Welcome to my top 12 highlights from 2012! I've chosen a photo from every month to share with you. Some months were really difficult to choose a highlight photo because I had so many and some months were really easy to choose because I barely had any photos at all. It's inspired me to take more everyday pictures in 2013.
Photo by Christine LeGrand
January: our wedding - obviously! It was such a special day, and amazingly everything seemed to go just right. It was magical and hectic and crazy, and I loved it. The only thing that could possibly top my wedding was my sister Libby's birthday which just happened to be the same day.
February: trip home to St. Louis. I had the first trip home in almost a year that didn't have anything to do with planning for the wedding. My mom and I saw the orchid show at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and I got a little taste of spring to get me through the last few brutal months of winter.
March: the beginning of the community garden! I helped start a community garden this year, and we kicked off our season with a potluck and container gardening workshop. My friend Mike did a presentation and put together great instructional handouts. The community garden has been such a cool, challenging project to be a part of, and I was so proud of how much we accomplished in our first season. We created a great space, harvested a surprising amount of delicious vegetables, and established a new community. Woo-hoo!
April: another trip home for Easter. By the time April rolls around, Milwaukee is still dreary and cold. BUT - St. Louis is already sunny and warming up. Flowers were in full bloom everywhere, and it warmed my heart to see signs of new life. The weekend was a great chance to spend some quality time with the family.
May: trip to Portland, OR with my brother and sister. What a trip it was. My favorite part of this trip to Portland was experiencing an adult vacation with (most of) my siblings. My siblings and I really enjoy each other's company and have grown closer as we've gotten older. I really appreciate that we can be friends and survive a cross country trip with each other.
June: Honeymoon!!!! Paul and I postponed our honeymoon to Quebec until June so we would have nice weather to enjoy (as you can probably tell, I'm really into nice weather). One of the best parts of this trip was just getting to relax together. We also love exploring new cities by foot, and Quebec City and Montreal are perfect cities for that.
July: JVC reunion at a Denver wedding. We travelled to Colorado for the wedding of one of Paul's JVC roommates. We had the chance to catch up and make new memories with old friends. "Reunited and it feels so good."
August: another trip to Portland! This time my dad and my youngest brother Pat met us in Portland. We saw A LOT of sights and ate A LOT of food. Pat and Dad were even adventurous enough to try sushi for the first time. The best of this trip, hands down, was going to the Portland Timbers game together. Four months later, we're still singing the Timbers' chants to each other. We're that family.
September: meeting Dory (the one on the right). Yes, my sister's dog made the 2012 highlight list. She's just that special.
October: all things Fall. I loved Fall this year. For whatever reason, I was really in tune with the changing of the season - the cooler weather, the colorful leaves, the autumn traditions. I think it might be because I was trying to appreciate every last bit of sunlight and warmish weather before the winter set in. Six months of crappy weather really makes you appreciate nice temperatures and being outside.
November: spending time with Papa. It's still hard to believe that Papa's gone. I am so grateful for the time we spent together - over the past 27 years of course - but especially the last few weeks when he was so sick. After all he's done for me, it was nice to be able to be present when he needed us. We were still making memories almost until the very end.
December: Christmas vacation. After a very full year of travel, events, and transitions, I felt that we really had a lot to celebrate this Christmas. It's been a whirlwind travelling adventure that's not quite finished - it's definitely a gift to have so many people to enjoy the holidays with.
Traveling and spending time with family and friends - and ridiculously cute dogs - were themes of mine for 2012. What were some of your 2012 highlights?