Karstens Family ~ 2017

I ran over to Holly’s house to snap some pictures of their family while Drake was home for Christmas. Can you believe Holly and Casey have been married for 25 years? They look so young and lovely. Well, at least Holly does. [grin] She seems to get better with age. Totally unfair.

I’m having a hard time picking a favorite.

Casey is still working as a machinist and playing guitar. Holly is tutoring a Classical Conversations Challenge A class this year. Ilex has half a year left of dental hygiene school. Drake and Jess were married in March. She is currently living here while Drake finishes his time in Chicago. She’ll be joining him in San Diego in February, then they move to a Naval base in Washington in late spring. Ivy is in Holly’s Challenge A class this year.

Time flies.

Christmas 2017

My dear family. I adore them. We had the whole crew as always (including Drake and his wife, Jess) for Christmas. Olive and Little Ben are missing in the above picture, but they stopped by later in the afternoon.

We had breakfast and stockings at home (as usual) before heading to my parents’ house just down the road. We opened gifts there (we always take turns opening one at a time), and Mom had stockings for all of us.

Mom also knitted scarves for all the ladies. (Now Olive had arrived, but Sweden was napping.)

Then dinner. Shannon outdid herself on the tablescape. It was whimsical and so very lovely.

Forest animals. Felt teepees, wigwams, and toadstools. Ferns and branches. Little camp trailers and vintage cars carrying Christmas trees on their roofs. Beeswax candles.

So cheery. (The ceiling was covered in white lights and paper snowflakes.)

Bright laughter, good company, delicious food.

And then our traditional after-dinner walk. It had been a beautiful day of sunshine, and we hit the chill of sunset.

The three little girls above.

The complete Karstens family below. So nice to have Drake home from Chicago. He moves to San Diego (and Jess will join him there) in February for more schooling before landing at the Naval base in Washington in the late spring. We’re so glad they will be less than a day’s drive away.

Sweden, the doll of the family.