Living & Loving, Autism & Deafness
Our Journey with our loved ones and our lives
JANUARY 2022 – DECEMBER 2022 – THROUGH GOD’S GRACE!
You can click on each picture to see bigger. Captions are on the picture when you mouse over or hold your finger on it…. Still looking for the perfect picture method for this blog but I think I like this best of the last three years…. Click on Read More tag to see the pictures.
Video from a local lightshow off of a local road that we will greatly miss!
CLICK ABOVE TO WATCH!
Ridgewater off Morley by the 84 & 90 intersection. I hope they’ll have it going a few more days if anyone can go see it!!To minimize load time I put all the pictures on a separate page. Please take a look, I wanted to make a snapshot of our whole year! I will put just a few here — then click the “Read More” if it shows up. Blessings!!
A copy from my 07 newsletter…. still very true!
Mary’s Song
Luke 1:46-55
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.” (KJV)
VIDEO I put together to “Mary, Did You Know —
Last year’s picture blog — https://www.criscollrj.com/2020-monthly-picture-blog/ 2020 picture blog! (2021 note, I may do this at some point for 21 and more likely for 22. I am vaguely disappointed in ways with both that method and this one used here in 21…. would like to find the PERFECT picture display method…. ha ha.)
A text only version of this newsletter — this one is picture heavy. (WILL BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, IF NEEDED–let me know)
PRAYERS TO ALL this second very strange year! After God brought us through COVID last December, we are thankful for no lasting problems except some extra fatigue for about 6+ weeks.
So grateful also for our sons’ recovery and my mother’s. Strangely no one else in our families got it! We had two humongous snowstorms in December of 2020 that made life interesting trying to get out of the house for COVID tests and needed grocery pickups. Broke limbs on several of our trees! The snow stayed around until at least February, and as we gained strength we started walking at the parks and seeing the frozen lake.
WINTER 2021,
JANUARY started off the year baking cookies that we gave to family and friends!1-4-21 Roger went back to college, and has several classes finished now towards his Psychology/Human Services Degree from Southern New Hampshire University! Later in January I began substitute teaching again. I also FINALLY got back to some transcription for Free State, and did until April when I once again needed a break due to overscheduling! Looking forward to doing some more this winter to “keep my fingers in the pot.” I also often do some data entry at home, both for courthouses and for a friend’s printing company.
Just one of the 2020 pictures. https://www.criscollrj.com/2020-monthly-picture-blog/ Click for our 2020 picture blog!!!
Prayers to you all at the closure of this crazy strange year! Do not believe I’ve sent paper Christmas newsletter since 2014. I did do electronic newsletter in 2019 (published 12-31), and RIGHT after that my criscollrj.com site failed. So whether many of you had an opportunity to read it I’m not sure! I mentioned some dark scary times. Faith in God is so important, and prayer of family and friends is paramount. This post says a lot. Please read if you can. https://www.criscollrj.com/2011/04/11/the-powers-and-exponents-of-faith/, emphasizing Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” I read through entire blog this year and reviewed it and edited it in preparation of moving back into my soon to be revamped original blog site. I’m glad I wrote so many of these entries years ago – I’d forgotten many of them.
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http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1175/5131084279_760e129f19.jpg
I did not take this pic, but I saw a similar effect yesterday driving to Ashtabula Kent Campus. It was actually even more striking than this if that is possible. The silver-tipped trees against the blue sky was very similar, but there was also the effect I could see, while driving and unable to stop and use my cell phone camera, of the rays of sun casting a sideways silvery glow across the sky adding to the blue and iced trees. It was magnificent! I was full speed ahead to take my Math exam, which I was late for, and I wished I could stop on the way back to take the pictures but by then the effect was gone. But the vision in my mind remains.
One thing I wish I could take the time to do, and the money of course, is to learn to use a better camera and take really magnificent pictures! But until then I will enjoy others’ and snap away with my Android phone which doesn’t do too bad —
Some of my favorites I’ve taken:
God’s beauty in all seasons is amazing!
In other news, on the 30th I’ll be on my MFP (my Fitness Pal) plan for one month and so far I’ve lost 5 pounds!! I’m the lowest I’ve been since about 2007.
16th birthday party is all done and in the books. I think Colleen and her friends had a good time. I worked on and off the whole time, and we had a busy weekend with also taking Chris to the park with Ryan and Rog too. Rog is feeling a lot better.
I actually still need to send the one blog post still on to the Congresspeople about how there really needs to be way more help in Ohio for individuals with disabilities needing medication adjusting. More posts, prayers, calls, and arrangements are still needed. But thankfully Chris is doing better at this point and we really enjoyed our time at the park with him this weekend!
I have been excited to find Windows Live Photo Gallery and with it Live Space, and plan to gradually get all my photos on there. So going to work on that on and off. Also, long story about how financial aid was messed up for me this summer deleted but short story is that I should be back in my class by tomorrow and have lots of homework to do! busy!
When I tried to straighten my hair
Not good results!
Ryan caught me asleep typing …
Colleen and her friend
Colleen having coffee
Chris after his sedated blood tests in May. They did find out he had elevated triglycerides and low “good” cholesterol.
The man who succeeded in keeping Chris from running out of the hospital before sedation.
Walk Colleen & I took.
cookout
Geese by Mcdonalds!
Ryan fell asleep in my office chair behid me working.
The flat pool – sigh. The rim leaks.
Anime girls…
Brunch with Lisa and Eric after church.
Me being goofy, playing with my hair.
Ryan playing the drums
Ryan at his sedated ABR – he also had a sedated blood test a week before. They did fill 4 cavities and found his hearing was unchanged. they did find a slight genetic prolem which Rog, me and Colleen are all being tested for tomorrow…..
I love the smile!
We saw two awesome sets of fireworks! Chris didn’t want to leave the one and it took us about 2 hours before he’d get up off the ground! He watched the second one from the car —
Rog and I went on a date with our friends, and here I am looking like Rosanne Rosanna Danna 😀 This was for our 20th and their 18th anniversary. It was very very fun at a fish house!
Those goofy guys!
Ryan at the picnic the next day at their house.
Bullet update —
I accidentally have June following the July ones – but ah well!
Took them to a birthday party today. We hadn’t seen Amber since January. She’s really growing up – it’s amazing. I will never forget when I met Amber – she was 4 years old and met Colleen on the sidewalk as Colleen had just learned to ride her bike —
They have been great friends ever since.
