Hello, two thousand and twelve

I know that January 1st is but an arbitrary mark of time, but each year, I look forward to the promise of something new. For the excuse to take time to tidy up my life and to start off fresh.

I love the exercise of starting off the new year by reflecting on the year past and making goals for the full year of days to come. As I sit in a quiet living room at 10am on New Year's Day while both of my boys are still slumbering in their beds after a lovely and intimate New Year's Eve celebration with some dear friends, I find comfort and hope in the reflection and planning.

Please allow me to share with you some memories that shaped last year for us as well as my goals for the year that is already starting to unfold.

2011 was filled with ups and downs for our family- My dad had open heart surgery in February followed by a complicated hospital stay due to Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia. In March, medical school Match Day found us holding the letter revealing that David got his first choice of residencies...we were moving to Seattle! In April, David ran the Boston Marathon! and I learned of my diagnosis after my first of what is sure to be so many MRIs. We endured a messy and grueling move from our Atlanta home of four years in May...I hope we don't need to move again for a long while...whew! Our move was followed by a wonderfully long visit in Pensacola with family that extended into early June. June was a month of the old and comfortable and the new and unknown...we went to our 10 year Davidson College reunion and then a few days later, landed in Seattle to start a new chapter of our lives. Shortly after our move, David started his internship year of surgery- grueling hours and lots and lots of hard work. We visited Oregon for the first time in July...a true perk to being in the Pacific Northwest are all the new destinations waiting for us to explore! I started my new job in August and I am so, so happy in my new position as an outpatient dietitian! We lost Granny in early September and I still fell like I'm trying to wrap my head around the immense loss. In October, we made our first visit to California. California, we love you and promise to be back soon! David's sister moved to Washington in November along with her charming boyfriend and we are so, so glad to have family close by again! And, December felt like a month long holiday celebration with family visits, time away in Easton, and festive gatherings that made us merry and our lives brighter.

Our goals for 2012 include: starting my treatment regimen writing more- both here and for magazines finishing up David's surgery intern year and starting radiology! teaching Jack how to use the potty transitioning Jack from his crib to his big boy bed running another half-marathon allowing ourselves to just. be. happy. It appears that we- Americans- tend to see happiness as a sign of laziness or as a fleeting moment that ends while we are busy moving to the next item on our invisible to-do lists. Well, I don't know about you, but I like to be happy. I plan to make searching and holding onto happiness one of my most important goals this year.

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope your year is full of peace, hope, love, and good health.

*top and bottom photos were taken on January 1st at Kerry Park viewpoint in one of our most favorite areas of Seattle. I would like to point out that the day was warm (57 degrees), sunny and clear- see the view of the Space Needle and Mt. Rainier??!

**other photos from our New Year's Eve celebration...note the 3 drinks in front of David! We rang in the New Year with the Central Time Zone by banging pots and pans with wooden spoons on our deck.