I spent some time thinking of an image that I felt represented 2011 for our family and I kept coming back to the one of us in our backyard smooching Maggie. We’ve got it blown up and hanging in our livingroom and I never, ever tire of looking at the photo of our little family.
The only thing missing? Syd’s chubby little face and curly tail. I’m sure she wasn’t too far away from us when we snapped this, my camera balanced on top of an old tin gardening pot to capture the image.
We’re a happy little crew and this was the year that Maggie stopped being a baby and evolved into a walking, talking pip-squeak with her own opinion on many things. This has been a year…
This was the year that Barry did his first half Ironman and I did my first 10ks. This was the year that we took a blessed road trip to Carmel and tried to live like we were on vacation when we returned home. This has been the year of making new friends and keeping old ones. This has been the year that we decided to stop living in our house worried about the ‘next’ owners and started living in it for us, the current owners. This has been the year that we decided to try and do it right the first time….every time.
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As I type this I can hear the chattering conversation between friends and the clinking of glasses. We’re hunkered down for the weekend with 12 of our friends at a rented cabin. This is the 3rd time our group has rented this cabin, but we started the tradition of spending New Years together almost a decade ago. We’ve all expanded and grown up in some capacity over the years – marriages, babies, college graduations, houses, jobs, etc. – and this time we really feel like adults.
We were all asleep last night by 11 and I’m not sure how many of us are going to make it to midnight tonight without taking a nap. But it is fun to get together. Fun to celebrate and reflect on the last 12 months, look forward to the next. In just a couple of months Joey and Tyler will be having their 2nd baby, life for them will never be the same. What adventure awaits them!
I ought to go join the clinking of glasses and chattering of conversation…..
2011 was a rich, rich year for me. One of my favorite so far. I have high hopes that 2012 will be just as generous and based on the clinking and conversing, I’m confident that I’ll be ringing in the new year in just the right way!
Cheers to you!
