Top 10 Moments of 2012

Here is a complied list (with some pictures) of the top 10 best moments for our Eckenrode family this year

**these events are in no particular order, it was hard enough to narrow it down to just 10**

 

 

 

Dan got a new Jeep in November (anyone want to buy his Firebird?)

 

Madeline has a very successful marching band season on guard

 

Tabitha turned 30 in December

 

Dan built a new fire pit and patio for our family to enjoy in June

 

Tabitha traveled to urban Ohio on two separate missions trips for church

1) youth group trip to Cleveland, Columbus, and Brinkhaven

2) Prince Street Church heads to Cleveland

 

Maddy began her sophomore year at Shippensburg High School in August

 

Dan's sister, Lindsay got married in May

**and so did Tabitha's Mom in June

 

 

Dan & Tabitha celebrated their 6th wedding anniversary in February

 

Rocca turned 4 years old in October

 

Tabitha officially created TabbiAnn Photography to take her hobby and talent to the next level

 

 

 

 

 

 

SURPRISE

WOW, it's all I can say to describe Saturday night. If you haven't heard this nasty rumor (haha) floating around, I am turing 3-0 next month (December 24th, to be exact) and as much as I am not looking forward to this milestone birthday, a party is definitely due for the special occasion. Well, let me tell you friends and family, not only did I get a party, it was a SURPRISE party (only the BEST kind of party there is!!!!!).

Saturday evening we had plans to have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in down town Shippensburg: Knute's Pub & Grill. The true reality of the evening: on the top floor of Knute's were some of my closest friends and family waiting to yell "SURPRISE" when I walked up the steps and entered the room. I stood there like a statue, completely and utterly flabbergasted by what my eyes could see when they swept the room from side to side (I have also been told that I also looked like a total goober, a deer in the head lights, and totally dumbstruck). I was definitely next to tears!

Rewind about a month and here are the events leading up to the big night

1. Dan has been stealing my phone while I was in the shower hunting for cell numbers of people who he thought I would wait to celebrate with (no easy feat when my address book on my cell contains over 100 numbers)
2. He has been conspiring and texting my BFF Devon coordinating the cake, decorations, plus making sure he was inviting the "right people" Devon was then in turn on the phone with my Momma ALOT coordinating "all the pretty stuff and details" (that explains over 400 text messages for a man who barely sends over 100 a month)
3. Dan had to get our friends who we were going to Knutes with to plant the idea in my head that this is where we should go eat dinner out (and here I thought that was my idea the whole time)
4. Dan had to plant a decoy party idea in my head that we should have a party on December 8th at Knutes ("But, honey, let's not tell anyone until the middle of November")
5. Maddy apologized for barely talking to me all day on Saturday ("Sorry, Mom....I was just so scared I would ruin the surprise)

I fell for it all - hook, liner, & sinker. I truly had NO idea. How could I when my birthday is not for a whole other month and a half!! haha Now, still two days later, it blows my mind that my husband has pulled it off and that everyone knew about it except me (obviously the point LOL)

for pics, check out the album I created on Facebook (Turning 30)

Thank you to everyone who was able to come. For any cards, presents, or just joining in on our grand celebration and being there Saturday night, all gestures are truly appreciated and I love you all <3 Your presence made the evening so very special and memorable.
**sorry if he missed anyone, my husband is only one man!**

Did those Eckenrodes disappear?!?!

Woah, does it feel like forever to anyone else since the last time that I wrote a blog? Hmmm, June 18th, yeah, I think that qualifies as forever! haha
I am working on a post for my summer adventures, but I am being too picky about the words that I am choosing, so that hasn't gotten done yet...."Please hold" LOL

School has been back in session for three weeks now and I finally feel that my brain is ready to begin thinking like a working teacher again! I guess with the summer going by so fast and filled with SO many adventures and activities, I definitely was not as ready as I usually am for the beginning of the school year to begin again. I am sure this is not new info either (she was telling anyone who would listen), but Maddy was definitely feeling the same. Maddy has 7 weeks of summer before the beginning of August rolls around and she begins band camp. Three of those weeks, she was on vacation with various family members. Yep, she was definitely one "busy bee" this summer! She has always been a child who has enjoyed learning and school but her feet were dragging as much as mine those first few days as she began her sophomore year of high school (can I get a "HOLY COW" from y'all? haha)

