Snow on the road
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: What Did YOU Do in #2022?

Early January always seems to be the perfect time to reflect on the year that just passed. As bloggers, we love to chronicle the days of our lives (not the soap) in countless ways, whether through our own daily, weekly or monthly posts or through various blogging challenges.

2023 begins the 5th year of Sunday Stills, and I am so thankful for everyone who has participated and shared their creative energy in photos, poetry, stories, music, and art!

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” —William E. Vaughan

I’ve selected a few of my favorite images for each month of 2022, which includes notable highlights. You can create your own narrative to describe how you lived a year full of good, bad, and ugly.

If you have already published a 2022 “retrospective” post, please feel free to link it to this post so we can see how the year went for all of us.

Disclaimer: there is a LOT to this post…skimming is allowed.

Kind of Jolly in January

In early January another bout of covid gripped our family in the form of the mild omicron version. We spent most of the month in our substitute positions with the local school district. We managed a day trip to the Grand Coulee Dam in Central Washington and enjoyed the daily deer parades here at home, as well as daily dog walks.

Edited Mule Deer image
Deer at Grand Coulee Dam
Feeding deer
Deer trying to eat from bird feeder
Walking dogs in the snow
Who’s the Odd Dog

With 12 inches of snow accumulation on the ground, fog reared its ugly head for much of January. And here I thought I had left the winter fog of Central California behind. But it made for a pretty sunset!

pink sunset on white winter's day

February Furnishings

Cold weather means indoor projects! We finalized our media center/dry bar area in our family room and updated my office area. We bought two new items from our favorite rustic furniture store in Idaho: a new sofa and my totem pole!

Eagle and Bear Totem Pole
My Pet Project
Eagle and Bear Totem Pole
Progress on the Totem Pole in October

March Magic

Not only is March the month where spring awakens in the northern hemisphere, but last March seemed magical in many ways. Our Nine Mile Falls Dam spewed forth water beginning March 2, and flowed for months! The warmer weather brought outdoor landscaping projects. We got free sod which Hans installed over 6 weeks.

Nine Mile Falls in Jade
Nine Mile Falls
Free sod for the backyard
Free sod for the backyard!
Green Wicked Sign

In Mid-March we attended WICKED! in downtown Spokane. We still wore masks, but the event was quite magical!

April Adventures

We camped in early April near the Bavarian-inspired town of Leavenworth in central Washington. I had never been to this part of central Washington which is near Wenatchee. We pulled the trailer for an easy 4-hour drive, parked in a great KOA campground, and enjoyed cool, windy spring weather for several days.

Bavarian-Inspired Town of Leavenworth, WA
Bavarian-Inspired Town of Leavenworth, WA
Leavenworth Selfie
Diamond Peaks of Cascade Range, Wenatchee
Diamond Peaks of Cascade Range, Wenatchee

A Traveling Plan Punctuated the Summer Months Between May and August

With the worst of the pandemic in the rearview mirror, many of us began to travel more. Being fairly new to our area of Northeastern Washington, we happily ventured out on day trips but also embarked on long road trips and air travel.

Marvelous May

Before we moved about we enjoyed May’s wonderful wildflowers and wild weather.

Spring storm cloud
Emerging mouth?
Ruby Red Petunia View
Ruby Red Petunia View of Backyard
Red petunias
arrowroot sunflowers invade the forest
How many sunflowers?
cumulonimbus calvas cloud
Spring Storm Clouds (cumulonimbus calvas)

In late May, my brother and his partner visited us for the first time. We visited some local sights and drove over to Wallace, Idaho, and enjoyed the town and its historical essence.

Family time in Wallace, Idaho
Family time in Wallace, Idaho
Historical town of Wallace, Idaho
Historical town of Wallace, Idaho
Aero sleeping in coffee shop
Aero sleeping in coffee shop

June’s Joy and Grief

As we made plans for a five-week road trip from the Spokane area that would span 6 states including Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho, we never would have suspected the heat, trauma, and sadness that was destined to overtake us this month.

  • My dear friend’s mother passed away in Sacramento
  • I visited my former in-laws in what would be my last time seeing my mother-in-law, who would pass in October.
  • My stepson announced he was going through a divorce.
  • Gideon, my daughter’s sweet dog (and older brother to Aero) succumbed to injuries from a coyote attack
Gideon Beach Dog
Gideon the Beach Dog
Blonde and Brown dogs
Brothers Gideon & Aero
Dogs alert for Danger
Gideon and Aero guarding me on the water in 2016

Aside from the sadness, we enjoyed being with the Sacramento and San Diego area friends and families. I even got to have lunch in San Diego with fellow blogger Janis of Retirementally Challenged.

