Ushering in 2026

Sault Ste. Marie is one of our happy places, and we have discovered that we're still happy to be here in the winter! It all started when Nellie sent us a photo of the seasonal coffees at Superior Cafe, which sparked an idea that we could come up over break, which got real about a week ago when we jumped in and decided to go for it. What we didn't know was that there would be a blizzard the day before we came up and a winter storm warning lasting our entire trip. I'm not sure I've ever seen so much snow! We are loving it.

On the agenda: Superior Cafe (of course) for coffee and homework/reading/work, snowshoeing, dinner out at Cozy Corners, hunting, games, puzzles, resting, playing in the snow, watching freighters, seeing our UP family. So far, so good!

Our year held some big momentous events (Nellie graduated and started college! We took some family trips that were both familiar and epic. We struggled through some big losses. We started to heal. We were reminded of what's important.) and a collection of a bazillion mundane ones. I'm delighted to celebrate it and welcome the next in this place with these people!

Our New Year celebration included most of the usual things - Spoons, appetizers, fireworks and sparklers and trying to stay up until midnight. But new this year were Fishbowl (thanks Mustaphas!), a Wernet-trivia Jeopardy game (thanks Nellie!), Pin the Anchor on the Crane (my own design ☺) and the absolute craziest and best part - attending the "Anchor Drop" in downtown Sault Ste. Marie! It was very cold and required bundling up at 11:30 for the short drive downtown, but was totally worth it.

Family photo with the esteemed anchor

It's hard to see in this daytime photo, but Annie was the clear winner.

Jeopardy! Eddie and I dominated the family trivia.

Just a pretty afternoon photo of the river

Kevin and Schuyler did some hunting...

...while we were busy in the coffee shop

"Quick, gimme those, I think I saw an eagle in Canada!" - Nellie

Paul R. Tregurtha - we had to stay up until 1am after we got here to see it!

We arrived very late.

It wouldn't be a Wernet family New Year celebration without me forcing family reflection on the year and goals for the next. I'm sure they secretly love it.

I'll start! Though a lot of this year just kind of felt like a grind, there were SO MANY wonderful experiences. Our Florida trip, backpacking, and trips up north were just delightful times together and we had lots of mini-adventures. A couple of highlights for me were visiting Sugar Island for the first time and getting lost in the woods on South Manitou Island and pressing on in the direction we thought we should go. It was intense (as it should be when you're camping, haha) and there was infinite but the moment we came out of the woods and landed on the trail was a happy relief! Another highlight was Nellie's open house. Those are some stressful memories, too, but I was overwhelmed by people showing up on a million-degree day celebrate with us, and a lot of people helped out even thought I didn't think I needed it and I really really did.☺ I'm committing to more prayer and gratitude and helping our family have more intentional time together.

DJ's favorite memories were hanging out with friends. He wants to get a better vertical.

Nellie's highlights were the Florida trip and backpacking, particularly the long hike out to the dunes. Her goals for 2026 are to read the whole Bible, run a 5K, be willing to confront issues without procrastinating, and be a peacemaker. 

Eddie: Mom acting as the Grinch during Fishbowl. But also, the day at Busch Gardens over spring break. His commitment for next year is to end world hunger!

Annie's favorite memories were the Florida trip, trying out track for the first time and going to states, playing Annie in Annie, turning 16 and being able to drive, and going to Aunt Pam's lake this summer. She doesn't really "do" New Year's resolutions but she wants to persevere in the right things and say "no" to things when needed.

Mary's favorites for 2025 are every trip we went on and our New Year's Eve party! She wants to commit to reading all the books she has stacked up to read.

Kevin has lots of showstopper memories: Florida trip, 4th of July trip to the U.P., staying in Grand Rapids with Nellie, the golf weekend with John and Alex, great hunting trips (including a turkey and two deer!), getting a puppy, when he volunteered Annie to sing the national anthem spontaneously, and watching how much the kids have grown in athletics and leadership. His goals are intentional, relentless, obnoxious positivity and to be manlier. 

Spring endings and beginnings and everything in between

Spring has been full with all the usual things, plus all the senior year events (so many events) and final days with some beloved colleagues heading on to the next things. We were at LCS most weekends between the spring fundraiser, banquet, Annie in Annie as Annie (!), Mrs. Hofman's reception, graduation, etc. etc. Throw in baseball, a first attempt at track season, musical theater workshop for Eddie and Mary, last concerts and recitals, 5th-grade graduation, prom, and hosting the Annie cast party, and we were never bored.

We did get away up north for Memorial Day for a little recovery time in the woods and fields and Lake Michigan. It was nice to be all together for a few days in the middle of everything else that was going on!

Every day this spring felt like it carried so much weight, watching the clock tick down toward a very different-looking life at work and home, and feeling so much gratitude for everything that was and is. There were new beginnings as kids tried new things and made big decisions (go green!). The beginnings came right along with the endings. We had fun, and worked hard, and tried to live fully in each moment. It feels a little like we're headed into the unknown, but we've got faith, and each other, and we're ready for the next crazy season! I think.

It really happened!

Eddie was one of the "graduation speakers"

State finals!

Annie with a favorite friend and mentor

You cannot keep this girl out of the water

Trying to stay warmish in winter coats on the pier

Senior concerto

Nellie with her long-time lesson instructor

Mary had to spend a half-day with me when she got sick at school, poor thing! It turned out to be fifths disease after having a fever for a week.

Last SYWS concert

One of the best parts of musical season!

The best surprise!

Easter with family

Mary's first taste of musical theater!

Magical

 No Disney this time, but the word that comes to mind when I think of our Florida spring break trip is 🌟magical! 🌟 It really was. Sure, there was squabbling and not enough sleep and different ideas about what is fun at any given moment. But I spent the months before our trip worrying about everything that could go wrong. My biggest concerns were somebody getting sick and major delays or cancelations with our flight. Both very possible scenarios. We had already hit a serious roadblock when, after booking a suite in the same little motel we stayed at a couple of years ago, our reservation was canceled a month before we left because of hurricane damage. The rental agency had been hopeful it would reopen before spring break, but no. With a little luck we booked a place down the road.

There was no real solution to the worry other than coaching myself to remember that the important thing was being together - likely Nellie's last spring break with us, and all - no matter what "adventures" came our way. And then...everything went just about as realistically perfect as possible! The backup condo turned out to be just right, and we loved being on the bay side so we could see the sunrise, sunset, and dolphins swimming by right outside our window. The flights were on time, all the late-winter illnesses we brought with us quickly resolved, everyone mostly got along, we didn't have any car trouble. It was CHILLY when we arrived in Florida, but it got warmer every day and it certainly didn't stop us from having fun.

If you asked any of the us, everything was a highlight. The sunshine, the food, shell hunting, dolphin seeking, the Tigers spring training game, Busch Gardens (definitely not as magical as Disney, and once was enough for me, but the kids loved it), the obligatory forced hiking trip (so hot and so many lizards!), walking for coffee and donuts, the rubber literally flying off our suitcase wheels in the airport because they'd been sitting in storage for decades, the teens bonding over The Office, waking up early and staying up late to soak up every bit of Florida beauty and fun, the pool and hot tub, accidentally bringing home a live conch (sorry, Fred!), ice cream, and shopping. It was all amazing and wonderful and yes, maybe a little magical!

Here is our trip, in pictures, more or less in reverse order. 🌞💖