Welcome 2025! Goodbye 2024

Toppenberg Family Year in Review!

To those of you that sent cards this year, this is about as far as I got before I realized we would be gone when the cards arrived and it would be past the new Year before any arrived.  We so loved getting your cards though so don't forget us next year it was a just a little rough this year!

2024

We started out 2024 in Puerto Nuevo Mexico! This was a great vacation, we made friends with some Canadian travelers that took us on an excursion to some off the beaten path local beaches. Jared and Brody got their fishing trip in. We had the Most fun when we headed across the bay for a jet boat ride and then took a ranchero up the mountain to an adventure farm where we raced very competitive donkeys

 up the mountain  to Zipline down through the trees and we rappelled down waterfalls, It was quite an adventure and ended with coming back at night on the ocean with whales waving their tales in the last minutes of sunlight.

The winter was filled with choir events, and choir state competitions and dance team for Maycen and Basketball for Brody

We managed to fit in a few ski trips last winter, But only stayed local at White Pass and at our home mountain Stevens Pass. 

Our nephew Paityn was able to join us for one trip while he was here locally doing a school program. 

Brody got back into soccer and really likes his Rec team in the South Sound, The Raptors! 

For Spring Break we headed down South to Arkansas for Easter this year to see Jared's parents home in Hot Springs Village. We also were looking for a rental property for us. 

We stopped in at a crystal mine and found many treasures beneath the mud and dirt. It's satisfying to find a pentacle just beneath the soil. 

My parents were able to make it down for one last adventure in their Dream Super C as they headed to see the eclipse with friends in Texas.  It was great to have all the grandparents in one spot. 

Just in time for my birthday month a highlight for me this year was when we were surprised with an electrical storm that sent the Northern Lights our way in May. It was amazing to be able to actually see some of the lights twinkling. I never thought that we would see them from Washington. 

We all hiked down in the dark night to the shoreline thinking there would be nothing cool to see and to our surprise it was amazing. 

In summer we we're lucky enough to have one more Fourth of July with Grandpa Gil at my parents lake house. We sadly said goodbye to him in October after his long battle with Colo rectal cancer. 

Thank you to all of our friends and family that have been so kind and supportive and checking in on us and my Mom!

Just before our annual trip to Banks lake our boat steering column randomly failed and Jared got me on a weak moment and pulled the trigger to get his dream boat so we are all learning how to wake surf. Sure made the summer fun to learn a new sport! 

After her 8th grade graduation, Maycen joined the ranks of being a Steilacoom High School Cheerleader and the girls are set to go to Nationals next February.

 

Unfortunately Brody spent much of the summer in a cast. The first cast was more out of caution until they could evaluate bone healing. However once he came out of that cast he catapulted himself down the stairs pretending to be Superman and ended up in another cast with a real broken arm this time.  The cast didn't slow him down much this summer He even golfed in it.

I spent many hours in the garden this summer working off life's frustrations, pulling weeds and volunteers and making friends with the hummingbirds and quail. 

Charlotte continued to watch and enjoys keeping the backyard raccoon-free. 

Jared and Brody headed off to a cross country fishing adventure, Maycen and I went camping and hiked up at Mount Rainier National Park and met up with a high school friend Maria and her family. Luckily the mountain decided to come out for their visit after we hiked through the fog. 

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Brody and Jared went from Minnesota to Texas. 

They stopped in to check on the house that we purchased in Arkansas near Jared's parents. On the way back they went on a fly fishing trip in Colorado exploring many of the rivers with a guide. When these two aren't busy fishing they are at the Pickleball Court. Jared even joined a men's league.

 

We started off the holiday season with my mom coming and doing an early Thanksgiving in Washington. It was such a treat to be able to take her to the Nutcracker and do some fun Seattle things.

We celebrated our company now Frontline Fire and Flood and the more than 10 years of being in business. We have a great crew and that has really worked hard to grow the company this year.   Frontline Fire and Flood

                                    

                             

Due to the cheerleading schedule we had to sneak away during the holiday for any skiing out of town this year. The kids chose snow over sun so we headed to Breckenridge. It was an amazing vacation. We stayed at The Grand Timber Lodge, with tons of skiing and we got lucky with the blessing of snow. The outlook only said 20% chance and maybe a half an inch. We got lucky with 11 in in 3 days.  The kids are definitely making me feel my age racing down the mountain and I'm the last one to keep up. I sent Maycen over the edge of a cliff with a stranger who said he knew where all the cool spots were I told them I was good going off to the side in the trees.  

I was lucky enough to meet up with two travel friends from back in the day. 


 

We hope that you and your family have a wonderful and prosperous 2025 and as we looked back on our 2024 we had some sad, hard moments but we also had some amazing memories as well. I hope that you have health and happiness in the year to come.