Everyday Life: Goodbye 2012

Another year, another blog entry. I have grown to enjoy putting together this year in review because I can go through all the photos and remember what we did over the last twelve months. They say "a picture is worth a thousand words" - that's my excuse for keeping the writing to a minimum and letting the photos do the talking.

JANUARY: In January Grace turned 8 (check out the photo above, can you believe she is almost 9?!) and celebrated with friends at a peace-themed pottery painting party at Java and Clay.

We also had an awesome snowstorm!

FEBRUARY: In February we took advantage of a sweet airfare sale and spent Winter Break in San Francisco with our friends Asya and Ang. We rode on a cable car, toured Alcatraz, went to Pier 39, the California Academy of the Sciences, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Riding on a cable car

Our impromptu Chinatown tour with "Jackie Chan II"

View from Alcatraz

MARCH: In March our 8 year old British Shorthair "Ringo" was diagnosed with renal failure from polycystic kidney disease (a condition he was born with but I didn't know he had until he got sick). Unfortunately we lost him a few short weeks after he was diagnosed.

Visiting Ringo in the hospital

APRIL: We spent Easter with Grandma and Grandpa and went up to Seattle to check out the Gauguin exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum and go to the Pike Place Market.

We also spent Spring Break with them and rented an awesome house on Orcas Island. On the way home we checked out the Tulip Festival.

In April we made the bittersweet decision to find "Checkers" our pony a new home due to his horrible allergies. Through a Craigslist ad we found a perfect home for him in Oregon and the updates we get say he is doing well down there!

MAY: In May Grace had her First Communion.

Team Amazing Grace 2012- Amy, Jenny, Asya, Mom

We also did our annual March of Dimes- March for Babies walk with "Team Amazing Grace". We have never missed a year since Grace was born to walk and raise awareness for premature births.

We borrowed a kayak from the folks and took it from the boat launch to the sandspit. It was kinda hard but super fun..

This is a "clay baby"


Maiden voyage with the dogs. Kipper was not a fan.

On Memorial Day we got the sad news that our dog Mitch was in congestive heart failure.

JUNE: In June we traveled to Chicago to attend my sisters graduation from University of Chicago Law School. Only they don't call it graduation. They have a fancy name for it- "Convocation"

Fun at the Museum of Science and Industry

Venus Fly Trap

Grace with her "Favorite Niece 2012" trophy

Grace had no fear of the Skydeck at Willis Tower

What an accomplishment!

Grace cooling off at the Graduation reception!

Chicago water taxi

I worked a couple days at the Humane Society in June and brought home a sweet kitten named Monty who had been confined to isolation for 6 weeks for treatment of his herpes virus that wasn't getting better. I'm a sucker for the problem cases! Grace fell in love at first sight.

JULY: In July we drove down to Bandon Oregon to meet our friends for a few days of camping. We had a blast!

Beach Dogs

a tough bike ride against a head wind

mimi wanted to make friends with the dogs

We love the Standerfers!

Happy Campers

On our drive back home we stopped and visited with our old friends the Beleiciks in Salem.

AUGUST: We took our annual trip to Philadelphia and Wildwood again. This time we were lucky enough to bring Savannah with us and my dad bought our plane tickets. Aunt Fran and Cousin Don gave us places to stay, the Mastersons gave us bikes, and we had the best week ever! We saw so many cousins this time and spent nearly every day on the beach.

Savannah posing with Funnel Cake at a county fair

Grandmoms old house.

Hoagies? Yes, please!

Goofing off at Nifty Fiftys

The Liberty Bell

We love Sportland Bikes

Ah, Wildwood Crest Beach

The boardwalk with Cousin Bob, Sheila and Auntie Michelle

We love Wildwood

Riding bikes is fun!

Family

Cousin Bob is fun

Philadelphia Water Ice- yummy!

My Dads medical school

Cousins

At the water park, before the thunderstorm

When we got back from that trip we immediately took another mini-trip with old friends from San Diego- we did a two day tour of the Olympic Peninsula- checking out the beaches/tide pools, Olympic National Park, Hoh Rain Forest, Forks, Neah Bay, Cape Flattery, and Hurricane Ridge.

Linda and Maritza, so great to see them!

SEPTEMBER: Back to school -Grace started third grade! She loves her teacher and enjoys everything about school (especially recess and music) except for the homework. We have had some epic homework battles. She has been struggling a little in math so her Uncle Kevin has started tutoring her after school on Fridays.


First Day of Third Grade

I went to San Antonio for a veterinary conference. I saw the Alamo, went on a Ghost Tour, and ate lots of yummy food along the River Walk.

We took a one night camping trip with some friends back on Orcas at Moran State Park

Kipper and kids

Campsite

Camping is super fun


Grace- what are you doing with that stick?

In September my brothers 20+ month long divorce was finalized at last and our family started getting to spend time with Savannah and Isabella on a regular basis. (Madisyn has not decided to join us yet- we are hoping that will change in the new year).

Cousin Bob came out for the first time since his accident and we went to Bumbershoot together, just like old times..

OCTOBER: In October we tragically lost our newest addition Monty when we started letting him go outside (I knew all the risks but hoped he would stay close to home). I went on Petfinder one night and found a special needs kitten in Sunbury Pennsylvania that had to join our family. He had a rare deformity- radial agenesis- born without radius' in his forelegs. We happen to have another cat at home with the same deformity. Since Grace was so sad about losing Monty and my parents happened to be in Pennsylvania for their 50th high school reunion, we were successfully able to convince them to drive to Harrisburg to pick him up and fly him back home to us!

look at how sad he was- he needed to be ours!


Meeting Pumpkin for the first time

The cousins go to the pumpkin patch:

NOVEMBER: In November I celebrated my birthday a week early by staying in a hotel in Seattle and going to a Kimya Dawson show at the Vera Project. We got autographed socks and hugs, and ate at the Melting Pot. Grace got to sing "Alphabutt" on stage (a promise Kimya has kept ever since Grace was 5) and she played one of my favorite songs. The next day Grace went to an animation camp at Reel Grrls where she made a short stop-time movie.

grace singing Alphabutt with Kimya

autographed socks

Thanksgiving weekend we lost our dear little dog Mitch. He died in Graces lap on Sunday night

DECEMBER:

Gig Harbor tree lighting

Grace and Pumpkin were on "Evening Magazine" for a story about these "Not Your Typical Santa Photos"

Ready for ice skating

This month Grace joined a Brownies troop. I went back to Weight Watchers and also almost completely quit drinking Diet Coke. After a 20+ year addiction to the diet soft drink, I am only allowing myself to drink just one a day. Time will tell if I can manage to make myself a priority and become a healthier mom in 2013 (and maybe there will be photos of me on next years blog!?)

I have been very busy with work as usual this year. I know I am fortunate to have plenty of work I just wish I didn't have to work quite as much as I do. I am still working at two different 24 hour emergency clinics in Tacoma and on the mobile Spay Neuter truck the "Spay Station". My home euthanasia business Peaceful Passing is helping many families say goodbye to their beloved pets at home. And did you notice I never made it out of the country this year? I am sad about that but I was on a very restricted travel budget due to my ever climbing debt. Hopefully my passport will get a stamp in 2013..or I'll at least make it to Hawaii (a girl can dream, right?)