Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! This year has been quite eventful for us Collver’s. Here’s a peek inside the 2022 Collver family adventures. We will start with the youngest and end with the wiser. 😊
Tucker, our two-year-old Chihuahua, is adorable. The cuddles and overly excited greetings when we get home are priceless. Everyone has fallen in love with the little guy, including the big guy. He’s a great camping companion and has brought a lot of laughter and joy to our family and friends
Seven years ago, we started advocating for Noah to get early intervention in learning. Due to COVID, we waited two extra years. Last Spring, we put together a formal IEP (Individual Education Plan). It feels like all the missing pieces have finally come together and we have a solid plan around the areas he needs the most support. Dale and Noah kicked off the summer with a “guys only” 9th birthday campout with his good friend Evan and his dad, Andrew. This was followed by several other fun camping weekends over the summer, including a weekend with Amelia. He has no problem making friends while exploring the outdoors.
A highlight of educational opportunity was a trip to OMSI. We spent the whole day learning and participating in all the hands-on activities as well as touring the submarine. Third grade has been a breath of fresh air for Noah. He absolutely adores his teacher and classmates and is already meeting goals set for the end of the school year. Noah participated in a presentation at a recent school board meeting. The students shared how they practice mindfulness. Noah said, “If you say bad things, you will not have a good day!” That is an excellent daily reminder for us all.
Hayden enjoyed sleeping in, working, and participating in several activities through her Senior Year. We also hit the world record with the most senior portrait sessions for one person. 😊 It was well worth it when she graduated with honors, scholarships, offers to college, and no idea what she wants to do. Graduation day was the wettest day of 2022. Teaching and accounting seem interesting to her, so she enrolled in Chemeketa Community College where she is utilizing free funds from the Oregon Promise. Once basic classes are out of the way, she may decide to switch to a transfer degree and finish at a university.
Over the Summer, we took her to Galveston, Texas for her Senior trip. Per Hayden’s request, the Obregon’s joined us. They helped keep her alive over the last 18 years. While in Texas, Hayden shopped, randomly selected the best eateries we’ve ever been to, went to a water park, had a fun visit with the Mora family, enjoyed sunsets and beach time, went on a Jet Boat ride, amusement park, the historic pier, thoroughly enjoyed the Rainforest Café and a boat ride. Buc-ee’s convenience store was worth the stop. To kill time on our way to the airport, we found a park in Houston that had a Water Wall Monument. Moments later, we drove through a thunder and lightning storm. Hayden turned 18 over the summer and is navigating all the responsibilities of being an adult with sarcasm and grit. She works at Wendy’s, already earning a raise, which she gets to spend on bills. She surprised us by coming home with a tattoo shortly after she turned 18. It was to honor and remember her Great Grandma. She is a bright and cheerful person that has so much to offer this world. Hayden and Michael have been dating for a little over 2 years. He is a lucky dude. Our young lady thinks he’s kinda special.
Between Fall and Winter Term 2021, Hannah and her BF, Hayden (who dates someone with their sister’s name?) went to New York to visit their strikingly handsome friend, Derek. Once they figured out the Subway system, they enjoyed exploring the city. Bagels and hole in the wall pizza parlors were favorites. Hannah turned 21 in May. This makes her an official, official adult. Hannah moved into a larger apartment in Monmouth, which is a blessing because she was living in an attic. Other than continuing to challenge herself with her mad baking skills, she decided she was ready to find a professional job closer to home. Lifting and holding babies wasn’t helping her back and hips to heal from her accident in 2020. This wasn’t easy as she said goodbye to all her very loved and adorable babies at Church on the Hill’s Discovery Zone. Hannah is now the Learning and Development Generalist at Partnerships in Community Living. Hannah hosted Thanksgiving at her apartment for Hayden’s family. We are not allowed to mention anything about engagements or weddings, but it should be noted that she caught the bouquet at her best friend’s wedding in early November. Her BF is crazy lucky to be loved by our Hannah. She’s a keeper. We Enjoy watching how the two of them interact and care for each other.