Dan is such a solid rock in our household. He has been dutifully going to work day in and day out (except for those three days where he was down and out with that virus that is going around right now) and so it seems like nothing is new with him because he doesn't get to start a new school year like Maddy and I do, but nothing could be further from the truth... He has been a "busy bee" in his own rights starting and finishing some awesome new projects around our house

I hope to get into a better routine and write more often to all of you :-) I hear lots of compliments from friends and family who like to read our family blog (it is especially nice for those who live across the miles who we don't get to see very often)

Hurray to the end of a school year

Well Maddy and I did it again :-) She completed her freshman year at SASHS and I finished my 6th year of teaching

Maddy and I celebrated with some super delicious

Strawberry Lemonade Sparkler I found on sale at Giant



Mr & Mrs Reigel

On Saturday, June 2nd, our family was pleased to announce the addition of Tom Reigel to our family when he and my mom were wed at St. Peter's Church in Mantzville
It was a gorgeous day (one could not ask for better weather) and everything just fell into place. (things tend to do that when you are an awesome planner like my Momma)
I was on the verge of crying a few times and I definitely had goosebumps several times, esp. when Chad walked her down the aisle! It was magnificent :-)

I love this picture (thank you Aunt Debbie for taking it)

Mom and Tom with all the kids and grandkids

This is the Miller side of my family

(it took a long time and almost a headache to get everyone up in the picture

so I could see their heads and all the bodies were balanced.

I joke with my two cousins that next year when they get married,

I will be using this picture as a map/guide to save my brain! lol)

Chad & Jessica

Dan & Maddy

My cousin Travis and I



If you want to check out some more photos hop over to Just a Lady with a Camera

Happy Graduation Day!

On Friday, June 1st, my kid sister Mary Catherine (or MK to us) and my cousin, Zach, graduated from Tamaqua Area High School. It was such a blessed night, even with the rain (and let me tell you, there was ALOT!) The evening was full of tassels, tears, speeches, and pictures

I was humbled by singing my alma mater (a song that still gives me goosebumps after 11 years) and listening to one of my own fellow classmates who was the evening's speaker for the graduating seniors.

I am so proud of Mary, Zach, Peter, Tylor, and all the rest of the graduating seniors from the class of 2012 <3 May your futures be bright and full of God's blessings!



Uh Oh :-(

A classic, great night gone totally bad!
Somewhere between the hours of 1:30 to 9:30 (Dan thinks it happened more around 6-7) the humidity of our house combined with the cold water in our toilet tank caused a dramatic effect that my stepfather says he has only seen happen 3 times in the span of his 45 years of experience in plumbing!

the entire side of the tank CRACKED :-(

We came home to the sound of water spraying out somewhere. We run downstairs and see our ceiling "raining".....we run back up to the hallway and I almost fall over at the sight! Our hallway carpet is so soaked that when you walk on it, the water squishes up in between your toes, and there is about an inch of water on our bathroom floor :-( Dan took the car shammy to the hallway carpet while Maddy took a sponge to the bathroom floor til I ran down the road to Giant to rent a carpet shampooer to soak up the water out of the hallway carpet.

The next morning, we were at Lowes bright and early (in case you were wondering, they open up at 8 am on a Sunday morning) to get a brand new toilet (which was an adventure and a half! Dan made me sit on the floor model toilet to see how comfortable it was! hehe) I love my husband to pieces and am SO GRATEFUL that he was able to fix our toilet that very same day

But......the story doesnt stop there. Monday afternoon he comes home from the Memorial day parade in Ship to realize that he truly cannot stand the stinky smell of the hallway carpet so he rips it up!

(it is definitely a good thing that our house was built back in the 50s: an era where you put hardwood floors down then quickly covered them up with carpet to keep them looking nice. Our living room, hallway, and all three bedrooms have gorgeous hardwood floors)

But wait there's MORE....(haha)

Wednesdays my hubby currently has off of work (the shop is too slow and so office management has gone down to 4 day work weeks!) and so yesterday I come home from work to see two rolls of carpet laying on the garage floor. LOL He couldnt take it (only hardwood floors in the hallway) so he ripped out the carpet in the living room

Oh, I am SO in love!!

Maddy says "Now I don't know where Rocca is in the house when I am laying in bed!" (haha before you knew she was in the living room if you didn't hear her nails clicking on the hardwood of the bedroom floors)

What else did Dan have time to install last night while Maddy and I were @ youth group?

