A Year in Photos & Words :: 2012

I've taken the month of January to really disconnect and listen to my inner voice that told me I needed to slow way down, rest and reflect on the last year, as well as the one ahead of me.  

We've been home a lot this month due to sickness and found a quiet groove by puttering around the house, indulging in video games, movie watching and organizing our surroundings.

Nightly rituals of boiling water and sipping tea really set the pace for our month and I enjoyed the quietness of January, my favorite month of the year.  I wanted to look back at 2012 and commemorate it somehow, so that's what I've done below in a few photos and words.  Follow me...

• Moderation.  My mantra and inspirational word for the year would be Moderation.
• We spent several gorgeous January days at the beach with the Rangels.
• Attended the Bodega Bay Crab Feed with the Mathers' clan
• Spent "the best day of my life, so far" in the city with Grady.  We ate at Benihana's (which he loved), strolled Japantown's Goodwill, walked up and down Valencia Street and visited 826 Valencia + the cool taxidermy shop next door
• January found us at the de Young Museum & the Academy of Sciences with the Rangel girls
• SL & G went to Southern California to celebrate Bea's 90th birthday

• We met 104 year old Miss Rhea Grimm & G interviewed her and learned about her life
• Lambs are everywhere in February and we stopped often to photograph them
• Homemade mixed media Valentine's Day cards + SL's awesome crab cakes
• Lots of storms, mustard blooming in the fields & bouquets of daffodils all month long
• Harry Potter #2 and Hugo were this month's favorite book selections for the boy
• We've had big storms & weekend basketball games
• The Bodega Bay Cabaret was a hit & G stayed for both shows and was called up on stage at intermission by the Russian Emcee!

• Working on the Sea Ranch Lodge renovation project kept me busy this month
• There was a lot of fort building in the back pasture & hikes behind our house
• G's first ballet w/ the Rangel women - Romeo & Juliet at the SF Symphony Hall
• Games were all the rage this month - Yahtzee, chess & Jenga!
• David & Manuella were here from France
• Bobcat killed one of our chickens on St. Patrick's Day
• We cleaned up Salmon Creek Beach 
• I'm working on my first political campaign for the re-election of Supervisor Efren Carrillo

• The Tall Ships visited Bodega Bay this month and helped set off the 200th anniversary celebration of the Russians coming to Bodega Bay!
• We slipped in two road trips to Southern California this month (yes, two!) and helped Lavinia celebrate her 90th birthday and spent Easter at the Christiansen compound
• G performed "Stairway to Heaven" on the recorder, along with the 3rd, 4th & 5th grade classes at Tomales Elementary School - absolutely priceless
• We attended Kai's art show in Forestville and were very social this month
• Birthday breakfast celebration for a certain nine year old, complete with homemade donuts & presents opened before school
• Gigi arrived on G's birthday and stayed with us for a week
• A new mountain bike was his big gift this year
• The 39th Annual Fisherman's Festival happened and my mom watched Grady, made meals and took care of us during this crazy weekend

• May found us in San Francisco a few times and G studied cartooning with Emma Capps at 826 Valencia
• Strawberries are finally in season and I always forget how good they taste when picked fresh
• Piano recitals, birthday parties where you get to do archery, belated birthday Lego cakes and Mother's Day is how we spent some of our time this month
• G finally got his wig snipped and thought he looked really cool with his new professionally cut hairdo 

• Sunset Magazine Celebration weekend with S + J & G
• Local elections were upon us and Supervisor Efren Carrillo was re-elected!
• I hit the road w/ Jill & Sissy and relaxed in Big Sur before school let out
• Harvested our garlic crop & picked strawberries at Swallow Valley Farms (and made jam ;-)
• Father's Day was spent at True Grass Farms for an amazing brunch & bubbles by the Estero, complete with hayride and guitar picking 
• The guys biked round trip to Tomales with the Rangel women (approximately 15 miles)
• A week of sleeping in and then the summer academies started at TES, where G would focus on marine biology with Mr. Risley

• July was all about being a kid and having fun in the summertime.  We packed it full to the brim and we loved all of it!
• Fireworks, feather collecting, s'mores, soccer practice
• Peach harvesting, meeting a friend from Russia!, making first-ever pickles & redwood cross from CYO camp
• More s'mores, first tomato of the season, dinner parties with friends & golf camp
• Daily drawing journal, dining alfresco, camping at Gerstle Cove with the days and swim lessons
• We stay-cationed at the Mahley house in Bodega Harbour
• G discovered the Rohnert Park Library and it became his new favorite

• First-ever CYO day camp + one overnight.  G was nervous and almost didn't stay for the overnight part, but he would have missed s'mores, spying on the older camps, watching a movie under the night's sky and feeling like a big kid
• We went to Southern California, again, to visit the Christiansens
• Legos, soccer practices, books and cooking at home were all front and center this month
• The Big Event in Bodega was a sweet highlight and the Tippi Hedren look alike was funny
• Blackberries started to show themselves and our first batch of blackberry jam was delish
• Wildwood by Colin Meloy was the best book I read this year.  I shared this book with Grady and we loved the magical forest that is Wildwood.

