Wrapping up 2011

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!
~William Arthur Ward

Our family enjoyed great Christmas and New Year celebrations. Click on the image above to see a few photos from the surprises of Christmas morning.

2011 was a great year overall. Like every year there were ups an downs. It was hard to say goodbye to Gerrie Tadd and Gae Beckstrom. We will miss them very much. But our little family is learning and growing and happy. We had a great time going to Southern Utah and Sun Valley on vacation. The kids did very well in their studies at school. They are so smart! They take after their mom who is also brilliant and graduated with her master’s degree from SUU. Work was good to Kellie and I and even Christopher found a good job. We enjoyed many blessings so there’s plenty to be happy about.

2012 will bring with it many anticipated changes. Christopher will be graduating from Copper Hills High School. Wow! We look forward to college and/or an LDS mission by the end of the new year. Courtney is already learning how to drive and will be entering High School. Nathan will start his last year of Elementary School. I’m sure there will be many surprises along the way but I look forward to the fun and all the challenges. I won’t spell out all my resolutions here but will share a few thoughts. As a parent I’m going to need to learn to let go a little more this year, especially as Christopher moves on to the next stages of life. I also want to have a more positive outlook and dig into new opportunities and challenges that come along. This will be a good year to stretch myself. Of course reading, exercise and healthy eating are on the list. I’d like to do more running like I started last year. I also want to develop better personal relationships.

Given this blog is a photo journal I’ll add that I look forward to learning and improving my photography skills. I read a suggestion somewhere that rather than buying a lot of gear we might choose to go somewhere fun and use the gear we’ve got. I’d like to take that approach this year. I’ll be working on lighting, composition, post processing and just having fun.

I hope your 2012 is happy and successful!