2012 in the Raw

Self examination over the last two days:  And I asked myself, "What did you do in 2012?"

I was more than a little disappointed when I found my 2012 New Years Resolutions, buried at the bottom of a stack of papers.  I had accomplished nothing on my Resolution list. Nothing.

So I propelled upstairs to take a look at 2012 photos.  Perhaps this activity would help me understand why.  

What did I do in 2012?  I decided to post an unedited smattering of photos that would make me feel so much better about a whole year that has come and gone in the blink of an eye.

Disclaimer:  this is LONG.  That is the point.  I'm keeping my eye open (don't blink, or you'll miss something)

January

Meredith and George - officially engaged on New Years Eve

Ringing in the New Year with traditional goal-setting friends - Madsens, Martins, Williams all in SC - They did not come to UT this year, so we set our goals via Skype

 They are listening to Meredith and George, making the big announcement - What?!

 Dee and Dot come to visit - Dot flies in from Hawaii....to snow

Meredith and I search for a wedding venue - hard to picture a summer wedding
when there is snow all around

 We liked this bridal room the best

 Wedding Expo - Whoa!

 We went to almost every booth - a lot of booths!  We tried lots of wedding cake and
spoke to a lot of wedding photographers and generally overwhelmed ourselves with
all things wedding

 Coming out of the wedding expo extravaganza, two tired sisters pose for a photo
with a monster - don't ask

 Looked at millions of wedding dresses

Meredith looks good in almost any style - uncanny

 Mother/Daughter trip to Santa Barbara for Meredith's birthday

Wedding workshop central - Meredith's bedroom - she decided to make her wedding dress
Experimenting with different types of fabric

Hannah came to visit from SC

We took her on a temple square tour

Wisdom teeth out - wedding plans still under way from the corner of the sectional - movies on the side

February

Temple trip with Mr B

 Self...

A field trip to Randy's recording studio - his bathroom

 New Years Resolution:  sketchbook everyday

 Valentine's date - To Midway - visited a Crater

Sports Mall with Meredith - yoga demonstration in the hallway

 Sketchbook everyday - I kept this going until mid-June

 Work, Work, Work...

 Valentine's Day - Meredith always decorates and leaves little presents

 Cousin Courtney's birthday celebration - pictured with Cousin Forester

 my mom, Meredith

Us

March

Ruby - Lacrosse

  Work, work, work.... This was a stressful work month

Randy's birthday

 me and my bro, Randy

 "Why does Jewie's house only have brown band-aids?"  A favorite photo, to be sure

 me and my dad

Fun day in Provo with the McCarty Family - my dad, Diana, Maggie, Caroline

 Maggie and Caroline visiting Grandpie's bunnies and garden

 My dad - this is how he gets around

 Skype with Meredith and George - in Hawaii

Lynda.com classes - wish I had ALL day to learn and practice - Creative Suite

April

 Spring Break - road trip

 San Diego - evening at the beach

 USS Midway - Navy ship tour - our brother-in-law/uncle Patrick served on this very ship!

San Diego restaurant - hungry faces - a view from the table

 San Diego

 Ruby sings - can you find her?

 A visit and a spring walk with Meredith - snow turning to rain

 We played LaCrosse for the 1st time, me and Mr. B - Ruby's team against the parents

Starting the long, long, long search for something to wear on Meredith's wedding day
Mother of the bride jitters

 Mr. B service project - working with the kids from church

 Visiting San Diego friends - meet the Nash Faces in their incredibly clean & organized garage

 Visiting former college room mate - her kids play all kinds of instruments - and they sing!

 Visit to Cyd-nut and company - hot tub

 Loved our hotel - loved the pool

 I jumped in the pool and actually went swimming with my girls
They were so amazed and impressed - they took a thousand photos
All photos.....major goofy, but I had to include one - momentous occasion.  "The thing is...I like to be warm."

 USS Midway - all aboard!

 USS Midway field trip - old Navy ship, docked in San Diego, turned museum

 San Diego Temple - family temple trip - So great!

