My best regards to 2011

I'm sorry, 2011. You got the blog shaft.
I'm hoping 2012 will get the upper hand. But it's early yet. And it's not off to a super great start. So, only time will tell. I have good intentions.
Don't feel totally shafted, 2011. You really had it good.
For instance, 2011 brought me THIS:

Life's greatest blessings come in the form of friends who will listen to you whine, help you streamer a friend's bedroom, tell you that you're not as hopeless as you claim to be, flirt with the Chukars mascot, tough out some SERIOUS drama with you, demote you from being Captain to merely "steerer", celebrate earth-breaking triumphs, and leave random treats in and on and under your car. (and hold you up when you're squatting at a concert because your hips hurt.) I met Kari in 2010, but in 2011, she turned into a HUGE blessing for me, and I'm SO grateful for that blessing!

Through 2011, the Post Register newspaper continued to pay my bills while I stressed and screamed and went crazy booking their advertising and laying out the newspaper. The PR and I continue to have a tortured relationship and may be seeking counseling.

In 2011, I hiked, Zumba'd and volleyballed my a** off. And by saying that, it would imply that I ever had an a** to begin with. I never did. But, since the other squishy parts of me still exist, I'm going to say that it was my a** that was most affected. Hmm. I probably shouldn't have ever gone here to begin with. 


In 2011, I did a lot of hiking, Zumba and played a lot of volleyball. I'm starting to get pretty nervous that my joints and my energy level are not aging in unison. I LOVE to play and I don't ever want to have to slow down. But, I have definitely been fighting my share of knee, hip and shoulder pains. Nothing I'd ever go to the doctor for, of course.

 hike to Union Falls (17 miles?) with Cameron, Kari, Gina, me, Brooke, Jared, Tanner, Melissa and Keri.

I played on 3 recreational volleyball teams in 2011. This was our team for the women's league. Melissa, Jessica, me, Andrea and Kylee with Kim and Heidi in the front row. It was such a fun collection of girls from all over the place. Kylee and I have had a blast playing together for awhile now and I just LOVE having that tradition with her! I even called my childhood friend Andrea out of retirement to come join us! (she's the shmoe in the back with the antlers.) 

My cousins Amanda and Alex joined me at Zumba before our family reunion! I'm kind of a Zumba nut. Who'd have EVER thought that would happen? I've always been the uncoordinated, lazy girl who'd rather eat a cookie than work out. Well, THAT hasn't changed. But I LOVE going to Zumba and sweating out my uncoordination! Honestly? The highlight for me is the fun I get to have with friends. In 2011, I got Gina, Keri, Lisa, Bethany and Shayla all coming to Zumba. Then we have to count the amazing Tami and Amy who teach and have become close friends as well. Also, there's this girl.

Valerie has brought SO much sunshine into my life in such a short time! We met at Zumba, but it took us awhile to both creep out of our comfort zones and become friends. But, now that we have, it's amazing how close we've become so fast. I just love this lady! I don't have any pictures of us together yet. Don't tell her I stole this from her facebook page. ;) Thank you, 2011, for bringing me Valerie. 2012, it's up to you to keep this going! And I really can't wait! 

Is it obvious that PEOPLE are my favorite THINGS? 2011 brought me lots of good people and good experiences. Here are just a few more:

This guy. I think he entered my life in ... 1994? But 2011 taught us how crazy-similar we are. Apparently "dork" runs in the family. (he's my 17-year-old cousin.) Makay has been cracking me up all year! We've started a tradition of giving each other "the bird" which means finding some bird figurine that Grandma uses as decoration in her house and handing it to one another. Makay and I also shared an epic canoeing trip down the river with his brother, Dallin. We played dueling banjos with our canoe paddles. I did NOT teach Mak how to paddle a boat. Which end's up? Seriously. This kid is hilarious. And we get along alarmingly well.

Then, there's my cousin Kim. 2011 (and every year for the past ... 5 years?) has brought on a lot of heart-warming conversations. Last year was particularly monumental. Thanks so much for sharing your love, support and insight, Kim!

You know, I could go on forever about 2011 and we all know there are plenty of gaps to fill, since my posts have been PATHETIC, but how can I really make up for a year's worth of blogging in one post that anyone's actually going to read? If you read this all the way through ... well ... I don't believe that anyone really will.

Anyway, maybe I'll do some quicker, smaller, more event-based posts in retrospect. Anyone want to hear about Halloween? ;) Oooh! I really want to post about Kylee eating Skyler's cheese. Another day.

As for this re-cap, I'll just show you one more thing that 2011 brought me:

 hello, baby.