Longmire News: The Longmires 2021

Its the most wonderful time of the year!

I seriously cannot tell you how excited I am every year for our Christmas Card and Christmas Letter. It truly brings me so much joy even if it feels a little stressful amidst all that is our Fall. WHEW. It has been quite the few months. 2021 has been an absolutely FULL year and is finishing in true Longmire fashion.....Full of all the things.

Lily picked our colors for our photo session this year, and I have to say, I think the whole thing is magic. There is something so fun and so us about wild walls, bold colors, and all that jazz. I dearly adore that my girls are really embracing the family photo. Its so much fun.

So lets catch all of you up on our big moments. First off, Bob and I went to Scotland! Travelling abroad has been a major goal for me and making this trip happen was such a an exciting accomplishment. Bob and I had a blast and cannot wait for our next destination to take shape. Alaska? Greece? Maldives? So many places to see! Bob and I also conquered the Rim2Rim2Rim in the Grand Canyon, Lily was elected Student Body Vice President, Evie is crushing roundoff backhand springs, and we saw the Meteor Crater this year. Those are just a few fun highlights in a year full ofliving.

Bob has had a spectacular year with PSPC. I say it every year, his company is amazing and the lifestyle we are afforded is something I will always count as a gift. With COVID we were not sure how his work would be impacted, and fortunately he has found himself even busier than before. Our home office bustles with conference calls and computers. He and I make for great co workers and find ourselves busily working away with coffee in our pjs. Quite the life if you ask me. His work travel was very minimal this year which was a mixed blessing. All of us love to travel. Bob has filled his time with house projects, golf, guys nights, vacations, reading, running, and the occasional yoga. I am deeply proud of how hard he works and how present he is.

I am deeply grateful for the year I have had. My time in the Grand Canyon was really powerful for me. To come back from my foot injury and finish that 50 mile monster solidified my personal hero status, but it also solidified in my mind that I no longer have the need to make that kind of distance part of my life. I love YOGA and have found such a home in my body through its practice. I still enjoy running, cycling, swimming, and all other things active, but I do what makes me happy, even if that thing is sleeping in.

My photography business has been wildly successful this year and I am just in awe. I adore what I do and the families that let me do it. Between travelling, photography, and travelling for photography, my year has been constantly full. Not to mention all the other hats I wear. Life is a grand adventure and I love living it. I lost my dear friend Ashley at the beginning of this year and I have embraced so much of her spirit. That girl lived hard, and that is what I want. You know those things you want to do? You should go do them. Click the button (for Scotland), say yes (to 50 miles in the Grand Canyon), hire the painter (we actually hired out house work!). Life is long yes, but life can also be very short.

When not doing photography, I am also still working with Bob and Matt for PSPC, considering starting an actual chauffeur business, and maintaining a calendar of events fit for the royal family. Its a lot of work, but someone's got to do it! This year Bob and I celebrated 17 years together and man, this guy still gives me that lovin' feeling.

Our girls have grown up a lot this year. WOW. They may be cut from the same cloth, but they could not be more different. I LOVE it, and this year those differences have really spread their own wings.

Evie Bee turned 8 this year to a Jurassic Park Themed party. This kid was all about dinosaurs which quite honestly totally matched her little firey personality. Evie is such a fun and exciting kid. Evie Bee finished her 2nd grade year at Las Sendas Elementary and started her 3rd grade year back at our beloved Red Mountain Ranch. Evie makes friends wherever she goes, but the switcheroo, THANKS COVID, has been a lot on all of us. She is doing very well in 3rd grade and is deeply loved by her teachers and peers.

Evie got to take a trip out to spend a week with her cousins in North Carolina. Grandma Jill and Grandpa Steve flew with her and she had an absolute blast doing her thing. When she is not doing gymnastics (she is on a team!) she loves RoBlox and her IPAD. She is beginning to really enjoy reading and loves a good experiment.

This kid has no fear and broke her front permanent tooth to boot this year. She's tough and we always say the Bee would rather ask forgiveness than permission. Evie does not walk on egg shells and is not a people pleaser, yet deeply loving, and man, if you have her love.....you have won the human jackpot. Where Lily will deliver speeches and be the problem solver, Evie will straight up be in the trenches with you. That's Evie, and she is special.

Lily, where do I begin. This kid has become such an incredible young woman over the course of this year. I knew that she would really glow up once she hit 10, but WOW. Her maturity both personally and spiritually has been amazing to watch blossom. She has stepped into so much of her power and is beginning to find her voice and fill up her space. This kid is so smart. After a semester at Las Sendas Lily really learned 2 major life lessons. Privilege and kindness don't necessarily go hand in hand and that being smart in school and kind in life gives you a lot of power. When you add Jesus into that, Lily's whole spirit radiates. She is light and love and confidence oh....and some straight As.

She is almost as tall as me and officially fits in most of my clothes. I feel so cool because she thinks my style is "awesome." Its great that we can share because it means I get to shop. Two birds, one stone kind of thing. I am so grateful for her. Our relationship is such a special one and the friendship between us is growing. This girl asks all the hard questions and I LOVE IT!

This girl is loved by a great many people, teachers, her principle, her Sunday school teachers and friends, and so many peers. She is empathetic, deeply intentional, and has a view of the world that is purely a Jesus one. This year Lily boldy decided to pursue the Student Council Vice President position. Without fear she wrote her speech, practiced hard, got her professional outfit, and got all of her friends to vote for her. The school was asked, and the school responded. Lily Longmire Student Council VICE PRESIDENT!

Oh this girl. So much ahead of her. This year Lily tried diving, synchronized swimming, and volleyball. She has officially joined the Arizona Desert Dolphins Synchro team and attended her first meet. She also decided to take her first solo trip out to Florida to see her Grandparents. She did it all by herself and had a blast. Lily is spectacular and will have many many doors open to her.

We are a busy bunch and always living loud. Sometimes we say yes to way to many things and it bites us, but we love it.

One of our most favorite memories from this year was our vacation right here in our own state. We took a long weekend this summer and discovered the Tonto Natural Bridge, the Lava River Cave (amazing), and the Meteor Crater. It was truly a special trip for us and I am really looking forward to exploring more of our country and state (perhaps in a brand new car soon!). We also had a blast with our annual trip to Florida. We visited Sanibel, discovered Zoo Tampa, rode on the Amtrak, and played with our cousins on the beach in Jacksonville.