Day 351

Sometimes you get so busy with things, you don't see things even though they are right in front of you. For example, if you are with your kids every day, you don’t see the amazing growth they experience. If you see a kid once a year, the changes you notice are amazing and often hard to believe.

I was scrolling through random pictures and came across one that struck my eye.

Last summer, we hosted an annual reunion of my college roommates and friends. With their spouses and families, what was once an apartment of four college students is now an impressive gathering of couples and children. Once a summer, we work together to align our schedules and take turns gathering at one of our residences. As our kids grow older and become more active in various activities, this scheduling becomes trickier, but we still find a way to get together as best we can. It is pretty cool to see how all of our families have expanded over the years and even though distance and life’s craziness haven't allowed us to gather together as much as we all would like, our get-togethers are always fun and enjoyable. Every year, we make sure to take a group photo.

When I found the photo from this particular reunion, I was pretty impressed. Besides our wonderful families, I noticed our backyard. The photo showed the backyard before our expanded garden and play area was added. It showed our beautiful big backyard relatively untouched from any restoration. I can only imagine what it will look like when we are back up for hosting the reunion again.

We don't necessarily take notice of how much has changed because we're in the thick of it. Seeing photos like this makes you take a step back and reminisce about all you’ve done.

In the last few weeks of this daily writing challenge I hope to take a few steps back and share some randomness about our farm. I hope my written expression will be as fun as thinking about these memories has been. I will also look to the future: the very bright future for our family and Craneview on Plainview.