In January in Lander, WY, Zoe zipped around the cross country ski trails on the middle school team while the rest of us had far more fun selling gallons of hot cocoa and ramen to shivering spectators.

In February, as we memorized verses in the NIV and ESV Bible versions, Gwen paused her school studies to ask if the version we were reading from was the SUV…

In March, as Zoe’s swim times approached and her foot size surpassed those of Mommy, Matti made hard tack with a Revolutionary War recipe, complete with “idolized salt.”

In April, Gwen finished a squiggle drawing (drawing that begins with a random “squiggle” or shape printed on blank paper) into a man swinging from a “trapezoid,” aka, a trapeze… And Matti stated with utmost commitment, “I’m going to practice swooning daintily tomorrow!”

In May, as we hiked Matti commented, “There’s not a sign of civilization out here except for us and the path. Which means I’m hungry!” Back home, Rich and Donna finished leading a 9-month discipleship program called Radical Mentorship.

In June, while flying somewhere Zoe asked, “How long is our hangover going to be?” (I’m sorry, what were you drinking on the plane??) And Gwen informed me that if I sang her a lullaby, her feet would fall asleep. In stark contrast, she and the rest of the Douglass girls raced the Lander Upsidedown Triathlon, created by Mommy, directed by Daddy, sponsored by Hammer Nutrition and hosted by the entire church.

In July, Zoe watched transfixed as the rodeo cowboys rode and fell, over and over. “Why do they do such dangerous things?” she asked, baffled. Why, indeed!

In August in Aviano, Italy’s temporary lodging, we averaged Zoe’s burnt birthday cake and her gooey one for the perfect 12th birthday celebration, complete with two trips on scooters to the commissary in pouring rain – one to buy the cake mix and one to replace it.

In September as Rich settled in to teaching F16 pilots again and Donna returned to Wyoming to ship household goods, Gwen slept in Donna’s shirt “just to be nearer to Mommy,” and said in her sleep, “I love you, Mommy.”

In October, Matti complained that her watch was out of tune while Zoe qualified for the European Forces Swim Championship in Brussels (Matti qualified in November).

In November, Gwen revealed why so many golfers like Florida: Florida is bordered by the Golf of Mexico!

In December, still searching for more permanent housing (please join us in praying for this!!), we reunited with our ski gear and drove up the mountains to meet the snow.

All that to say, we’ve moved again. As have Donna’s sister Ginni and Mom Kohout, all in the same week in August! See our address below. And book your visit to northern Italy anytime!

Favorite jokes of the year, wheedled down from hours of joke books while traveling:

Zoe: What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef!

Matti: Why don’t seagulls fly over the bay? Because then they’d be bay-gulls! (bagels…ha ha!)

Gwen: What’s the difference between 4 and 25? 25’s bigger… (yup, the 6-year-old came up with that all by herself!)

Happy New Year to you and yours.

Please let us know how we may be welcoming the New Year beside you in prayer, and if you want our latest contact information.