Wow, 2011 really flew by. It was a whirlwind of a year, one full of adventure and so many memorable moments. As I look back on this past year, I can't help but feel overwhelmingly lucky for the good things that have come our way. We have wonderful families and friends, a warm home in a city and community that we adore, the sweetest pug, fulfilling careers, our health, and much more. How do we deserve all of this? I truly do not know, but I am so very grateful for such a positive year. With that in mind, I resolve to approach this new year with that same appreciation and gratefulness.
Last year, I resolved to take a picture every day and post it on this blog. And, (surprise!) I totally failed at that! But don't worry because I'm about to make it all up with this post right here. I did manage to take a ton of pictures, so I'll share a few of my favorite events from each month in 2011. Ready..set...go!
JANUARY
Happy birthday to me! I turned 27. I like getting this aging thing over with early on in the year. Thanks mom&dad for the January bday. ;-) Husband took me to José
Andrés' The Bazaar for dinner. It's been one of my most memorable dining experiences in Los Angeles (liquid nitrogen caipirinha - hells yess) I remember I was starting to come down with a bad bug, though, so my appetite was not all there. Maybe I'll get a re-do this year? wink wink
FEBRUARY
I visited Philadelphia for the first time. It was a quick business trip, but I still loved being able to visit a new city. Plus, I got to see some old friends and meet their new daughter for the first time. Win!
MARCH
Spain! 25 days: husband, me, our backpacks, and a loosely-structured itinerary. We explored and ate our way through Madrid, Sevilla, Malaga, Granada, Barcelona, Roses, Valencia, and Alicante. It was UNREAL. Did this really happen? I mean we got to fucking eat at El Bulli (which I am still determined to blog about one day). Anyway, the pictures remind me that yes this was indeed real.
APRIL
A recovery month. Lazy days at the lake with family. A reminder that life is fleeting and precious.
MAY
A celebration trip to Berkeley! The brother-in-law graduated college. ::raise the roof::
Memorial day weekend at Palm Springs with the homies from work. Many thanks to the big boss man for letting us borrow his condo. Just a quiet, relaxing weekend in the desert. Absolutely no revelry went on here. ;)
JUNE
Playboy Jazz festival at the Hollywood Bowl. So much fun! The diversity of the crowd and the music really made this a memorable event.
JULY
Girls trip to Las Vegas. No husbands allowed! Can't post any more pictures. You know what they say: what happens in Vegas...
AUGUST
Hello wedding season! Our good friends got married in Seattle, giving us the perfect excuse for a mini getaway and a chance to explore this city for the first time.
SEPTEMBER
Another wedding, another new city to discover! It was so much fun spending a weekend with our college buddies. And Denver is beeeaautiful.
OCTOBER
LA County Fair time!
A weekend camping trip to Sequoia. Unexpected snowy conditions made this an interesting but memorable experience!
NOVEMBER
2 year wedding anniversary already?! This event deserved a relaxing retreat in San Diego. <3
More new cities to discover: Minneapolis/St Paul! This was a business trip for me, but the husband joined me for the weekend for sightseeing and silliness at the parks.
Happy Thanksgiving! We enjoyed a delicious homemade dinner at my parent's house. Let the holidays begin!
DECEMBER
The first day of the month is always a celebration: it's the husband's birthday! Happy 27 to my favorite person. I took him to Tagine- a very cozy and charming Moroccan restaurant. And the food? Ridiculously delicious.
I've got another birthday to celebrate in December: my nephew turned 2 - yay! My brother and his girlfriend, my sister, and I took him to Disneyland for the first time. The little munchkin l.o.v.e.d. it. Watching him light up as he met Buzz Lightyear for the first time was so freaking adorable.
Happy holidays! We hosted our first holiday party with its very own photo booth. It was a blast.
And finally: Winter Roadtrip 2011. Company shutdowns meant a week of doing whatever the hell we wanted, so we loaded up the car and drove east.
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| Stop #1: Arizona. Grand Canyon to be exact. Crazy impressive. We really want to go back and ride a mule down to the bottom of the canyon. Maybe when the weather is warmer? |
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| Oh what? Utah is only 3 hours away? Let's do this! |
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| Stop #2: Zion National Park |
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| Hiking up to Angel's Landing was probably the craziest? stupidest? reckless? genius? I don't know..whatever type of decision it was. Either way, it was spontaneous and fucking scary. It's not so much physically challenging as it was mentally challenging. But we didn't fall down the steep cliffs. And it was awesome. |
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| Made it to the top!!! |
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| We continued the trend of recklessness by doing the Hidden Canyon trail on day 2 at Zion. This seemed like more of an obstacle course with all of the dang rocks and logs we had to climb over. A beautiful and breathtaking trail, nonetheless. |
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| Stop #3: Las Vegas! |
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| One night in sin city was enough for us. We were eager to get back to LA to ring in the new year. |
We ended the year with a bang surrounded by good friends and good drinks. Dance party included.
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| Last picture of 2011! |
Busy year, right? 2012 has a lot to live up to, but I am certain that it won't disappoint. Let's get this party started!
