Fin, twenty-eleven

Hello 2012, I'm so glad you're finally here! We rung in the new year in style with some great friends (think nerf guns/impromptu dance party/lots o' champagne). AND I finally got to watch the ball drop again in real time (aka EST), which is soooo much cooler. 

2011 had lots of ups and downs, but was another one for the books. We spent time in a ton of great cities this year--San Francisco, Portland, Denver, DC, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, NYC--not to mention the 60,000 miles Jud has traveled in the past 6 months throughout the US and Europe. It's really good to spend some time reflecting on the past year (especially compared to 2010) to see how much we have changed and grown, how far along we've come in realizing our dreams, and what new ones we've dreamed up! Here are some of the highlights: 

one: my [masterpiece] sketchbook

two: skiing in the Rockies with my sissy

three: get-well-soon flowers during surgery recovery no. 2

four: the Pac NW {Oregon}

five: Brook Fraser concert + a final farewell {Denver}
six: our new city {DC}

seven: Jud's eastern European travels {Prague}

eight: sissy's new city! {Pittsburgh}

nine: a visit to our childhood vacation spot {Marshfield}

ten: a New England fall at peak {Shenandoah Valley}

eleven: 2 of the 12 visitors we hosted in the month of November {Roosevelt Island}

twelve: home for the holidays! {Rochester}

Best album: 21 by Adele (Shannon) | Ten out of Tenn (Jud) | bonus shout out to NCC's live recording of The God Anthology!

Best read: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Shannon) | The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason (Jud)

Best movie: The Debt

Best buy:  iPhones (!!!!!!!!)

Other notable discoveries (and rediscoveries):

new friends!

yoga 

Pinterest
Scoutmob
carrot cake
geometric design

my very own Etsy shop

tea time

happy hour

the metro

[a particularly superb] New England fall 

We are so very excited for this new year--the blank slate, new opportunities, and inevitable adventure it has to offer. As God continues to be our light and our guide, may we continue to live a life of genuine passion and love. Happy new year!

Love, Howland