Christmas 2019

SHE SAID YES!!! 

Brent orchestrated a proposal in the field during harvest. Mo made the sign, I got the battery-operated lights, and Brent fixed up a bale and then asked Teresa to come right in the baler with him. When she arrived, she wondered why he was clean! He had the ring and got Mo to come take photos!

They are planning a spring wedding. We are so excited to be gaining a daughter-in-law. She fits right in with they wacky Brennemans and we love her already. 

June Family Peer Support Specialist Training

August Family Peer Support Specialist Training

I was promoted to Division Training Director this summer. This means I no longer provide direct service to families, but instead train others to provide the service. I enjoy teaching again. 

Despite a really wet spring, and a dry July, the garden went nuts once it got going. 

I was a delegate to Mennonite Church USA convention where we were to choose our own tables. By total chance, I ended up sharing a table with my cousin's son, Wes Beck! It was so fun, and when the delegates passed a resolution to make youth voting members, I shared my delegate ribbon with Wes!

I didn't renew my term as an Executive Board member. I enjoyed churchwide work, but had to burn my vacation to attend meetings, and something always seemed to be going on at work when it was time to go to board meeting.


I continue on the Wellman Telephone Coop Company board.

Each year we wait and wait on the custom chopper to get to us, so this year Doug bought an old two-row chopper and we did it ourselves. Finding the wagons was a challenge. I remember Dad selling his beautiful red wagons out by the road when he quit raising cattle. Did I ever wish for those! It took all 4 of us taking vacation days to help. 

Since the crops were so late getting in this year and we weren't sure what would grow, we chopped oats and corn. The custom guys came and did the rye. We also made earlage this year- picking the corn and chopped just the ears. I had never heard of it before! Hay was also difficult to make this year and didn't yield like it usually does. Farmers all baled their waterways and any grass they could find for the winter. This was good for Brent's baling business. He also makes corn stalk bales for bedding. 

It makes me happy to see my little Ford 8N being used!

We custom harvest for Donovan. I took this from the combine seat. These two talk every day and own equipment together. Their dads did, too, and it looks like their sons may continue the tradition. Brent and Doug did most of the harvesting this year, but I did take a few vacation days to combine. I was traveling quite a bit in November (3 weeks in a row) and sure hated to not be available when the days were nice to combine!

It was general consensus that 2019 just needs to hurry up and get out of here. Extremely wet spring, planting in June, no rain in July, calves had rare virus and we lost quite a few a few weeks old. Early snow (thankfully just after we had our beans out). We waited as long as possible to harvest but corn was still wet. What a year!

These folks helped Doug celebrate his birthday in September. It wasn't really that cold in our house, and occasionally they did look up from their phones to chat with us. 

 One of the families I serve had a baby with a genetic diagnosis that wouldn't allow her to grow up. The family was looking for ways to tell her 3 year old sister. We couldn't find many anticipatory grief books, so I decided to write one! I hired a neighbor graphic artist college student and self-published on Amazon. You can buy your copy here: My Sister Might Die: A book to share with children anticipating grief and los... My Sister Might Die: a book to share with children anticipating grief and loss





Thanks for reading our blog about our year. We hope you are blessed this year at Christmas and in the new year!