2013: a look back

since i can't seem to get my ducks in a row to post on this blog as much as i'd like, i thought that the best way for our end-of-the-year summary is going to get written is if i put three of my family members to work.  (i figure i can at least write for myself and on behalf of the pooch.)  i asked each of them to come up with the three most memorable parts of 2013 and type them here.  an ingenious idea, if i do say so myself ... and this way, our yearly recap is actually going to be written before, oh, july.

so here are the highlights of 2013 for the mann family.

liam (composed and even typed by liam himself)
1) i got into magellan. i had no idea what in the world was happening when my mom was in tears until she told me.  this is the best school i have ever dreamed about attending.

our teachers surprised the whole 3rd grade with a trip to the movies to see "frozen".  we also got popcorn and a soft drink at 9:00 in the morning!

2) we went to the bahamas.  the cruise was so amazing and the ship was so luxurious [i am not using this term loosely] and the food was great. thank goodness there was mini golf and table tennis there. there was also a water park and pool that was really fun.

marshall, web, me, and susanna with the captain of the cruise ship

3) my soccer team won our first soccer tournament in charlotte, and we dominated.  during the tournament, we never were behind.  although we had some ties during games, we won every game.  after, we went to daddy's awesome college and had a very sweet lunch.

[sara: this picture was my choice -- we were so proud to find this hanging on the wall at our soccer facility!]

susanna
1) for the first time, i got the same teacher liam had last year.  i really like my class a lot.  there are so many great friends in it!

me and my friend lily at the lacy boosterthon -- a little sweaty and tired from running all those laps, but we had so much fun!

2) we stayed in a new beach house for our annual family reunion.  it had a pool and an elevator and everything.

my second-cousin reilly and me, having a sleepover in one of the bunk beds

 
3) i had my first communion.  i wore a very pretty white dress and flowers in my hair.

me and my friend charlotte, who's also in my Y princess tribe

sara
1) we bought a brand-new car after weeks of test driving and negotiating with sleazy dealers.  my favorite feature of my enclave is the remote start button -- a welcome tool for the sub-freezing mornings we've had recently.  a close second is the CD player, which plays books on CD from the library during the depressing amount of time i spend driving that thing.  now that liam's attending a charter school with no bus transportation, this new car is quickly becoming an old car in terms of mileage.  when you count the time driving there and back with the time i'm just sitting in the carpool line, it winds up being about an hour every afternoon picking him up.  add that to all the other activities that require me ferrying my children every which way, and this is a representative example of how much time i spend driving in a week:

yes, that's over 13 hours in the car in 7 days.  sort of depressing when i think about it.  maybe i shouldn't use this timer tool after all

2) we were fortunate to have several amazing trips this year, but the one by far was our cruise to the bahamas with good friends.  from start to finish, it was absolutely fantastic.

 not exactly the best picture to sum up the trip, but i'm trying to use one that's not already in the blog

3) i found out that i'm going to be an aunt again -- twice, in perhaps the same week!  my brother ben is expecting his second baby on april 6, and my sister leslie is expecting her first on april 9. we don't know what either is having, but my money's on boys for both.

 me and teddy, soon to be a big brother

chris [with a few editorial inserts by sara]
1) My new gig in R&D at SAS.  While Topaz was a fairly fun rollercoaster ride, I certainly don't miss the commute to and from Durham every day, nor the long hours.  I love getting to collaborate with a wide variety of really smart folks, having the freedom and encouragement to experiment with methods and processes I've never been empowered to implement before, and not feeling guilty volunteering at the kids' schools when given the opportunity.  Oh, and the M&Ms are pretty good, too.  [mondays are fresh fruit days, wednesdays are M&M days, and fridays are breakfast treat days.  chris also regularly uses his lunch break to play in the company flag football league, tennis league, and basketball leagues -- in the middle of the day.  interested in the piece about SAS being one of the best employers in the country, which aired last week on the today show?  click here and scroll down just a bit.]
2) The addition of Wonder Wo Mann to the fold.  I really didn't think we were ready for a new family member after Super's painful decline and then having to put her down. But Wonder is such a playful lovebug, she never ceases to put a smile on my face.

poor Super (it's easy to see how bad off she was near the end) and Wonder, during the few hours they were together

3) Discovering, after much prodding by some friends, F3. The volunteer-led fitness, fellowship, and faith program has been a fantastic kick in the rear for me to get into better shape with a bunch of cool guys who want to be better people.  [chris neglected to say that they meet at the ungodly hour of 5:15 a.m. and in the rain or sub-freezing temperatures.  how is that sane?]

wonder
these aren't just highlights -- they are major life changes.  do i get an award for surviving this crazy year? 
1) i got knocked up by some labrador and gave birth to ten (yes, ten!) "boxadors" -- who all looked more like labradors than boxers.  seriously?
2) the blue ridge boxer group rescued me after my previous owners couldn't afford to keep me, and was adopted by the best family i could imagine [oh wonder, how lovely a description!].  i'm blissfully happy, even though it took my mom several months to even write about me in this blog.  harrumph.
3) i had my name changed since no one knew what it originally was.  i'm pretty sure it's "super-i-mean-wonder".

 my mother used my picture to help her teach her online course -- 

and i daresay she's not giving me any compensation for my time

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 we continue to be blessed with by God. we strive each day to show our gratitude for all that we've been given.

happy 2014!