2012: Year in Review

Well would you look at that! Time to review the last year again. And you thought I forgot. Let's see if last year was more exciting than 2011. JANUARY Yeah, January was pretty much uneventful, as it usually is, save for an occasional snow storm. But I can't even write about that for last year. So, we welcomed 2012 like we did 2011 - sleeping. And the month passed pretty uneventfully, except for two events: First, I had my day in court on the 6th for that ridiculous traffic ticket I had gotten last June. I pleaded my case and did well enough apparently that the judge suspended my ticket. On January 6, it will all go away for good. The conditions were that I couldn't get another citation within a year and if I didn't, the ticket would be voided. Almost there. The second event was Christopher making his seemingly yearly quota to get a broken bone in when he suffered an undisplaced distal radius fracture of his wrist on the 17th playing indoor soccer. Been there, done that. We know what to do. We're practically experts by now. FEBRUARY I was counting off the days in February like I usually do, eager to get one day closer to spring. Granted, the winter so far was proving to be pretty mild, which was a nice respite from our usual occurrences of snow and ice storms, but one can only stand to look at the sparse, dead landscape for so long before yearning for some warmth and color. But this year, I now have a reason to smile, because I landed a job, and at first I didn't think I should have even pursued it because I thought I should have been looking for a job in the corporate market and this was a job working at a church, and I already had a part-time job at another church, and how much church can one person take, really? Well, it was just meant to be and never have I enjoyed something more. I truly love this job working as an administrator to a catholic church. And it is changing even now and I could go on and on about it, but I'll spare you the details. Just know that I am extremely happy and having an anniversary in February will make an otherwise bleak month now something special. February 23, to be exact. :) Okay, on to MARCH I uncelebrated my 44th birthday and Chris almost made it through the month unscathed, but he just had to get another break in. This time, he displaced that same radius fracture while running outside for gym at school. This break required a brief surgery, but the wrist has healed well and hopefully having him sit out the first half of the spring soccer season and wearing a splint throughout the entire fall soccer season ensured a positive result and no further breaks, or screws will need to be involved for a repair next time. APRIL Spring soccer season started, except for Chris, and Tommy could have experienced a great opportunity visiting Washington, DC for his 8th grade trip, but he didn't. His loss. MAY I continued to settle into my job, and the days got longer and warmer. Jeff made his First Communion and at the end of the month, we split up to get the boys to their soccer tournaments over Memorial Day weekend. Chris was itching to play by now and was given the green light by his doctor to, as long as he wore a removable cast.

JUNE Tommy's soccer team went for their second State Cup win on a miserable, rainy day, making them eligible to play in the regionals in Pennsylvania. Some things are worth standing in the rain for.

School let out for the year and at the end of the month, Tommy and I went to Lancaster, PA. They didn't win but we all had a great time and I'm still fascinated by Amish living.

We did get to Hershey Park one day, although not a single ride did I enjoy as a friend fell ill and we had to leave early, which was perfectly fine with me because it was hot as hell and amusement parks aren't high on my list, even if they are all about chocolate. JULY This year, we all went to my work place and with my boss and some of his colleagues and friends, we watched the 4th of July fireworks from the walking bridge. We rarely do anything as a family anymore, so this was nice in that we were all together for a change. AUGUST For the first time, Jeffrey and Joey flew in an airplane when we went to visit my sister and her family in Illinois. Greg and Tommy opted to stay home. Chris, Jeff, and Joey had a wonderful time visiting with their cousins. We spent a couple of days at The Dells, a huge indoor and outdoor water park in Wisconsin. We visited downtown Chicago and Six Flags IL. There is nothing like spending time with family and I remember all the great memories I had growing up with my cousins and really wanted them to get to experience those memories with their cousins, which is not easy to do since we are all spread across the map. Some highlights:

At the end of the month, I got to spend a couple of days in heaven with a great friend. Yes, heaven. Her parents have a sweet home on the cape and we spent the weekend there when we went to see my favorite entertainer, Martina McBride.

SEPTEMBER Back to school! Hooray! Tommy started high school, Chris went into 7th grade at the middle school, Joey started his 5th and last year at the elementary school, and Jeff started 3rd. Soccer season started again as well with the annual Labor Day tournament in town. Like in the spring, I had to get used to the challenge of getting the boys to and from practices and games on time, since I was now working full time and had lost that flexibility with my time. Tommy played for the high school freshmen soccer team and although he was disappointed that he didn't make JV, he excelled and played well. Christopher played for the L middle school team and they made it to the finals, coming in second place. OCTOBER Soccer season winded down to an end, both in school and with the boys' travel and rec teams, and things quieted down a bit. Like last Halloween, we were again hit with a storm - this one Hurricane Sandy, that knocked out our power for a few days. Again. We made the decision that it was time to invest in a generator and had one installed the following month. We have yet to have to use it but it's just a matter of time where we live. NOVEMBER We spent a quiet Thanksgiving at home this year, alone. It is not my favorite holiday, but the day was a nice one and we enjoyed a great turkey meal with all the trimmings. Things were getting busy for me at work since a colleague had left and his responsibilities had shifted to me, but I thrived on it and still love what I do working at the church. Now, along with the administrative duties I have, I am doing the liturgical tasks as well. There is still so much to learn but I am getting there and by this time next year, I will be much more sure-footed about things. DECEMBER Tommy celebrated his 15th birthday and decided he needed a whole new wardrobe, so I took him shopping. Greg had an uneventful birthday on the 14th. He usually does and tends not to want to celebrate it, but this year was the worst yet since it marked the horrible tragedy in Newtown, CT. It was difficult to celebrate Christmas during such a dark period, but we got through it and enjoyed the day with some of Greg's family. Like past years, the clutter becomes overwhelming by this point so Christmas was down and put away by New Year's Eve. Christmas cards and photos will stay up until the Epiphany. 2013 will be a good year. Tommy will be driving next December. He already is, in fact, as I have let him drive short distances around town. My family is planning a visit together somewhere around Virginia for next Christmas. It will be the first time in 15 years that we have celebrated together. I. Can't. Wait. Bring it.