2012; a Year in Review.

I'm enjoying some high-octane cough syrup and a Z-pack and thinking about the year behind us. I could drone on, I'm sure, but I'd like to list my top 12 2012 moments/events/things {a blurb for each month!}. 

I've also been thinking ahead. My poor 101 in 1'001 has been languishing since, oh, June {?}, I believe. In hindsight, maybe I should have thought a bit more before compiling that list. When I wrote it last December I full well knew that we were on the verge of some pretty hefty life changes {job quitting, moving across the country, living in a new city...} but I took none of that into consideration and came up with my 101 as if we were going to continue living and working in San Jose, CA.

With that being said, I'm giving myself a pass. This pass is a chance to re-write my list and start over with the caveat that I realistically consider what our life looks like now and will look like in the next 1,001 days {September 28, 2015 FYI}.

For today, and to spare you from volumes of blog-post reading, I'll stick with my 2012 Top 12.

In calendar order.

January

After driving home from an Arizona Christmas and New Years we spent our first month in our new apartment as husband and wife.

I celebrated a birthday. I started making wreaths. We cooked {tortilla soup!} and ate out and just enjoyed being together.

February

Our first Valentine's Day as a married couple saw us to the beach for a winter's day visit. I made heart decorations for our apartment using my mother-in-law's old sewing machine. 

We also ate crab, polenta, and celebrated Mardis Gras.


March

I enjoyed my last Spirit Week {check it out each day} at school, dressed to the nines to coordinate with the five themes, and it all culminated with making my first diaper cake for a coworker's baby shower {it was non-edible}. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a meaty and salty feast, went to Arizona to learn about hummingbirds and Spring Training, and then returned to California to get ready for Easter. 

Michael enjoyed a birthday.

April

I graded a lot, we celebrated several birthdays, enjoyed Easter egg coloring, visited the east coast {!}, and cooked a lot. 

We started enjoying some farmer's market finds and began to think about a cross-country move.

May

Michael decided where he'd like to go to school {and where we'd be living for the next two years!!!}: Washington, DC! 

I wrapped up my last school year, we celebrated several graduations, I made another diaper cake {still inedible!}, and we continued prepping for a Big Move.

June

We made the final preparations to move out of our apartment which included selling off all that we could and shipping the rest to DC. 

I began my last teaching stint with a summer school class, we CLEANED with the kind help of my mother, and got ready to say our goodbyes.

July

We celebrated my cousin John's graduation with a fun trip to San Diego before coming back to the Bay Area and officially setting sail. 

We camped for two nights, spent a night in Portland, Oregon, enjoyed a wonderful week in Home, Washington, and then trekked our way across the northern swath of our country to arrive at our new home in Washington, DC. The best part of our journey was being able to visit with dear friends along the way {St. Paul, Chicago, and Hershey : we ♥ you!}.

August

We got settled in DC. Mike began his career as a graduate student and I tried to get us moved into the amazing apartment that we now call home. 

I confirmed a job that would start in September.

September

We celebrated our first anniversary! Mike and I continued to get settled into our new city and got to know our neighborhood and new friends.

My mom visited us for two weeks in which she helped us SO much by cleaning and cooking for her two busy hosts. The Franciscan Monks blessed Guinness in honor of St. Francis and his feast day.

October

We drove up to New York to visit my cousin John at Elmira College; the leaves were beautiful the further north we got! The days got shorter and Hurricane Sandy brought several days of strong wind and rain to DC, though nothing like what New York and New Jersey saw. I signed us up for a CSA.

The Giants won the World Series!!!! And we hosted a fun pumpkin carving party that even included prizes. 

November

For such a short month we did quite a lot! We visited with friends, cooked a great deal of root vegetables {thanks CSA!} and enjoyed time at home. Family came into town for the week of Thanksgiving and we cooked {most of the meal} and hosted our first Thanksgiving!!! We all rolled ourselves to bed that night feeling very content and grateful for good food and even better family and friends.

I wrapped up my job and began to look ahead to teaching again; even though I thoroughly enjoyed my first few weeks without grading, in late September I started to think about how much I miss the daily engagement and interaction of being a teacher and that getting back into that classroom is where I'm drawn to.

December 

I continued running and cooking in DC. I also continued looking for teaching opportunities that might crop up in the latter half of the 2012-2013 school year {few and far in between}. We went out with friends and enjoyed being in the city leading up to Christmas. The tragedy at Sandy Hook happened and I, as well as many others I imagine, am still working through it. I think with the holidays happening directly after the shootings, my mind was occupied and that the next few post-Christmas/New Years weeks and days will bring me some time to think this over.

We arranged for Guinness to have a helpful friend/guardian/apartment-sitter for our time away; the dog was unimpressed. I got to San Jose before Michael joined me and then we trekked to Gilbert, Arizona, to enjoy the rest of the holidays with family.


Dear 2013 : I am ready and excited for you and what you have to bring, both the good and bad since without darkness there cannot be light {but I'm mostly looking forward to the GOOD!}.


May you all out there know that I am sincerely thankful that you are in my life {even if you're an internet lurker and I don't know you [Hi!]} and I THANK you for being a part of my journey. A Happy and Healthy 2013 to each and every one of you!
xoxo, natty ♥