Recap of 2011

While we prepare for 2012 I remember the good and bad of 2011. Certain things I’ve been working on for many years are wrapping up for me on the close. It feels really good. 2011 was full of good and not so good memories.

The year started out with a bang as it usually does. I have regular traditions to follow and love to celebrate with loved ones and the kids.

Super Bowl 2011, was not really all that intriguing for me. Neither team was a huge interest for me but the team I did pick won. My payout for a bet I had made and won was $20 in pennies. Lesson learned, be clear in betting.

Valentines Day brought four dozen roses from the man who loves me and says Valentines Day is just another Hallmark Day. But every year he continues to take time out of his life to remind me I’m loved by him. And not just one day a year, all year long. I’m a pretty lucky person.

Steve’s truck even though it didn’t want to participate all year made it over 200,000 miles after some minor repair work. Couldn’t tell you what it was though, just that it looked like it sucked when Steve was working on it.

Nate’s 14th birthday in March. Time is going so fast and childrens birthdays remind me of that. I love to decorate for the kids birthdays and even though I didn’t decorate his room I got the living room and he got a face full of cake. Thanks to his Dad pushing his head into it after the candles where blown out.

This year also brought the addition of my first blood related nephew. Jeff and Emily welcomed James on March 22nd. He is already nine months old and I’m really excited to be an Aunt and watch this new one grow up. Having a baby in the family again is exciting for everyone.

Spring time also brought horse lessons at Camp Berachah for Emily. She loves to go out there and ride. So far it’s just recreational but she really does enjoy it.

Zach took on a new adventure that I hope he will have many fond memories from. The one thing about loving someone else is putting ourselves out there and even though we might not even think it’s something we’d do, we do because it makes the person we cherish happy. Zach attended Tahoma High Schools prom after years of saying he’d never go to a high school dance. But it made his girlfriend happy and I believe he had a great time. Good company will do that though.

Emily celebrated her 11th birthday. Always so easy cause it’s the year we are in for her age. She decided to have a huge sleepover. Was done with that after a few hours but the girls settled down and had a pleasant evening.

Right after Emily’s birthday, Cali our German Shepherd, celebrated her first birthday. I even baked cake (dog friendly cake) for Boone and Cali to eat. The devoured the cake so they must have enjoyed it!

With May came a lot of nervousness. We knew it was coming and weren’t looking forward to it. Steve had his third and hopefully final back surgery. While the outcome and the three days following were a roller coaster for all, the healing process and results have been good. We did manage to make it to Gold Bar over Memorial Day weekend because Steve was doing so well. The kids always have fun up there and we enjoy ourselves as well.

Kids finished up school in June, Emily finished fifth grade, Zach ninth, Nate eighth and Jessica her junior year. It was time to start preparing for their summer activities and visits to Alaska.

For Fathers Day the kids, Steve and I packed up and headed to the airshow in Olympia. It was a lot of fun for everyone even though I thought it was only going to be fun for Steve. We were able to sit right on the side of the run way and watch the planes. Steve got to play with his camera and that always makes him happy.

Steve and I took our annual trip to the ocean with Cali and Boone. The weather wasn’t all that great but it doesn’t matter. On our way down I remembered to stop in Aberdeen and see about finding my Great Grandmothers grave site. The cemetery was ginormous and thankfully there was someone there who could help us. It only took a few minutes to locate her and was a really special experience.

We had busy summer weekends filled with game night, backyard fires, bbq’s and swimming. Yup, we purchased a pool last summer, had the back yard leveled out and hoped for hot sunny days to spend floating in the pool.

Fourth of July was a great time even though I got caught in the middle of an exploding mortar. We had family over for dinner and fireworks. Friends came as well and we were up late into the night with the fire pit going in the front yard.

It finally had to be done this year, Steve and I purchased a new couch for my living room. It’s a great big brown sectional couch. I love it and it’s so nice to be able to fit all of us on it at once. Better than the three person couch that ate you when sitting on it. Along with the couch though, had to come a new tv.