RV camping
Kicking back at the Sacramento Delta
Auntie and nieces
My daughter enjoying my granddaughters
Bloggers meeting for lunch
Meeting in San Diego

Hot Times in July

On July 5th we left southern California for more heat in Arizona. First stop, Prescott, we stayed with Marsha and her family. At a mile high in elevation, 60-80F “dry” temps were a refreshing change from California’s steamy 80s. Marsha and Vince drove with us when we left Prescott to head to Scottsdale for a blogger lunch with Donna and Janet, and Jodie and her husband, Rob.

A fab foursome
Fabulous Friends
Paddling in sit-down position
Marsha and I coming into the launch, sitting and kneeling.
Arizona Blogger Meet-up
Arizona Blogger Meet-up!

We stayed at my brother’s home in Fountain Hills near Scottsdale. Boy, it was hot! How does 115F sound?

Desert Sunrise
Dawn in the Desert
Dawn in the Desert
Family photo

After a week in Arizona, we headed back to California and then on to Reno, Nevada to celebrate my dad’s 86th birthday. After a few days camping in our trailer with air conditioning, we headed to Boise, Idaho and stayed with my in-laws for two days then drove home to more heat.

Auspicious August

August was quite memorable. More heat, medical appointments including a colonoscopy, and my first job as a part-time reporter for a local monthly newspaper!

reporter for newspaper

We also hosted a fellow blogger, Cheryl, and her husband for two days while they visited family in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Hubby and I celebrated our 9-year wedding anniversary, too, and discovered the beauty of the Centennial Trail.

Us at Bowl and Pitcher State Park
Apricot and Blue walking clothes
Hans, Cheryl and Steve in haute hiking couture
Almost Autumn Trail
Strolling with Aero along Centennial Trail

Super September

As we eagerly waited for the SLOW start to Autumn, I embarked on another road trip, this time to meet Marsha in Portland, Oregon, and get together with more bloggers. We stayed in the Tigard/Beaverton area with my cousin. Marsha and I were up for a variety of adventures that included a shopping trip to the Woodburn Mall near Salem, a visit to the famous International Rose Garden, and a day trip to Tillamook on the Oregon Coast. We also visited our old neighborhoods (we had both lived in suburban Portland).

Orange molten rose
Molten Rose
taking pictures
Marsha and Terri snapping away
Cape Meares Lighthouse
Cape Meares Lighthouse

We enjoyed not one but TWO(!) blogger meet-ups. The first was in downtown Portland, with Miriam and Diana, then in Vancouver, WA with Kirstin. After seven days, Marsha and I got back on the road to drive to Spokane.

Bloggers' lunch downtown Portland
Bloggers’ lunch downtown Portland
Fort Vancouver WA visitor center
Kirstin, Marsha and Terri at Fort Vancouver WA

Overloaded October

Not only did we celebrate birthdays this month, but we lost two special someone’s, my little dog Aero and my former mother-in-law.

Eleanor Jeffus Matal
Eleanor Jeffus Matal
Me and My Aero

Noteworthy November

I traveled to Sacramento to attend my former MIL’s funeral. I was proud that the Webster side of the family and my daughters attended from Southern Cal and Arizona to honor her life. My stepdaughter and husband visited us for the first time since we moved here and we spent a fun-filled Thanksgiving week with them. We got more snow, just in time as we picked them up at the airport.

Church Sanctuary
MIL’s Memorial Service
291 Brewhouse
A favorite restaurant (view from inside)
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Autumn and Winter both happened this month. A few miles away are areas where the Western Larch grow. Most of the year they look like ordinary evergreens even with their feathery needles, but come fall, they turn golden yellow. I hadn’t seen groves of them until this past November.

Yellow larches, brown fences
Yellow larches, brown fences
2022-11-5 Western Larches in Autumn
Western Larches in Autumn

Dashing December

Can December get busier? We attended a community Christmas Tree Lighting, shoveled several feet of snow (and managed to play in it), decorated the house, went shopping, etc. In between my birthday and Christmas festivities, I traveled to San Diego to help my daughter choose a wedding dress. I also selected a mother-of-the-bride dress but you will have to wait until after April 1 to see them both. I enjoyed grandma duty with my stepson’s girlies!

