2011: Our year in three words . . .

Lindsay: Grandpa. Thesis. Roller-coasty.

Maybe I should have put roller-coasty first? 2011 brought some sad times and personal challenges for me. My wonderful Grandpa Horton passed away in late June; I miss him tremendously, but feel incredibly lucky to have spent so much time with him during his final months. His last big outing was my thesis defense the week before, which meant a lot to me because, truly, completion of my thesis would not have been possible without his and my Grandma’s support. Despite the ups and downs of the year, I’m relieved that I can look back and say that I finished writing “Exploring Financial Knowledge, Behaviors, and Economic Socialization in an Incarcerated Population: A Mixed Methods Analysis” (is it wrong that I totally blanked on my thesis title and had to look it up?!), got that Master’s wrapped up, and have been able to turn my attention to more pressing matters like bubbles and crayons.

Neal: Stressful. Busy. Transitions.

You can’t fully appreciate Neal’s words unless you know that they are just about his least favorite things in the world. For someone who loves rigid schedules and unchanging routine, 2011 wasn’t the best year. But he finally graduated from college (a double major in English and film) and we completed our move to Southern California (we live 15 minutes from Disneyland, so come see us and Mickey, in that order), so there’s hope that 2012 will be calmer and more predictable (that’s Neal’s hope anyway, Addison and I like a little spontaneity and chaos).

Addison: Dubbies. Buzz. ME!

For Addison, the year seemed a bit simpler, mostly because her beloved bunny (alias Duba/Dubbies) was ever-present. She also developed a deep and abiding love for Buzz Lightyear, which was intensified by a recent visit to Disneyworld where she got to see Buzz in real life (through a window – but she’ll never remember I refused to wait in a 45-minute line, right?). And ME!, well, what can we say about that? She still can’t stand the thought of not interacting with us or the world for a second and so whenever we say anything we are going to do (use the bathroom, take out the garbage, etc.), we hear an emphatic “ME!” and see her running off in the appropriate direction so she doesn’t miss out on the “fun.” Having her is definitely the most exhausting fun we’ve ever had!

We hope you have some good words to describe your 2011, and even better ones next year!

Thanks to the lovely Cat Palmer for the photograph!

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