We expected a quiet 2019, but it didn't turn out that way

We thought this was kind of a quiet year – until we started taking a look at the things we did and the fun places we went.

Caroline seemed to have the busiest year, graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and starting toward a master’s degree in Grand Valley State University. 

Caroline had lots of options and spent the first part of the year traveling to University of Maryland, University of Indiana, Michigan State University and University of Michigan. She was accepted by all, but liked that Grand Valley offered an assistantship, an opportunity to work in the Office of Student Life with a full scholarship and stipend.

Caroline and neighbor Jordan Hill have always been very close. They graduated together from pre-school, high school and now college!

 

Caroline picked our restaurant for a post-ceremony snack -- and picked Taco Bell.

Leaving CMU was bittersweet. Between Student Government, marching band, serving as a resident assistant and being elected Homecoming ambassador, it’s hard to imagine she could have gained more out of her experience there. 

Julie and Dave were invited to campus when Caroline was honored with a special student leadership award -- which was a secret! The campus paper wrote a story about her impact, and CMU President Davies called her up on stage during an orientation session to tell incoming students about Caroline’s accomplishments and thank her.

CMU President Bob Davies highlighted Caroline's achievements before a group of incoming students on her final day as an orientation leader.

The Student Life team invited Dave and Julie to the awards ceremony as a surprise and kept them hidden until the big moment. This photo was in the campus paper.

It’s going to be difficult for Grand Valley to top that! But she’s trying. Majoring in higher education administration, Caroline is keeping busy working with student leader, running events and planning events such as Sibling Weekend, the President’s Ball and Commencement.

Andrew and Aubrey also keep very busy up in Traverse City, about two hours north in a beautiful resort town with beaches, a lighthouse – and lots of snow!

We got to see Kiss' End of the Road Tour in March!

We also got to see "Hamilton" in Chicago. There were fewer pyrotechnics, but it was still really, really good!

Andrew is a social worker with Northwest Healthcare Management, helping people working though challenging situations in their lives. Aubrey is a speech therapist with the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School district, helping children in several schools.

They had a special adventure, heading to Hawaii for a delayed honeymoon! They saw all kinds of amazing things.

We are so glad Aubrey is part of our family.

Andrew and Aubrey had a wonderful time visiting Hawaii for their honeymoon.

Dave is in his second year as communications director at Grand Rapids Community College – a job he loves! There are lots of good stories to tell, and there is a very supportive environment. The team won five marketing and communications awards, and started some fun new things, including a podcast.

We love having Mom Nelson living nearby! We have an annual night out seeing the Professional Bull Riders in Grand Rapids.

Julie also works at the college, and we love having her mother, Alberta Nelson, close by. Julie is part of a fun Wednesday night knitting club. Julie remains closely supervised by Tug, the family cat, who is always close by.

We had a wonderful vacation in July, visiting Dave’s Mom and Dad and celebrating both Caroline’s graduation and cousin Katie’s high school graduation. Katie in the fall went off to Lipscomb University in Tennessee!

Our Florida trip included a celebration of graduations -- Caroline from CMU and Katie from high school. Katie headed to Lipscomb University in the fall.

We did all kinds of exciting things in Florida, including swimming in the ocean, going on an epic hike, seeing rescue turtles and watching the St. Lucie Mets and a fireworks display that set off a huge fire. No one was hurt, and the stadium was OK!

We had an eventful trip, with exciting hikes, trips to the beach and baseball games. Dave got four foul balls in Jupiter – the crowds were really small – and we all watched a fireworks mishap grow into a huge inferno at the Mets’ St. Lucie ballpark.

Tug pretty much runs the house, closely supervising all that goes on.

Closer to home, Dave and Julie headed up to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the lovely city of Marquette. After going to the “UP” for work for years, it was nice to enjoy the scenery at a more leisurely pace. Though we were disappointed we did not see a moose.

Our Upper Peninsula adventure included a boat tour of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore!

 Moose disappointment aside, as 2019 winds down, we are reminded of our many blessings. We are so proud of the kids and all they do. They’re hard to keep up with!

We hope that this holiday season finds you happy and healthy. We would love to hear from you! Everyone is on Facebook, and you can drop us a line at dmurray08@comcast.net.