13 Highlights from 2013

Happy New Year!  2013 was a year of growth, changes, and adventures ... and we made sure to have a little fun, too. ;) Although this post is several days late, I wanted to take the chance to reflect on 13 highlights from 2013.

1.  Celebrating Papa John's 90th--My Mom's dad, Papa John (not his formal name ;), turned 90 on January 7, 2013.  Darren and I were able to join other family members to celebrate that special day with him.  I'm so glad we made it!  We lost Papa John on December 1, 2013, which made this last opportunity I had to spend with him very special and a real highlight.  There is so much I admired about Papa John, including his sense of humor, kindness, organization, and his way with words (fitting since he spent his career as a journalist and author).  I sure will miss him!

Papa John, Chris, Me, Dustin, Nick, Gabe, Darren

2.  Growing as a teacher--In 2013, I finished my fourth year as a fifth grade teacher.  While I anticipated that each passing year in fifth grade would become easier and feel more routine, a new school and a few very challenging students made last year unique.  I learned more about myself as a classroom teacher and how to handle difficult situations in the classroom last year than I probably did in all the three previous years combined.  I grew a lot, and I now have several more tools in my teacher tool belt.  Looking back on that year, I feel that in many ways it has been my most rewarding as a teacher.  In Pinedale in 2013, I began substitute teaching.  For a while, I only received calls to sub in the Pinedale Middle School, which also brought new teaching experiences.  Most recently, I subbed in a middle school Chinese class--talk about stepping outside of my comfort zone!  I am happy to report, however, that I now know how to say hello, goodbye, hamburger, and pizza in Mandarin. ;)

3.  Reunions with friends--Any opportunity I have to visit with old college friends and roommates is always a highlight.  In 2013, I had the chance to reunite with some of my closest on the east coast and in Utah.  I am so grateful for friends like these ladies in my life!

Getting to know the two cuties below was definitely a highlight!

No one ever said we don't know how to pamper ourselves. ;)

4.  Exploring Arizona--I am so glad that we had the chance to live in AZ, if only for a year.  It is a beautiful state, and we enjoyed the chance to get to know it in 2013!

Bearizona

Native American ruins near Flagstaff 

Grand Canyon

Famous Root Beer Float at Joe's Barbecue in Gilbert

39 Steps at the Hale Centre Theater thanks to a Christmas gift from Chris

5.  Family Reunions--2013 was filled with family reunions.  Darren and I had the opportunity to attend the Hubbard, Myler, Sonne, and Wintch reunions.  Growing up, family reunions were like holidays that I anticipated with growing excitement ... and I still do!

The Hubbard Clan: Nick, Gabe, Tad, Catrine, Dad, Mom, Me, Darren, Elizabeth, Jim, Sue, Ron

Visiting the Myler Farm in Idaho

Meeting Hudson Hyde at the Sonne Reunion 

How cute is the little guy in the lower left?  He loved it up there!

6.  Church Callings--I am grateful for the opportunity I've had to work with the kids in our wards in 2013.  In Gilbert, I had the chance to return to the Young Women Program and feel of the strength and testimony of those girls.  In Pinedale, I am excited for the opportunity to work with fifteen 8-9 year old girls in Activity Days.  Getting to know the youth of the Church sure makes one optimistic for the future!

7. Turning 30--I turned the big 3-0 in 2013.  It happened in the middle of a busy summer and our preparations to move to Pinedale, but we still made sure to celebrate.  I wasn't sure how I would feel when the day actually came, but I can say now that I have a great feeling about this new decade in my life.  Bring it on 30s!

My parents sent flowers to our Pinedale hotel.

Birthday gondola ride and steak dinner in Jackson :)

8.  Moving to Pinedale--I have written several recent posts on our experiences moving and adjusting to life in Pinedale, so I will keep this short.  While there were/are challenges to working and living here, we are both so happy to be living in Pinedale at this time in our lives.  The future may hold further changes, but we are soaking up all of the beautiful countryside, outdoor activities, warm friendships (if not weather), and simple life as we can while we have the chance to live here!

Leaving Arizona--The 950 miles we drove in this baby is a trip I will not soon forget!

Driving down our new street.