Hayley and Kelly were married in October 2021. Their photographer lost ALL their photos. With over 30 years of photography experience ourselves, this was quite devastating. Our daughter didn’t get the photos she had dreamt of since she was a little girl. Just after the first of the year, Hayley thought she sold her car for a great deal, only to find it was not. The lady who was to buy it threw a boulder into her windshield, wrecked the inside, and the gas line was removed. We towed it back to our place, cleaned it up, and dried it out. At the same time, Kelly’s engine seized up. At the end of June, they moved into our garage with 4 cats and Kelly’s mom. There isn’t any affordable living in our area. For a two-person income, families are still stretched very thin. With one car and 4 jobs, they are slowly building up funds. Kelly rides the bus to Newberg and Hayley drives to the other end of McMinnville for work. They also Door Dash and pick up extra jobs. They are looking for a small place to call home that doesn’t break the bank while also saving up for another vehicle. They deep clean my house to compensate for rent. Dale enjoys Kelly’s love for projects, especially helping to hang the Christmas lights. If anyone has any great leads on a place to live between Newberg and McMinnville, Hayley is a neat freak like me and keeps everything tidy. If you have a car that works and want to sell for cheap, keep them in mind. Kelly helped me with a huge shredding project at MVA and our friends hired her to do yard work and help with a renovation. If anyone needs some help with some tasks, she may be able to help. Every little bit helps them to stay busy and get back on their feet.
My year started off with hopes and dreams of good health. I was eating right and feeling good. In mid-January during a camping trip, I became extremely ill and slept straight through Saturday with a temperature of 103.7. On Sunday morning, I was in a daze, coughing, my throat was on fire and my chest was heavy, so we headed home. Monday afternoon, I tested positive for COVID Pneumonia. My amazing (lifesaving) doctor wasn’t going to send me to the ER to wait to get help, she immediately administered 4 monoclonal antibody injections from the front seat of my car and sent me home with a nebulizer, steroids, inhalers, and strict instructions on what supplements to take, treatments to do, and daily check-ins. I started smell training with Young Living Oils so I didn’t lose taste or smell. It took over a month before I was back to work at MVA, a non-profit organization, where I have worked for over 7 years. I was diagnosed with Long Covid in March and continued steroids for my lungs. We celebrated Easter and my birthday in April. Dale gifted me with a membership through Thousand Trails for RV camping. This, by far, has been my favorite gift of all time. In May, I still couldn’t pass the spirometer test, so I started Covid Physical Therapy, which was a humbling experience. I went from hiking once a week to being told not to get my heart rate over 100 bpm. I’ve gained weight and don’t have energy to work and be active. Prior to contracting COVID, I planned a trip to surprise my sister in May in Tennessee for her birthday. I had planned to go hiking and exploring with her. I went, even though I had to alter the plans. There was a moment in the Atlanta airport that I stood right by the defibrillator in hopes that I could surprise my sister, alive. After a much-needed restful night sleep, I pulled off the perfect surprise with the help of her husband and daughters. We enjoyed a week of laughter, hot springs, shopping, Ramen noodles, Brisket, low country boil, girls’ night, tacos, cheers, puppy cuddles, and gardening. What a trip. In June, we celebrated 26 years of marriage in Galveston, TX. We ate amazing Mexican food. It was so good; we went back again while we were there. In August, my echocardiogram results showed stress from COVID, but a follow-up visit with a cardiologist is promising that I am on the right track to healing. Unfortunately, because of the medical bills, I am going to miss out on a girl’s trip to Puerta Vallarta. I might send over a cutout of my face on a stick so I can be there in spirit. Just a few weeks ago, I finally passed my spirometer test and no longer need steroids. I can’t wait to hike again. I love getting out once a month to explore a new Thousand Trails campground and enjoy time with my husband and watch Noah in his element. We are planning to go to Leavenworth in December.
Dale, the wisest of them all, is still working for Men in the Arena, a non-profit organization, where he has officially produced and edited over 600 podcasts to date. He leads a men’s group at 6 AM on Wednesdays and a men’s gathering at 7 PM at the Grange Hall. All dudes are welcome. In addition to men’s ministry, Dale enjoys volunteering for the youth ministry at Church on the Hill. He has helped in a few different capacities over the last year but has settled on helping on Tuesday nights with the High School ministry. This allows us to participate in a small group on Sunday mornings or take weekends off to go camping. Just a few weeks ago, Dale was reissued his local pastor license by the Board at Church on the Hill. He is excited to finish his schooling so he can receive his ordination. After updating all his camera equipment and website, Dale has stayed pretty busy with photography sessions throughout the year. We enjoy the annual alpaca shows the most. This year, we traveled to Moses Lake, WA for the show. Beautiful drive and much needed alone time. Dale’s Photography is celebrating 26 years this February. The highlight of Dale’s year has been camping. He’s even mentioned full timing. Who knows what this next year will bring.
We hope you have had a wonderful year and we pray blessings over 2023. Please drop us a note to let us know you visited the blog. We hope to connect with you sometime this year.
Love,
The Collver’s
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