Ruby and Zach - Jr. Prom

May

 Max called on his birthday to set-up the Mother's Day Skype session (we only get to talk 2x per year)
I missed his call and sat on the couch and bawled for a while
Then he called back
Still trying to keep my goal of sketchbook everyday

Mr. B and I sign up for Ballroom dance classes - Learning to dance properly for Meredith's wedding
Bride and Father of the Bride dance - be prepared in all things

 Patrick shares information and personal stories about the USS Midway - his Navy days - fascinating
So interesting and fun to hear!  Diana, supportive wife, listens attentively

 Best Mother's Day treat - Skype session with Max in Vina Del Mar Chile

 me and my mom 1967ish?

A Sunday in May - why did we take these photos?  - must've been our outfits
I'm thinking of starting a mid-life fashion blog ...... kidding

Mother's tea at Nanette's - A-M-A-Z-I-N-G - see A Garnished Life

My mother's birthday - She's a trooper, as she navigates around many health frustrations
I am proud of my mother

 Mother's day flowers - Mr. B at the sink (not me)

 Mr. B loves yoga

Mother's Day - Meredith made Frittata for breakfast - Super Yummy!

 Message to Max (Elder Matesen)  - Signage for our Skype session

Farewell to Meredith and George - going back to school at BYUi

June

 At printers, picking paper for wedding invites and announcements

Designing and overseeing the printing of wedding invitations - which yellow is best?!!

 Annual road trip - so familiar - the trek to Santa Cruz, but this time... no Jr. Guards

 Feels like home

 Favorite beach for a long walk in the morning fog

 Pleasure Point House arts and crafts - Ella, Kendall, Makena, Emmett

 All wedding announcements addressed, stamped, assembled, waiting for the final engagement photo

 Babysitting the Martins in SC

 Ruby arrives - Oakland

At the end of June, Meredith and George decided mutually to call off the wedding
This was a very difficult time for all of us, but especially for Meredith
Meredith arrives on an early morning flight - SFO

 Warm healing sun for Meredith - not in the forecast, but much needed - babysitting Malia

 While talking on my cell phone at the beach; long conversation, I arranged the dried kelp bulbs

Ruby, Ella, me - Love the SC vibe at the Pleasure Point House

 Mr. B skateboards in SC

 Ella's graduation party at the Pleasure Point House in Santa Cruz

 Ella - graduate

 Jesse and Makena

Charlotte came to Santa Cruz for a weekend - wish I had a better pic of the two of us in SC

We had a very good time, but it was too short

Having to replace the car battery bought us another day

Char is a very nice driving companion - 12 hours of talk time

July

Traditional Family 4th of July Picnic - best games ever!

 Ruby gets a job - Fruit Stand at the Farmer's Market - SLC Farmer's Market is amazing!

 Ruby leaves for a humanitarian trip to Fiji - Life-changing experience!
There are a million amazing photos of Ruby's Fiji trip on Facebook

 In Idaho for Meredith's fashion show

 Yoga - these two are VERY much alike - doing yoga in hotel lobby?

 Preparing for Max's homecoming

 Max gets the guest bedroom

 Max bedroom signage

Cleaning up his room, hanging up his clothes, and putting out his things
Max's life came out of storage - We were so happy & excited to put everything out

 4th of July games

 4th of July enthusiasts - my dad, my mom, Aunt Janet, Uncle Jon, Aunt Linda

 me and Mr. B

 McCarty Visit - Maggie and Caroline - crack-ups

 Randy, Charlotte, Patrick - singing Happy Birthday to Dad

 Happy Birthday to my dad - pictured with Cousin Andrew

Meredith's fabric designs - Fashion Show at BYU Idaho
Cousin Courtney in navy blue
Madi, 2nd from right

 Meredith and friends in Idaho, with Cousin Courtney and Madi

 Birthday dinner

 Celebrated Mr. B's birthday - Ruby brought a turtle from Fiji

August

 Max's return - we see him on the escalator - SLC Airport

 We are held back from attacking him because of an airport blockade

 SO close - walking...to US - "He's back!"

 Finally, my boy - in my arms again - but not a boy anymore

I cry every time I see these photos - big, gushy tears of happiness

Welcome home Bud
[does my neck really look like that?]

