later on focusing on the next twenty years and then another which will bring us up to the current date.

I have to admit that this project has been extremely overwhelming and time-consuming but I have learned so much about our family and have been filled with incredible gratitude as I have developed a deeper understanding of how truly blessed I am to have been born into such a wonderful family! I have recalled so many experiences and blessings that I had not thought about for years!  

I would just like to express my gratitude for our wonderful upbringing! You have been amazing parents to all of us and continue to be wonderful parents and grandparents. We are privileged to have been born into such a home as this! I just hope we can live up to our privileges and continue to pass on these wonderful blessings to our own children. I hope you enjoy this keepsake of our family! All of the kids also went in on this book with me, so it is from ALL of us! 

 We love you! 

Wendy

2011 Calendar Pages and Slideshow

 

Here's the Slideshow ... all these same pictures and a few more!

2009 Calendar Pages and Slideshow

... and the slideshow