Moving into our second (!) Pinedale apartment

It's easy to see why they call this "Big Sky" country!

9.  Parents Visiting in Pinedale--When my parents visited Pinedale in September, Darren and I had a great time showing them around!  There is something about having parents visit a new place that immediately makes it feel more like home.

10.  New Friends--Since I can't have my parents close in Pinedale all of the time, I am so grateful for the new friends that we have been able to make here.  Dinners, game nights, bonfires, movie days/nights, and trips to the lakes have all been made possible by some young families that have befriended us.  These new friends have made the transition to Pinedale so much more fun and comfortable.  I know we will continue to be friends for a long time!

11.  Old/New Hobbies--In March of 2013, I had the chance to attend a one-day writing class at Stanford thanks to a Christmas gift from Darren.  Writing is a hobby/talent I have wanted to develop for years.  The opportunity to attend this class was a highlight that I will always remember.  Since moving to Pinedale, I have started a new hobby that has also interested me for a while ... quilting!   There is something so neat, I think, about having handmade quilts to snuggle up in or put at the end of a bed.  While my quilt teacher takes me through every step, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't recreate a single square on my own, I have loved the process every Saturday.  I can't wait to see what it looks like when it all comes together!

Ready for the writing class

A few quilt squares

12.  Anniversary Trip to NYC--In celebration of our 3rd wedding anniversary and to cross another item off of our bucket list, Darren and I traveled to NYC at the end of November/beginning of December last year.  I have written a recent post about this trip, as well, so suffice it to say we had a great time!  One of the best moments for me may have been when we were getting on the plane to fly home and Darren leaned over and said, "So, where are we traveling to next?"  I'm so glad he has been bitten by the travel bug, since I have been infected for years. ;)

13.  CA Christmas--No Christmas season would be complete without the opportunity to visit family.  Darren and I celebrated Christmas day in Pinedale, and then were able to leave for CA on the 26th.  My family was kind enough to hold off on our Christmas traditions until we arrived.  We celebrated our Sonne Christmas on the 27th, and it was wonderful.  We loved being able to visit with family and warm up in the sunny 75 degree weather!

CA Christmas (I may have gotten a little carried away with a collage app I recently discovered ;)

Writing this post has reminded me how blessed I am to have had the experiences, family, and friends that have filled 2013.  I am looking forward to the adventures to come in 2014!

Recent Happenings...

I am so excited about 2013.  I wanted to make at least one post in the month of January, and thought I would kick off this new year with a new blog design.  Here's to new beginnings!

Here is a quick recap of the holidays:

Darren and I spent the two weeks I had off in CA visiting our respective families.  It was so wonderful!   We went to the beach, watched several movies, had dinners with extended family, and drove the California coastline four times on two separate trips from southern to northern CA.  I feel so grateful to have the family and in-laws that I do, and to have been able to spend time with some of them over the holidays.  During that time, we were also able to celebrate my grandfather's 90th birthday.  Happy Birthday, Papa John!

Before leaving for CA, I did my best to bring some Christmas cheer into our apartment.  I love bringing out holiday decorations.  Here are a few shots:

 

Among my New Year's Resolutions is the commitment to make at least one blog post a month.  I have definitely fallen short of that recently, but am excited to better document this little life of ours.  Though it's the end of the month, we are wishing any readers out there a fulfilling and happy 2013!

Happy Now-Jan. 1

Happy New Year!  I have a great feeling about 2012.  So far, we are off to a great start!  This post is several weeks overdue, but I have my top ten Happy Now moments from the last few weeks of 2011.

1.  Dinner with the Chaffees--On our last Sunday in Utah before the Christmas Break, Darren and I were invited to dinner with the Chaffees.  It is always wonderful to see them, and I feel like I am meeting with family rather than friends whenever I am with them.  While there, the Chaffee women recommended the TV series "Downton Abbey" to me.  Darren and I just finished watching the first season via Netflix, bless Darren's heart.  We both really enjoyed it, though, and can't wait to start watching Season 2 next week!  Thank you for the wonderful meal, evening, and recommendations, Chaffee family!

