2012: the year in review

drum roll, please! ............................

after several days and hours we have put together a treat for you!  as we haven't shared pictures in years on here, we thought it might be nice to document us : ).  i wanted to have it done while it was still 2012, so today i've felt a little bit like i did in 2005 when i was trying to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, per President Hinckley : ) ha

january
we both got new glasses.  for some of us they were the first new ones.

we celebrated chinese new year the best way we know how - with food!

i started working for jefferson school district at monticello.  if only the real one...

february
i had a birthday!

we went to santa clara to watch a byu basketball game.

march
we celebrated st. patrick's day in dublin, ca.  we watched the parade, saw some performances, walked around the booths/rides, and convinced will to take my picture with a leprechaun!  we also ate green food and a leprechaun brought lucky charms in the night!

april
after previous months of meeting with other doctors who, ultimately, couldn't do much for us, and waiting a couple more months for our turn for our initial consult, we finally got in to the center for reproductive health!
we had a lovely easter together and finally dyed eggs! (despite our good intentions for years prior... : )

we walked the golden gate bridge and explored muir woods.

i enjoyed every last moment of my spring break!

may
will had a birthday!

we drove up to visit and play with family in oregon and washington for memorial day weekend!  we got to see natalie and masen perform at stacy's school, will got to see grandma and grandpa's house and farm, we saw the rose festival fireworks, we hiked, biked, made homemade pizza and homemade ice cream, and saw aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and old friends.

school ended for the year!

june
we'd been living here a year.
jeanette came to visit!  we visited the oakland temple grounds, and walked all over san francisco - well, some parts.  we walked up to, then down lombard street, through chinatown, "toured" a fortune cookie factory, through the financial district, around the embarcadero, the ferry building and farmers' market, pier 39, fishermen's wharf, played in the musee mechanique, ate "seafood" and ghirardelli ice cream, then rounded it out with a trip across the golden gate bridge!

i ran the tag-a-longs area at cub scout day camp.
i had a month stint teaching piano.

july
after a ward 4th of july breakfast we enjoyed the afternoon and evening with aunt dorothy, uncle blaine, steve, and mike.
we camped at del valle and pedal boated in the morning!

we drove to utah to visit and play with family and friends!  after sleeping under the stars one night in winnemucca, nv we enjoyed the hospitality of will's family for a few days and jenn and alan's family for a few days.  that allowed us to easily play in the salt lake AND provo areas, including a jaunt out to kamas.  neices and nephews were bigger, smarter, cuter, and funny as always!  we saw the new city creek center, temple square, church history museum, and new church library.  we got to see grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles at family get-togethers including the annual 24th of july party!!  while my dart throwing skills haven't improved much, it was made up for by our performance in the water balloon toss and my success in our mini olympics that morning with will's sisters : ).  in provo we, of course, walked around the byu campus reminiscing, saw jeff's mice/flea lab : ), swam and water slid at the veteran's memorial pool, made our own waterslide in the quad, played at trafalga, shot off water rockets, played in the quad, went to library story time, ate cafe rio, had creamery chocolate milk and ice cream, and had a slumber party.  it all went much too fast in both places!  before we left i was able to see my good old friend brittany (who agreed to adventure to florida with me, years ago, when we were first roommates).  we loved our trip there and wished it could have lasted longer!  plus we love road trips together : )

august
we got to go boating with the youth!

school started again, and so did three lunches a week in the car.
we went to see les miserables in san francisco!  i read it (abridged) in a week leading up to it - all on my phone : / ha.
we celebrated our 4th anniversary!
we camped at the beach (half moon bay) and then drove down to monterey for the aquarium!

september
we discovered carmel on the youth beach trip!

grandma and grandpa s were on vacation and coming though california, so we got together to see them, steve, diane, karen, laura, and denise!

october
we actually came up with real costumes for halloween (parties).  we set a record with no trick or treaters.

we also had an excellent spooky halloween dinner!

i began some tutoring.

november
we went to the san jose/byu football game!  (and devotional the night before)

we drove down to san diego for thanksgiving!  we walked around balboa park, went to the science museum, hiked every foot of the san diego zoo, ate some good mexican food, saw a holiday lights display (from a hayride : ), saw three temples (only went to two temple grounds), relaxed at huntington beach some, sang along with the christmas radio, and loved all our time in the car to talk!

we made ourselves a thanksgiving dinner after we got back from san diego.

december
we went to the free nutcracker in oakland!
we went to a nativity festival in modesto!
i went to washington for a visit with family!  we went to an excellent christmas concert by the portland ensign choir and orchestra, a messiah concert, saw the christmas ships, celebrated grandma's birthday, went to chuck e cheese, saw the lights on candy cane lane, saw the fun decorations in the pittock mansion, went to the grotto, went to omsi, and tried to stay warm and dry!  i got to see scott, bethany, lily, and maggie, too!  it was fun to spend some time with greg before he leaves for his mission to africa! : )

we tried to go to zoo lights, but it was closed (due to rain?), so went over to see the lights at the temple, and got to go to a gospel choir christmas concert!

we had a wonderful christmas eve and christmas!  we talked and skyped with lots of family, sang songs, watched home alone, exchanged some fun gifts, and ate lots of yummy food!  of course including bacon! : )

we've loved having christmas break and extra time to spend together as a family!  we've stayed up too late, slept in, ate junk, relaxed, played games, etc.


we laughed some, we cried some, we lost some weight and then gained some of it back, we traveled, we did things we liked, we worked on our goals, we had some disappointments, we planned our future, we grew closer together and reaffirmed the joy we bring each other, we gave in and paid for cable for the byu football season, we served in elder's quorum and young women, we grew in many ways, and we looked forward to many more happy days and years!

2012 was good to us and we're excited for all the fun, experiences, and growth that will come in 2013!! : )