Snow on the road
Snowy street!
Snowy white Christmas
Too much snow for a White Christmas
family
Stepson and granddaughters
Christmas Tree Lighting
snowshoeing
Snowshoe fake falling fun

WOTY (Word of the Year)

Choosing a WOTY was a popular substitute for making New Year’s Resolutions. Mine was WALK, which described my (almost) daily walks, hikes and wanderings but also guided me in my spiritual walk with God. Although I did not post each month, I felt that I indeed became more intentional and grateful in my physical and spiritual daily walks in 2022.

Many thanks to co-hosts Donna, Sue, Debbie, and Jo for their inspiration and for hosting the monthly link-up!

walk acrostic WOTY

Top Favorite Photos of 2022

Home Sweet Home

My beloved Aero on his last day October 5

Aero the cockapoo

How To Participate in Sunday Stills Photo Challenge

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

Themes for the rest of January are ready to view on my Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Page. This page is updated monthly.

This Week’s Featured Bloggers

Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who posted and shared their favorites of 2022. I add these all week as new links are posted. I took the liberty of sharing a few that also inspired me.

Wherever you derive your inspiration, please share your 2022 through photos, with or without narrative, using poetry, short stories, music, quotes, or whatever creative outlet you choose. Since this is a photo challenge, show us the images that defined your year.

I appreciate all those who share my posts on Twitter! Thank you so much for reading my blog and I wish you all a successful, fun, and calm 2023!

2023 bimoji

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114 comments

    • Hahaha, Wayne, what a great way to put it! 2022 had more ups than downs, but the downs were tougher than usual. I do not keep a journal–I have a good memory and my thousands of photos remind me of things we did and places we went. 🙂 And having fun is the key to happiness!

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  4. Happy New Year!! WOW – congrats on 5 years of Sunday Stills. Your year was full of many emotions that have been beautifully captured in words and photos. Even with painful losses, you’ve found ways to share the joy you felt throughout the year. Thank you for your dedication to hosting the blogging challenges. It’s a commitment you’ve done well at upholding and your efforts are appreciated. PS – I’m impressed too at how many blogging friends you’ve met in person!!! NICE!

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    • Thank you Shelley! I almost quit blogging in early 2018, took a 3 month break and came back with the idea of re-furbishing Sunday Stills from another blogger who had hosted for years. I’m so glad I stuck with it. I love meeting fellow bloggers in person and developing true friendships. Thank you for your part in making Sunday Stills fun!

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      • You’re welcome! I often ponder that it’s part of the blogging experience to want to quit at some point (or multiple points) in the journey. I’m glad you stuck with it too!
        I appreciate the warm welcome to your blog challenges! I’ll be back again soon.

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  7. What a wonderful post. I’m still really sad about your little Aero though. I know how much you miss him. It would be interesting to look back in this way on 2022…maybe I will. Either way, I hope you have a wonderful 2023! Looking forward to seeing where you go with it!

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  13. Happy New Year, Terri. What did I do in 2022? Oh my … so long ago. Here goes – 2 months on the beach as a snowbird listening to music while making seasonal friends and drinking Bushwackers – 10 day tour of the Canadian Rockies – played handbells, golf, ballroom dance, parttime work, wine – 17 days in France – and prepared for 2023.

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  14. What a great re-cap of 2022! Although the year held sadness for you, you also enjoyed a lot of friends, fun, and adventures. I love all the blogger meet-ups you were able to arrange – and so happy that I could be one of the bloggers you got together with – it looks like you had such a great time with everyone.

    Also, congrats on entering your 5th year of Sunday Stills. I want you to know how much I appreciate all the work you do to keep it going. I know it’s a labor of love… but it does require labor. Although I don’t participate every week, I always enjoy it – and the lovely comments – when I do.

    Happy New Year, my friend!

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  16. What an eventful year you had, Terri, mostly joyous thankfully. I always admire those of you who put together something like this or “favorite photos” of whatever year. I’ve never gotten around to doing either. With a photo (or usually many more) a day, I wouldn’t know where to start! But I do enjoy seeing what everyone else chooses.

    Have a blessed 2023!

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    • Thank you, Janet! These posts require a lot of thoughts and writing for sure. I appreciate you stopping by and I really was excited to meet you IRL and getting to know you better! I’m looking forward to more travel adventures this year. Hope your New Year is off to a great start! 🥂

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  17. Happy New Year, Terri. I echo Janis’s appreciation of you generously running Sunday Stills.
    I love the William E. Vaughn quote. I have added a bit more so that myself (and many others like me) can be included: “An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. A tired person goes to bed early trusting that all will be well!” 😀

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    • Thank you, Donna! I enjoy having themes to challenge myself too and how I can weave in something interesting. I love your addition to the quote, more true than not! 🤣 Included in our travel adventures is a trip up your way.👍

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    • Thanks so much , Ali! I believe that we all experience ups and downs as part of life and that we make the most of the good things when we experience them. I hope you can meet up with a blogger–it’s a fun experience!