We did our annual Seafair airshow watch. We love to watch the Blue Angels. This year instead of just watching the airshow from Boeing Field when they take off we went out to Lake Washington and watched them fly during practice too.

Emily went to overnight horse camp for a week again this summer. Along with doing Spring lessons and both the kids doing Fall lessons. We are getting ready for them to start up Winter lessons.

Emily also did the Seagals camp in August. It was only a couple of days of training and then halftime performance during one of the Seahawks preseason games but she had a blast. And I was fortunate enough to be at the game to watch personally the halftime show.

The end of August brought extreme heart break. Steve’s Mom Chris passed away August 23rd. It was very unexpected and something I wish no one to go thru, even though it happens. Not having her in our lives the same way has been and will continue to be an adjustment for us all. She is absolutely missed every day.

Our (Steve and my) birthdays were again low key this year. We did some running around with friends but that was about it. Steve’s Dad, sister, brother in law, Steve and I all went to a new restaurant for us, the Woodman Lodge in Snoqualmie for dinner. Not very often we get treated out to that type of meal but it was delicious and a lot of fun.

Steve and I did the Puyallup fair this year though, it’s been awhile since we’ve done that.

Steve, his Dad and I went to Oktoberfest this year too. Good food, good beer, good entertainment. If we couldn’t make it to Vegas this year we celebrated in Puyallup. Makes me crave wiener schnitzel and spatzl already.

A long time friend of the family married this year. Kenny and Brenda were married October 1st and all of us celebrated with them. Steve and I helped capture their memories by helping to take pictures for them.

Halloween was special this year and we got to go to my friend Maries house for a Halloween party. She goes over the top with her parties. The boys got to scare people in her haunted forest which they loved. She even replaced pictures on her walls with old newspaper clippings of terribly scary stories. She didn’t miss a single detail.

Steve and I decided to take a photography class. We knew he’d be bored thru it since it was a beginner’s class. But it’s something we can do together and I’ll learn something so I can take better pictures. I look at it as though I have a personal tutor at all times when I’m not in class J We’re moving on to level two in 2012.

And we went to the home Seahawks games. I went to some of them and Steve went to all but one game, the Christmas Eve game.

Thanksgiving was held at our house with our family and Steve’s Dad and Aunt. After dinner we headed to the casino to have some fun. None of us won anything but we did have fun.

We had to renew our drivers licenses in September and decided to go with the Enhanced Drivers Licenses so we could travel to Canada. We made our first trip to Vancouver and I hadn’t been there since 1986. I loved Vancouver, could spend a lot of time there learning about the town. We hopped on a train that took us around town and made travel super easy.

We were treated to an eclipse this year. Which meant on a weekend I woke the kids up super early and we headed out to find the perfect viewing spot. Well, maybe that didn’t work out so well since we ended up on the top of the parking garage in Auburn but we were treated with super yummy food at the Sunrise Café afterwards.

Zach celebrated his 16th birthday and although he didn’t receive a truck he did get the computer he wanted. It’s hard to have a birthday stand out five days before Christmas but I believe he had a memorable time.

Steve and I tackled Christmas shopping this year mostly online. It was great, keeps my brother employed and convenient for us! I hope the kids will keep their amazon wish lists updated so I can start earlier this year. Christmas time was busy, splitting it all up between families but we did it. We even had a little time for just the six of us. The kids I think enjoyed themselves. Zach got to do Forgotten Childrens again this year and because he is 16 now can ride on the trucks to deliver presents with Santa and his Elves. It’s an eye opening experience and he was able to give to people who might not have had a very happy Christmas season otherwise.

Work this year has been just what it always is for me. I wonder sometimes if there is something else out there for me but then I’m reminded quickly starting over at this point is probably a bad idea. I’m grateful I have a job that isn’t too terrible to go to.

It’s been a good year of many memories. Usually when I sit down and want to write things like this I can’t remember things I did. This year I made a list and looking back over the year, it was fun. Bring on 2012, always have good years in the even years.