 Very happy family of 5 - FIVE!

 Road trip

Back to skateboarding

 My birthday:  ate at my favorite restaurant and went to a movie
This is a typical photo of me on my birthday - I take the photo of myself, blurry, with bathroom stalls in the background

 Arcade games anyone?

 Ru and 007

 Hotel in Vegas

 Grandma Val's house - Fresno

 Pleasure Point House - Santa Cruz

The men around the fire pit at Pleasure Point House - Welcome Home Max Open House
Thanks to the Pleasure Point House Family

 Bike ride in San Francisco and across the Golden Gate

 Stop for photo op - my 3 gorgeous kids

 On the ferry - Meredith heading to SF from Sauslatio

Sunday "homecoming talk" at church - open house afterward
Max with Cousins Sierra, Olivia, Andrew, and Audrey

 Cousin Isaac and Max

 Crazy busy, me and Ru

 First day for the Senior at OHS - Last year of high school

25th wedding anniversary for me and Mr. B - these photos taken the summer of 1987

September

Mr. B and I have been meeting at 3:30 - If the weather is nice, we go for a walk

Ruby is sad because we are in Idaho; dropping off the college kids - She will miss them!
We were all kind-of sad to say good-bye again

 Max and Mr. B hug in Idaho hotel

 Sisters in Idaho hotel

My shoes - Meredith's shoes

 On our way to the Idaho grocery store to stock up the cupboards for the college kids

 Shopping as a family - hilarious!

 Family photo in Meredith's college apartment

 We bought a used Subaru for the college kids - purchased from a pirate - Jack Sparrow impersonator

 Taco Bus lunch in Rexburg, Idaho

 Ruby did a 5K fundraiser on .... roller blades?!  Was she the last one to finish?

Homecoming dance cuteness

October

 Ruby's 18th birthday

 Beautiful girl becomes a beautiful woman....overnight

 Her Birthday wish is sure to come true

I carved these pumpkins in the warm sun - soaking in the warmth
LOVE a warm Halloween!

Aunt Janet.  Oh Aunt Janet.

I had the honor of putting together a printable funeral program

See front and back cover (in reverse) above

The funeral was perfect - a lasting tribute; a mix of tears & laughter

November

 We had a photo shoot with Ruby's giant teddy bear



 Grandpa Larry models Mr. B's muskrat hat from Russia

 Happy Thanksgiving from me

 Mr. B, Max, Ruby, Meredith, me, my dad, my mom

 Randy sang several songs, and they were awesome

 Pie-makers/Pie-servers - Layton and Meredith

 Thanksgiving tradition - puzzling

 Skype session with the McCarty's - Madge (Maggie) and Caroline were big hits

This grand-ma-ma was quite delighted with the Skype session 

December

Penny Ann's Cafe - Elder Wentworth's last breakfast before entering the Missionary Training Center

 Farewell to Elder Wentworth - from Santa Cruz to Salt Lake

 New haircut for Max

Nativity with the cousins - we had a spontaneous get-together on Christmas eve.  An unexpected, but meant-to-be celebration.  We hoped to ease the loss of one very special person - the first Christmas without Aunt Janet.

 Cousin SJ

 Shepherd, Mr. B, and Max

 Cousin Isaac and Meredith

 Family tradition: collect all the Baby Jesus' - sing Happy Birthday to Him - eat Gingerbread cake with applesauce and fresh whipped cream on top.  Sometimes we talk about the gifts we gave to Jesus, as we place painted wooden block presents around the nativity collection.  And, of course, our favorite Christmas cookies - Aunt Ethel's recipe.

 My beautiful children

 Max: the most wild thing of all, celebrates his namesake with parents - "I'll eat you up I love you so."

 Forget me not - Meredith

 He always asks for socks for Christmas - a very handsome Mr. B pic

GoPro WOW!  Is Max covering the price tag?
This camera will be put to use at BYU Hawaii
Max is headed there for winter semester

Note: first Christmas with a fake tree - $39 at Home Depot
Ruby was not happy about the fake
I loved it