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  27. Hi Terri, thanks for the opportunity to share our posts looking back at 2022. I always enjoy reading what others have done during the year and although I knew some of your activities I still learnt a lot more about you! Such a big year with many ups and downs. Your post was really well done in breaking it down month by month and sharing the good and bad. All the best for 2023 and I look forward to participating and joining you!

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    • Thank you, Debbie! This was the third retrospective post I’ve written, and each year, I forget how much time it takes to put it all together! Cheers to all of us for a more stable 2023 with perhaps ups and downs that don’t swing too far 🙂

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  28. What an amazing year! It is fun to look back over photos. Sometimes it feels like things couldn’t have possibly happened within a year, others seem ‘missing’ because they’ve been more than a year. 🙂 Here’s to another fun year of adventures and Sunday Stills challenges!

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  34. Sorry to be so late to the game. I’m getting tomorrow’s post ready. What a full year, you had, full of both sadness and joy. Thank you for being such a big part of my year, last year. It was so much fun to host you in August, then see you in your neck of the woods in September. The post was not too long to read – so interesting to see what all you did this year. You reached a lot of people. Congratulations on five years of Sunday Stills. I look forward to the next five! 🙂

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      • For some reason I was sure that yesterday was Tuesday and that my post was coming out today. I was frantic that I had forgotten your link. For some reason I missed the pingback in your post. Maybe WP was on vacation! LOL Your post is lovely. 🙂 Talk to you soon.

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      • The good thing is that I have less to do today and it is a busy day. We were going to take NB in and have him put down, today, but he had a good night, and we just can’t do it yet. He’s still eating like crazy even though he’s down to about 6.5 pounds. We want to give him time off the steroids – which supposedly calm his intestines and give him diarrhea at the same time – go figure. This is the start of day 2 completely without them. He’s fallen in love with his special canned food, but it only keeps him full for about 2 hours. He gets on my face at night to tell me it’s feeding time. Today he clawed at my pj neckline – gently, no scratches, to get me to get off the couch and get with it. I sure hope he starts gaining weight. Sorry to go on and on about him. I lost focus. I could erase it, but, you understand, so my ramble stays. Have a great day, my friend. It’s snowing again today – less than an inch overnight.

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  35. I love recap posts, Terri, especially when they include lots of photos! I’m glad to see our lunch making the highlights, but I have to say, your nature photos are my favorites. So beautiful. And little Aero’s photo was touching. Years are often mixes of joys and sorrows, aren’t they? Wishing you a year of gorgeous skies, much love, and lots of photos!

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  36. Terri,
    You were indeed blessed with a busy and productive year. Thanks so much for sharing. We’re going to start out this year as we did last year with a trip to San Diego and the South Bay area of California. Hopefully, it will turn out better than last year. Looking forward to 2023 and more Sunday Stills. Wishing you and Hans the best. Picture of Coronado Bay below from 2022.

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    • It was a great year with a lot of variety, Joe. I still miss Aero–he was with us for 12 years and our first dog together. Part of me is happy he left us before this wild winter set in–he would have hated it 😦 I

      I love the image you shared! Coronado is one of the best places in San Diego any time of year. We will be there again in late March/early April.

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  49. Wow Terri – I’m exhausted just READING about your year much less trying to keep up with you!! Loved the review, shared your sadness for your losses (which I remember reading about earlier this year) and enjoyed your escapades with other bloggers! Happy New Year – can’t wait to see the wedding finery!!!

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  54. […] Sunday Stills: What Did YOU Do in #2022? Portrait of my husband Monarch Monarch Caterpillar Hummingbird Flowers at the beach Egret Hummingbird Milkweed Pod Nephew in UK Lighthouse in UK Swan Babies Syd’s Graduation Light Painting Water Drop Grand Canyon Sunrise Grand Canyon Colorado River Float Bryce Bryce Bryce Zion SF MOMA Class Project Flying Pancakes […]

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  56. You truly get around, Terri! A fabulous calendar and so many adventures. Sorrows and happier days, the way life is. Thank you for 2022 and may you have a happy and healthy 2023 with lots of inspiration!

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