Happy Holidays from the Stricklers!

Can you believe another year is in the books? What a year it has been!

Our family has been busy; here’s what we’ve been up to:

Eliza turned three in May. Her imagination never ceases to amaze us. When we play “Family”, she is always the mom. We also play “Doctor” and she takes good care of her patients (and seems to enjoy giving shots). Other times she’s a princess or a queen, Dad is a prince, and Seger is the dog (or Olaf from Frozen.) The kids don’t get a lot of TV time, but when they do Eliza loves watching Frozen (and Frozen II), Daniel Tiger and most recently Paw Patrol.

Eliza has continued to be in dance with her best friend, Aria. Lately they have been hosting virtual classes, and needless to say that hasn’t been awesome so we’re pretty excited to go back to in-person soon!  She is a great big sister, likes making her brother laugh, and tries really hard with me to get him to say “mama.”

Seger turned one in October. He continues to be our “little moose,” (a nickname our OB gave him right after he was born!) He is crawling everywhere, loves his big sister, and is FINALLY sleeping through the night most of the time. Seger likes to walk while holding hands, and I know that one of these days he is just going to take off. Then look out world! He really likes playing with trucks and making engine noises. He also hates wearing socks and shoes, so keeping track of those has been a challenge!

I started a new job in February at ALP Utilities in Alexandria. It has been a good transition for me and I am enjoying what I do. This new position also allows me to work one day a week at the shop with Derrik. I have been able to use that as a creative outlet and have spent a lot of time building the business website, working on marketing, and filling in other gaps as I can!

Derrik has been busier than ever at the shop, and we are so thankful that his business has continued to grow and prosper during the past year. We know others have not been as fortunate.  We are almost finished with the remodel of the showroom and office, and hope to have an open house once everything is complete. He also hopes to hire another technician next year!

Derrik and I recently had a getaway with some friends to Deadwood, SD for some much needed R&R. It was great to spend some time in the land of the free and catch up with our friends. We got to see Devil’s Tower, Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore (all firsts for me!) while we were out there too. It was our first excursion away from both of the kids, and while it was nice to have some grown-up time, it was also nice to come home.

Last summer I said goodbye to Isabelle, my cat I had for 14 years. She had a good run for a deaf farm cat, but I still miss her! We have our cat Luna, and dogs Kaylee and Trigger, so the farm is still full of critters. We also rent out the pasture during the summer so Eliza claims the cows as her own, and is especially fond of “the one with the white face.” (It may have become hamburger by now, who knows?!)

I truly hope to share more on the blog next year as I enjoy doing it, but haven’t found the time to post! Keep your fingers crossed that this remodel will soon be over, and Elon Musk comes through with some reliable internet for me out here in the sticks, and THEN I’ll be able to be a bit more productive on here.

We hope that this finds you happy and healthy, and that 2021 brings you nothing but good things.

Love,

The Stricklers


Photo Credit to Amanda Becker Photography in Kensington, MN (She’s awesome, check her out!)