Our new ceiling fan from my Dad :-)



A great Friday evening

Last Friday, we got to have a sleepover with Gabe & Benny (Dan & my nephews) and we knew without a doubt that we were going to light up our firepit (like we had done the previous Friday night, when we had a BLAST with the Bolich family!) We are going to turn it into a Friday night tradition in our house this summer :-)
With dinner in our bellies, we head out to the background: Gabe and Ben are gun-hoe and ready to help Uncle Danny find small sticks in the yard to use as kindling to start the fire. Watching those three work together just warms my heart! It totally reminded me of this one time at the Eckenrode family cabin in West Virginia (Ben was prolly only like 3 or 4), and we were going to make a fire for s'mores. Ben asked in all seriousness says "Are womens allowed to make fire?" LMAO
The fire is ready for s'mores, Dan announces

 Gabe & Benny

 Benny & Maddy (she was suppose to be helping him hold the roasting stick cause he kept letting the marshmallow touch the wood and then lighting it on fire)

 Dan & Rocca

Maddy was like "Oh, Mom, quick, take my picture!"

 "Here Ben, try mine" (the marshmallow had been burnt)

this picture is seriously too cute and extremely accurate at displaying their personalities LOL

Then after the s'mores were roasted and eaten, it was time to play. The fire was forgotten for the time being and our backyard turned into a gymnasium of sorts

twirling Ben around with the greatest of ease

oops, forgot that Gabe weighs just a little bit more than Ben

I described this one as a FAIL! haha

he was walking up her legs then flipping over

After Maddy's arms felt like they were gonna fall out, they played this zombie game. Don't know the entire story, but the jist was Ben died of cancer, Maddy tried to bring him back to life but  it didn't work, so Gabe bit him and turned him into a zombie haha I simply adore their imaginations :-) Oh, and somehow Rocca was Maddy's secretary (I guarantee Maddy never got any of her phone messages! LOL)

The evening ended with a episode of Mythbusters, brushing teeth, and crawling into Maddy's bed for a good night's sleep :-)

Saturday morning, Ben and I made cookie bar brownies that had reese's peanut butter cups in the inside (thank you Pampered Chef for your brownie pan!) and Ben even cracked all the eggs we needed for the recipe! I was SUPER impressed :-)

I suppose the only down side to the entire adventure was now all three kids have poison from one of the trees in the backyard while playing Friday night even though they got showers immediately once they came inside. Ironically, Maddy told the two boys not to touch the pine trees cause their was poison on the trunks and yet, she has posion the worst out of the three of them! Go figure :-P

Leigh Valley wine tour

Yesterday was

• #1 a simply gorgeous day (weather wise)
• #2 a super fun day to spend with family and friends
• #3 the perfect setting to sip on some delicious wine that could only be found from a Leigh Valley vineyard

Here are the pictures that can be produced from 20 some people riding around in a school bus (yep, you read that right!) visiting four local wineries (Galen Glen, Vynecrest, Clover Hill, and Blair)

Mom & Tom at Galen Glen

 
 Chad's eyeball (through a wood knot)
 photography by Dan

 Kim, Aunt Debbie, & Joanie getting ready for our taste testing @ Vynecrest

(this place seriously has the most gorgeous ambience ever. The basement is used for live music on Saturday nights)

 Gregg, Uncle Mike, Pap, and Gram @ Vynecrest

 Chad and Dan (oh, the trouble these two get into! haha)

 Uncle Wayne & Aunt DelAnn, Aunt Kathy & Gregg, Uncle Mike & Aunt Susan
While we were @ Clover Hill, they set us up in a private taste testing room
We learned the 5 S's of wine tasting: Do you know them?

1. See
2. Sniff
3. Swirl
4. Sniff (again)
5. Sip

Jess & I could totally rock these wine bottle carriers as regular purses
haha
We would always be prepared, now wouldnt we? LOL



Let's take a ride

Home again in Tamaqua and it is a Friday night with time to kill. What shall we do? Well ride the Kubato of course!
Bless Tom & Mom for getting the Kubato and having the property to be able to let loose and ride around :-)

our faces are truly priceless

don't know why she is grabbing the "holy shit" bar! haha

testing out the head lights for a stroll around the yard with Chad

Easter with Chad

It was a great Easter Sunday at the Eckenrode house!
Nothing beats a reminder that the Lord has risen for us! (plus the added bonuses of Chad here for a visit and the return of Facebook)

Maddy's Easter basket

Leroy the Easter bunny

naptime for Dan & Maddy

Chad & Rocca taking a nappy-poo