2024 ended with Delilah turning twelve on Christmas Day (morning is for Christmas, evening is all about Delilah)! Yep - that's right...this year, she's going to be a teenager! In January, Bill and Carrie started the kitchen/bathroom remodel - turning the foyer into the temporary kitchen. More on that later, but while the demo was being done, they decided to spend some time at the condo in Maui. They enjoyed whale watching and hiking `Iao Needle and the surrounding area. Sophia made her parents take her there for a week, where she enjoyed the boat more than the whale watching, but loved the palm trees and the beaches. She also got to spend time with Nana and Papa, knowing she'd get something sweet out of it. Of course, every evening started with a Maui Sunset. Delilah continued to show her athletic prowess across the board, but started the year in basketball.

February brought a couple of birthdays with Austin and Nathan. Savannah received not one, but two awards at school - Sportsmanship and Mathematics! Bill and a good friend, Jaime, went to the Genesis Invitational on its final day, where they got to see all the players show how you actually hit a drive. A beautiful day at Torrey Pines! Later in the month, Bill and Carrie took the Corvette to Williams for a long weekend, taking the Grand Canyon Railway to said Grand Canyon. The train was crazy - there was a shooting outside the saloon before we boarded - then a train robbery - but the thieves got caught by the sheriff in the end (and weirdly, this happens every day there....who woulda thunk). But, there was the Grand Canyon (south rim) in all it's glory. More pictures of the Grand Canyon adventure can be found here.

In March, Will celebrated his another birthday. In late March, the aforementioned remodels were complete - a new kitchen (here from another angle) and a new downstairs bathroom (with a new shower). DEFINITELY a much needed upgrade! Towards the end of the month, Amy spent a week in Wisconsin to train for her new role - owner of Tiny Blooming Hearts - an unreal uptake on ultrasound - providing 3D/4D/5D ultrasounds! Shay and Amy started making noise about this new opportunity for parents by going to street fairs and letting people know - and the word has definitely gotten out.

In April, Bill headed out to Palm Springs to attend Will and Megan's wedding. GREAT looking couple! As is the standard, after the official introduction of Mr and Mrs Cusic, the first dance commenced. Overall, a great wedding with a great couple in a great setting. April also saw the Pardinis spend a few days in Carlsbad over Spring Break - Shaylee got to see the infamous Flower Fields in full glory, while Savannah spent some time at Legoland. And in May, Bill, Ryan, and Breezy played in the 73rd Annual Aviara Golf Tournament - a great fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Carslbad. Bill and Carrie also spent an evening at the Rady Shell to listen to a new folk singer - goes by the name of James Taylor. Keep an eye out for him...he'll go places. And finally, Amy threw a baby shower for her best friend, Brianne to finish up the month - with a great photo of all the Pardini girls with Brianne and her son.

June brought a bevy of birthdays - starting with Shaylee turning seventeen and Amy celebrating another trip around the sun. Ryan celebrated another on earth, and Bill and Carrie headed to the east coast. They started in Tampa, meeting up with Carrie's cousin and his wife, Patrick and Jenny. They spent the next five days in Margaritaville...at sea. The Islander was a blast, with an atrium that started with the requisite flip-flop photo op, but it stretched a full 10 floors up! Bill got an "unwanted" upgrade to the Signature Grand Suite, which made the week a bit easier than a typical cruise ship room.The girls started the trip with Bubbles Up Margaritas as the headed to the first stop, Key West (with a required stop at the original Margaritaville), with a stop a few days later in Cozumel. After experiencing the bridge tour (and taking it over, albeit briefly), the team finished the trip in a hidden speakeasy - Quietly Making Noise (QMN) - a truly special part of the trip. The week was definitely incredible, and you can see more of the pictures from the trip here. Finally, both Savannah and Delilah were being stars on their respective teams during baseball season in Ukiah.

After arriving back in Tampa, Bill and Carrie flew to Atlanta and headed to South Carolina for Bill's moms family reunion, where Will got to meet his grandmother for the first time. Four weeks later, they were in Colorado for Carrie's dads family reunion. That one included a golf outing - definitely a lot of fun. After the outing, there was a bit of a "who's taller" Garland moment - Austin clearly won. And the Pardini's took Papa Jim to the Carbondale Mountain Fair! Also in July, Bill and Carrie finished their last major remodel (famous last words) with the new patio - this will definitely be appreciated in the winter months.

In August, Bill and Carrie joined Sophia at Taste of Encinitas, where she IMMEDIATELY found a wall to climb. She had a busy day, with a new puppy and a new butterfly tattoo. Also in August, Carrie surprised Bill with a trip with friends Steve and Lisa to Deer Park Auto Museum and Winery (an interesting combination, to be sure). The museum is filled with interesting items, not just vintage autos, but the autos certainly are the draw, covering almost every era across four garages. For more pictures of this fantastic find, click here. Finally, August ended with Savannah starting 4rd grade, Delilah starting 7th grade, and Shaylee starting her senior year!

September brought another birthday, as Savannah turned nine! Later in the month, Will also posted a rather stunning video on how his team monitors the port of Houston - REALLY well done, worth the watch - click here (note, it defaults to muted - just click the icon to the lower right of the video to unmute). Later in September, Nate and Retta headed to Tuscany for a wedding and reception with friends. They even got in a great sunset! Delilah started the month doing her best Maxwell Smart imitation on the volleyball court, but finished the month as a member of the Championship team of their district!

In October Shaylee went to her last Homecoming Dance with her friends. The month ended with Carrie celebrating another trip around the sun, as well as Halloween, where Sophia was part of the Super Kitty team with her parents, and the Pardini's going down a rabbit hole (or through the looking glass, depending on the version of the story).

In early November, Danny, Amy, and the kids joined friends for the week at Disneyland. Delilah and Savvy and Amy even got to meet Minnie! The Prewitt's joined Breezy's family up in Montana for Thanksgiving, creating un"bear"able adventures, while Bill grilled a most excellent "beer can" turkey.

December started with the Pardini's finding the perfect tree. Ryan spent a week in Colorado helping out the family with his Papa, and got to enjoy a Broncos win. And with that, we bring this year's stories to a close. Bill and Carrie are headed to Maui for the holidays, and wish you Mele Kalikimaka and a bright and hopeful 2026, filled with joy and laughter.