news-record.com

Last weekend, I began to upload pictures from my camera’s memory card to my computer from our white Christmas. My computer decided that just uploading the current photos was not good enough — it was going to upload everything on the card, including images I already had up loaded once before.

As all 1,191 images and videos downloaded, I realized I was watching my own personal year in review, as the photos went back as far as the snow we got a week before Christmas 2009.

Everything that had been photo-worthy passed by my eyes one frame at a time.

It was interesting to see the year unfold in pictures. Bayley, our dog, was still with us and right in the middle of all the fun. He enjoyed presents of his own and wondered what was inside the packages we opened when it was our turn. Mainly I think he was sniffing things out to see if there was any food involved.

There were pictures from New Year’s 2010 when as a family we drove through the Twin Lakes community catching one last glimpse of the holiday season before everything was packed away for another year. Lights of polar bears and penguins delighted us all, and the lights reflecting on the water gave us quiet moments of reflection. It was our first year of viewing the lights in the retirement community, but certainly not our last.

There was even a silly picture of a smiley face made of Bo Rounds that flashed by from one of our trips to Bojangles’ in Stoney Creek. I don’t know what it says about us that the last time my son went in to order, the guys behind the counter called out our order before my son even got to the register. They know us well. Too well, I suppose.

I saw pictures of the Valentine’s Day candy I helped my daughter make from pink and white candy disks we bought at Michael’s craft store, tied up pretty in Valentine packaging. There also was a picture of the banana pudding I made for my husband. I drew a heart using vanilla wafers on top of the whipped cream.

A few practice videos of my daughter’s speech on how to make a loom pot holder downloaded once again. She had to do a demonstration for her class and wanted to make sure she was within the time limits. All that practice helped her refine her speech, leaving out unnecessary portions that she seemed to be stumbling through.

Pictures of Bayley were dotted throughout. It seemed we took his picture anytime we thought he was doing something cute, even sleeping. His cute face showed up in several other photos here and there as he was very much a part of our day-to-day lives.

As Hannah won a few different prize packages from various contests online, we would take her picture with the items when the mail arrived with her gifts. It was fun to see what she won each time and to see her excitement.

We all celebrated birthdays that were documented in photos. There are the pictures of unwrapping gifts and pictures of the cake that was made or bought. My daughter made my birthday cake this year, writing my name in the icing with a knife. Each birthday was a special time for each of us to celebrate with our favorite people.

The photographic evidence was there when pictures rolled by of how my husband, daughter and I had wrapped my son’s room in tin foil during the summer. We also got a bit creative with the Post-It notes, inspired by some videos online we had seen. My son loved the joke we played on him and spent a bit of time unwrapping it all, saving the tin foil into a large ball as he cleaned it all up.

There were pictures from when my son graduated from high school. It makes me laugh to remember how he hung his 2010 graduation tassel on his baseball cap to accept his diploma from his dad and me.

Pictures from the trips taken to the mountains and the beach remind us of how difficult this past summer was as we dealt with the sickness and death of our beloved dog, Bayley. As the pictures of that time rolled by the screen, tears started falling as I remembered our wonderful dog. He will forever be missed.

The pictures eventually made their way back through to the current Christmas and our December snowfalls, including the gift of a white Christmas. What fun it was to enjoy the Christmas weekend while it snowed outside, a special treat to this Southern snow-lover who can only remember one other time when snow fell on Christmas.

The end of one year and the beginning of another is a good time to take stock of what has happened as we set new goals for our future. As I sifted through each photo once more, I saw a common thread throughout the year: God was with us each and every moment. Not a single time of sorrow or joy was spent alone. The photos are evidence that we are blessed beyond what we can understand and that we can trust God will walk one step at a time with us through 2011 as well.

Linda Vestal is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend living in Gibsonville. Contact her with comments or story ideas at lindavestal@triad.rr.com.