2.  Holiday Farewells to Students--Every now and then, I think about a scene from the movie "Mr. Holland's Opus" in which Mr. Holland is teaching his first day of a high school music class.  At the end of the day, Mr. Holland says something about how he never imagined as a student that his teachers looked forward to the final bell as much as he did.  I certainly felt that way on the last day of teaching before the holiday break.  I was as giddy as the students at the prospect of having a week and a half off.  I expected the students to rush out the door without a backwards glance when the final bell rang, and most of them did.  A few students turned back, however, with some very kind words.  Their expressions of gratitude and holiday wishes made me pause in my attempt to follow the students quickly out the door with a much-needed reminder of why I love to teach and why the classroom is a pretty great place to be after all.

3.  Road Trip--I have many fond memories of the road trip between Utah and California, most often made with my family while I attended BYU.  The trip has come to represent excitement as I am either driving home or returning back to an academic adventure.  These most recent trips with Darren have been no different.

4.  Family Gatherings--The holidays are all about family, aren't they?  Over this holiday break, Darren and I were not only able to spend some wonderful quality time with my immediate family, but with extended family, as well.  I look forward to every opportunity I have to get together with my cousins, aunts, and uncles.  I felt fortunate to be able to see my Dad's side of the family over the holiday since Darren and I had missed seeing them at Thanksgiving.  Here's to a 2012 with many more family gatherings!

5.  Christmas Eve Chili--I love holiday traditions.  One of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions is eating a bowl of my mom's Christmas Eve chili.  It smells and tastes like Christmas to me more than anything else.

6.  Christmas Morning Wake-up Calls--I am 28 years old, but I still find it absolutely necessary to get an early start to the festivities on Christmas morning.  One may think this should fall to the youngest sibling, but alas it has fallen upon me over the past few years to wake my brother, parents, and now husband when the agreed upon time has come to begin opening stockings.

On a slightly unrelated topic, I wanted to share a Christmas day picture of me and Darren before we left for church.  We had taken several, but I didn't like any as much as the impromptu dip Darren did at the end. :)

7.  Wedding Cake--I previously mentioned loving holiday traditions.  Truth be told, my love of traditions is not limited to holidays.  My parents agreed to save part of the top layer of our wedding cake in their freezer for the past year so that Darren and I could have a bite on our 1st anniversary.  Despite some hesitation on Darren's part to eat a year-old piece of cake, I was bound and determined to carry out this tradition.  It was about a month after our first anniversary, but we ate (and enjoyed!) a piece of our wedding cake.  I was surprised by how good it still was!  Darren and I both had more than the anticipated small bite.  My mom, who did not get the chance to try any at our reception, also had a taste.  I would definitely recommend this tradition!

Chris, our photographer for the evening, got artistic with our rings before we took bites out of the red velvet piece of wedding cake.

We're about to take our first bite.

8.  Zumba with Mom--Several weeks ago I mentioned how much I enjoyed taking a Zumba class with some teachers at my school.  When I found out that a local gym in CA would be hosting two Zumba class while I was in town, I immediately proposed the idea to my mom.  While the music and steps were different than my experience with Zumba in Utah (but still confirmed that I have ABSOLUTELY NO Latin blood in my veins), we still had a great time.  What a fun way to work up a sweat!

9.  New Year's Resolutions--Every year, I love making New Year's Resolutions.  There's something about starting fresh with a clear image of how you want to improve certain areas of your life that is invigorating.  Many years ago, my dad used a scriptural reference (Luke 2:52) which talked of Christ growing in "wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" to suggest that we make resolutions in four main categories of our lives: intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social.  I have my resolutions set and am ready to put them into action.

10.    Midnight Fireworks--Darren and I started driving back to Utah yesterday afternoon, on New Year's Eve.  Once we were on the road, we set the goal of trying to be back to Springville by midnight so that we could ring in the New Year in our little apartment.  We were about 20 minutes late, but it worked out for the best.  When the clock struck midnight, our car was cresting a hill on the freeway from which we could see surrounding communities for quite a distance.  Our first moments of 2012 were greeted by several fireworks displays in the Utah valley.  We counted nine in all.  It was a magical moment and a great way to start off a new year.

A very happy New Year to you all!