So We Say Goodbye..

The internet is awash with people posting their top 10 projects, or recipes, or favorite this-or-that's from 2011, and while I've enjoyed reading the posts, I'm not inspired to come here and write one myself. I don't think I have 10 posts from this year that were worth revisiting, nor can I stretch my memory hard enough to come up with 10 events from this year that were worth remembering. So what I think I am going to do, right now,  is go through and upload a photo from each month of the year, and write about it. Maybe I'll get to the end and decide that 2011 had some bang-up moments after all and I can send it off with a bit of gladness. Sound fun? Let's go!

January was harder than I thought it was going to be.. there was lots of things to choose from! The Middle School  drama class put on a play entitled "Once On This Island" and Ashley had one of the lead parts. They did a phenomenal job and not only did I enjoy the play very much, but I was very proud of her and the other students.

In February, amidst the snow that wouldn't quit falling, I got my craft on and decided that this year I was going to embrace Valentines day and celebrate it for the first time in, well.. maybe ever. I decorated for it, I made some crafts that you can see here, and I baked special treats for my people. I don't know what came over me, and I may never do it again, but it was fun.

The highlight of March was the MRHS musical production of CATS. The students did an outstanding job with the show and we were so proud of Ashley. I am always amazed at how she can get up on the stage in front of all those people and sing and dance and do what she does. I don't even like talking in front of my co-workers and I've know them for years!

 April brought flowers and grass and house projects and spring and many other splendid things, but this was my most favorite memory of April. Evie loves to head bonk, and Uncle Neal loves Evie. It was Easter day and we were at his parents house, and I just happened to catch this perfect moment that they were sharing. I can't tell you how much I love this photo. It might be my favorite of the  entire year.

 In January, we lost one of our staff members at school, after a heroic battle with cancer. In May, we held a mini-Relay for Life at our school and dedicated a memorial to her around our flag pole. Her entire family came out for the event and it was beautiful and moving and I will never forget it. The day was filled with laughter and tears and we raised money for the team who attended the full relay for Life later in June.

 There were so many things to choose from in June, but the thing that stands out was sending Corey off to M.I.T for the summer. I still can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that he's 17, that he will be a senior next year, that he has a brilliant mind, and that he can go to MIT and take classes and hob-nob with the best of them like it's nothing. He continually amazes me over and over.

 In July my mom came home for her vacation, and we all converged on my brother Scott's house to celebrate her 60th birthday which was earlier in the month. She came and spent the weekend with us while she was here, and it was what it always is, but it made her happy, and that's what matters. Circumstances for her have changed since she got back and now I don't know when I'll see her again so I'm glad we had our visit.

 Late August brought a Hurricane, that was slated to travel right over our town. It ended up taking a turn to the left and brought devastation like I've never seen to areas of Vermont, who were not expecting more than some heavy rain, which is all we ended up with. One of the best photos I took that day was of Ashley's "Hurricane Bag". She packed a bag in case we had to evacuate and I snapped a photo of what was inside.

Life got crazy again in September with school and band and football games and meetings and all the things that being back to work brings. I don't even have a photo for all the days in September, which I didn't realize until right now. This was the first pot roast I cooked in my oven, instead of in the crockpot. I got the recipe from Pioneer Woman and I've made it several times since. It's delicious!

There were lots of cool parts of October, like the Fireman's Parade, and apple picking and the warm weather, and the only SNOW we've had so far this winter.. but the best part of it was finally having saved up enough money to get my bike. Of course, right after I got my bike it snowed, and then we got another storm that dropped 25 more inches of snow, but we've had lots of non-snowy days since then. I LOVE my bike.

In November, we stood before God and our family and became Evie's Godparents. It was a beautiful day and we are so blessed to be able to share in her life in this special way. Afterwards we celebrated her first birthday, which rounded out the day in the most perfect way.

The Boy™ had to come to my school to drop something off on Dec. 23rd, which was our last day before the break, and so I rode home with him. We walked in the door to find these two sleeping beauties at opposite ends of the couch. It had been a crazy couple of weeks, and I knew exactly how they felt. There were a whole bunch of other photos I considered sharing for December, such as my nieces on Christmas Eve, or Corey on his birthday, or a multitude of others that were festive and holiday-ish. But really, at the end of a long and trying year, I felt that this one said it all.