• School is back in session and I get sad for the fun-driven summer plans
• I turn 42 this year and celebrated quietly with my guys
• Soccer season is in full swing & G secured Mombo's as the team sponsor.  He wrote the owner a heartfelt letter and his teammates were stoked!
• Our first visit to the Legion of Honor to see the Man Ray exhibit
• Bert's mom passed away and I flew to Southern California for the services
• G got a big haircut for 4th grade and was quite nervous the day before school started.  He has the same teacher as last year, Mr. Demsher.
• Reading, drawing and soccer are keeping this boy very busy
• We cheered Isabella on as she completed the Medio Fondo with her mom - over 67 miles on her bicycle and up over Coleman Valley Road.  Super. Star.

• The Angry Hippos made it to the Harvest Cup playoffs and ended up with 2nd Place for the season
• We hiked Muir Woods as a family and it was magical (hot, but magical)
• Our family participated in the Russian River Mud Run 5K, along with the Rangel clan
• The Annual Chute Pumpkin Carving Contest found Steve's bulldog pumpkin taking 2nd place
• G was really into Origami this month and spent hours in his art studio making cootie catchers in the color palette of the Star Wars' characters, mainly Yoda
• Grady raised $620 to help his 4th grade class with the school-wide jog-a-thon.  He completed 20 laps overall
• Obama was re-elected and that was a relief!
• We got a few new chicks from Hands Full Farm and discovered two roosters in the flock!
• Mush ball is the chosen recess activity and Steve made one for G to take to school (only to lose, get sad about it, write a note to Fil the janitor & presto! Mush ball returned)

• We said our goodbyes to Ollalieberry, our 23 year old llama neighbor
• Grady & I flew to Arizona to see my mom and the extended family and it sure was a nice visit
• The 1st ever Pie Auction was put on by the Valley Ford Young Farmers Association and was a total hoot!  This has to be an annual event and I did "win" three pies + a one year CSA subscription to Bloomfield Farms U-pick program.
• Steve roasted a beautiful turkey and we hosted Thanksgiving with Scott, Jill, Eric K. and had Patty & Charlie stop by for a glass of bubbly before all the food eating began
• Suzann's annual tree-trimming party is a highlight of my year and always takes place on the Saturday following Thanksgiving
• The weekend weather was gorgeous
• Grady took a slip off our deck while taking out the compost and ended up with pomegranate seeds all over his face.  I thought he knocked his teeth out.  He was banged up and sad.  So was this mama.  Broke my heart hearing him scream like that 

• Crab feeds, holiday bazaars, craft fairs, birthday and xmas parties - December was full of them
• We chose to keep it simple (or at least try to) this holiday season and celebrated little things each day with the use of the Advent calendar - I loved this practice & so did G
• We had major storms and road closures
• Steve's dad drove up for xmas & to celebrate his 70th birthday
• We hosted our annual xmas eve open house & Anna Erickson wrung this rooster's neck on her way out the door - never to be repeated, I'm sure - that girl can make an exit!
• Scott & Kacy and the boys showed up a few days after Steve's dad left and we rung in the new year over a savory meal with Scott & Jill.  Poor Steve was quarantined for most of their visit, as he was sick, sick, sick.
• G did not get a iPod touch from Santa and learned that you can't always get what you want.
• Grady read like a mad-man this year and read a grand total of 417 books for 2012!  Amazing.

How did we do all of that?  

Wow. 

I'm tired at the end of this post.  What a full and wonderful life we've created.  I had fun looking back and it helped remind me of why we work so hard, live where we live and how very lucky we are.

My husband is not pictured much here on this blog and I'm sure he's quite fine with it, but he's usually off working hard so that I can spend my days seeking beauty, creating memories and learning how to manage my time as wife, mother, sister, daughter & friend.  I've got a good one in that man of mine.

Here's to a great 2013.  I can't wait to see what happens.