We have had the best time over the past few days and are so lucky to have the two best families in the world. We celebrated "Christmas Eve" and "Christmas" with Gaines' family on the 22nd and 23rd, and then got up at 4am on the 24th to drive home and spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with my family. Lots of pictures will be posted later, but first, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories of this past year. With 2011 quickly coming to a close, I started thinking back onto all of the happiness and blessings this year brought. I tried to choose my favorite event of each month, but some where harder to narrow down than others. :)
January
I can't think of a better way to welcome the new year than by eating, drinking, and laughing with these people.
February
I love this guy very much and loved getting to celebrate his birthday on the 12th.
March
Our amazing Atlanta friends threw us our first wedding shower, and it was so much fun to spend the night hanging out with them just like we did practically every weekend in college.
April
So here's where I start to cheat. April brought three wedding showers (we were so grateful!) -- one thrown by family friends in Richmond, one thrown by Sarah and Steph in Richmond, and one thrown by family friends in Waynesboro. The wedding fun continued at the end of the month, where I got to stand by my roommate and close friend Tracie.
May
What an exciting month, too! I got to watch my brother and sister graduate from college. To say I was a proud sister is an understatement. Sam graduated from Hampden-Sydney College and now works at Duacast in Flordia, and Dailey graduated from the University of Delaware and works for News America Marketing in NYC.
June
What an absolutely perfect month. In the span of a couple of weeks, I got to spend time with my closest friends, see my entire family plus Gaines', marry the love of my life, and go on an incredibly fun and relaxing tropical vacation. Not too shabby. :)
July
With the summer off, I spent the month setting up our house and spending time with our friends.
August
The return of my little sixth graders was great, but a visit from my brother was waaay better.
September
Thankfully, it started to cool off and college football returned. A visit from my parents was a great excuse to visit Athens and perfect way to spend my birthday.
October
I got a long "Fall Break" in the middle of the month, which was a great opportunity to drive home, see my Bahmearhs, and celebrate our little bride-to-be.
November
November also brought a nice long break, so I hopped on a plane and then a train with my mom to see my sister in the Big Apple, and we had the best time exploring the city together.
December
I have loved enjoy every second of this holiday-filled month and have found so much joy in the little things -- from Christmas trees and hot chocolate to family time and traditions, it's been such a fun way to end the year.
I have been given so many blessings in 2011 and am beyond excited to see what 2012 has in store.
Happy New Year!
