2011 in review

my favorite photo of 2011

i love the end of the year -- it's fun to reflect on what we've done, and plan ahead for a new year. 2011 could have been a lot scarier if i didn't have my faith and my family to rely on, and i'm grateful for that. as a family we did a lot of growing and learning, and i think it was good preparation for future curveballs down the road. after starting out 2011 with a completely blank slate ahead of us, i'd say we ended up in a pretty good spot.

a look back at 2011:

• i defied all odds as an "indoor girl" [read: non-athletic] and ran my first half marathon!
• b graduated from MBA school and, after many interviews, sleepless nights & faith-building experiences accepted a job with microsoft.
• so we moved to seattle! the transition was a little rough but we love exploring our new city. 
• jack turned 1! [and i turned 27, but no one cares about that.]
• our little buddy mastered finger foods, learned about snow, stood up in his crib, got his first haircut, maintained his role as cutest baby ever, started walking!, learned how to throw poop, became obsessed with rocks, got a forward-facing carseat, and met santa and hated it 
• we had visitors! my mom came in july, b's parents in august and my parents for thanksgiving.
• said goodbye to summer with a blissful day in west seattle and the sleepless in seattle houseboat! 
• working for the man can stick it -- in my first full year as a freelancer, i had arguably my best professional year yet with meaningful projects (and awesome placements), landing my first independent client, jumping into the seattle social media world, becoming a producer for the mormon women project and attending my first blog conference.
• i traveled with my little sidekick to rancho, san diego, las vegas, provo, idaho falls, yellowstone --  and solo to las vegas (my first time leaving jack for 24 hours)
• b traveled to los angeles, new jersey, los angeles, seattle, pullman
• as a family, we traveled to rexburg, san diego, seattle, vancouver, leavenworth, salt lake city

[see also: recaps from 2008 | 2009 | 2010]

can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us! let's just hope it doesn't involve the apocalypse ;)