2012: a recap

for the first time ever, i actually involved my family in our wrap-up of the year (imagine that.)  at one of our last family dinners of december, instead of discussing our daily peaks and valleys, i asked each one of my core four what yearly peak was.  in years past i would also have solicited their yearly valley, but i thought that we'd be a bit more uplifting if we just focused on the positive.  (and, let's be honest.  it's halfway into january as i'm writing this.  i can crank this out in half the time if i skip the downers.)

so, without further ado, this is what we self-assessed as our 2012 highlights.

liam:  making his soccer team.  tryouts were held in the summer and he found out he had a spot several weeks later.  it's been an enormous commitment (at times, when his indoor and outdoor seasons overlapped, we were doing soccer stuff five times a week) but it is something he truly, dearly loves.  there are 11 other boys from all over the triangle on his team, and it's been really nice to get out of our bubble and meet people who go to different schools, live in different counties, and have different backgrounds.  they'll be together for the next three years and it's a joy to see them grow, going from a dozen individual kids to a true team.  "oh, and i have a professional soccer player as my coach!" liam reminds me.  yes, an actual professional athlete who manages to find time to nurture and mentor twelve elementary school boys ... coach floyd rocks.

liam and most of his team, following an exciting win at the southeastern indoor soccer championships in virginia beach in december

susanna:  having her artwork displayed at the state fair.  let's face it -- it's easy to be in the limelight as an athlete.  but as a young aspiring artist?  those opportunities are fewer.  still, i often see susanna's paintings and sketches adoring the walls of the school hallways, and stop to take them in.  and she's constantly hard at work on a new project at home, whether it's making a homemade card for a friend or a portrait of her lalaloopsy doll or just a drawing of whatever strikes her fancy at the time.  but to be recognized as one of the four top artists of her school of over 800 students?  AND, to be the only one of those four to receive a gold star on a state-wide stage?  i promise you this, it will be something she remembers for a very long time to come.  (actually, probably forever, the way my kids pore over these blog books.)

chris: hands-down, the highlight of 2012 was his new job.  he had been pretty unhappy miserable at his former place of work and really couldn't wait to get out of there.  ironically, after months of looking and interviewing, he received two offers on the same day and spent the better part of a week negotiating and discerning what was the best option.  he's now at topaz shared services, a start-up that has something to do with health insurance.  (i tried to find a link and wasn't successful.  which begs the question ... exactly where does he go each day?)  all kidding aside, he's much, much happier with this new position, and aside from the longer commute, likes everything about it so far.

 this has nothing to do with his new job.  it's just one of the few pictures we have together without the kids, taken at my cousin's wedding in dallas in may

me: maybe it's telling that for my children and my husband, their highlights were new things, and for me, the highlight is something that's ending.  so instead, let me phrase it this way: as of december 21, i'm regaining about twenty hours a week of time that had been previously devoted to curriculum development.  i won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that i've been wrapped up in writing three separate courses for special education students throughout the state since last january, starting with algebra 1A, then moving on to algebra 1B over the summer, and finally to financial management this past fall.  (the last one is the most ironic -- i don't even balance my checkbook or know the password to our bank account online, and yet, i'm teaching thousands of students how to budget.)  with my newfound free time, i've already finished a book and stayed on top of the laundry and made a few authentic lasagnas from scratch  ... what more fun can i find?

come to think of it, perhaps my highlight of 2012 is becoming an aunt for the first time.  how i wish teddy lived closer than a five hour drive :(

super: let's not forget out sweet pooch.  2012 proved to be a difficult one for our aging canine, who had to have EIGHT teeth extracted in november (merry christmas!  here's a $1000 vet bill!) and who now suffers from arthritis in her back left leg.  so what's her highlight?  being carried up and down the stairs like the queen that she is, multiple times a day. 

that's all for us.  and i say this every year as i sign off ... but our true highlights are the health and love and happiness and faith we continue to be blessed with.  we strive each day to show our gratitude for all that we've been given.

happy 2013!