Pretty in Pink...: 2013 already?!

Holy cow! Time is absolutely flying by! One of my new year's resolutions is to get back to blogging. I have really missed it. I guess my go-to place for updating my life is Facebook. I am going to try to figure out how to copy some of those posts from FB here on my blog. I'm sure you can do that, right? My goal is to post at least once a week....fingers crossed. :)

Well, this is going to be the year of adventures for us. We got a GoPro from Santa for Christmas, and we want to make as many fun, adventurous videos that we can this year. I think, instead of sending out Christmas cards, we are going to send out a DVD of our adventures! My goal is to have at least one documented adventure per month. Griffin is really good at using iMovie, so he will be our producer for the year. ;)

A little recap from the missed posts the past year....

Griffin is now 13 and in the 8th grade. Hard to believe he will be in High School next year! Yikes! He is such a good student. We are so proud of him. In 7th grade, he was on the track team and had a great time. he likes running, like his dad. Now, he is on the Lifetime Swim Team. He is a natural in the water, again...like his dad. He has become a great swimmer... qualifying for the Regional meet in several events. We are so proud. Last year, Griffin had a super cool opportunity to be a ball boy for the ASU Men's Basketball team. What a great experience! He attended quite a few games during the season and sat under the hoop. He assisted players during warm ups and during time-outs, he offered the refs water and swept up sweat (real glamorous, I know!) under the net. He had so much fun!

Dylan just turned 10 and is in the 4th grade. He is having a great year, too! He did a year of math tutoring at Kumon and has really flourished in math. It is now his favorite subject. He even taught his class the "Dylan Method" for doing long division. He has played basketball for several years, and has become a great player. This season, he is trying out flag football. I think he really likes it! We are so proud of him. And, now, Dylan has the same opportunity that Griffin had...he is an ASU Men's Basketball ball boy! He is having a great time, just like Griff did.

Jim has really turned into an avid runner. In June, he and my brother-in-law completed a marathon in CA. It was a beautiful race, running from Ojai to the ocean. They both did great. This past October, he competed in his 1st 100-mile race. He did great, finishing in under 24 hours. Amazing. I cannot even imagine. We are so proud of him. He also has had a wonderful promotion at work. He is now the VP of his company. His years of hard work with the company have finally paid off. He was able to travel to Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore this past December for work, and had a great time.

I am still working at ASU. 21 years now! Time flies by. I still love my job and couldn't imagine doing anything other than glassblowing. This past year, I had a few fun trips. Travelling is one of my favorite hobbies! :)

In March, I went on a quick trip to Madrid, Spain with my friends Alex and Leslie. We had a fabulous time...such a beautiful country. I definitely want to go back and spend more time there! Also, in March, while the boys headed to WI to visit Grandma and Grandpa, Jim and I spent a few wonderfully relaxing days in San Diego, CA. Ahhhh....

In June, I went to Nashville for the first time. Ahhh....Nashville is a super cool place. I met my friend Angela there and celebrated her 40th birthday at a Kenny Chesney show! We had such a great time! From Nashville, I headed to Corning, NY to attend a Scientific Glassblower meeting. Had a great time with my glass friends there. And, my dad and I co-taught a seminar. It was great to work with my dad again. I sure miss working with him.

In July, we went to Rocky Point for a much needed long weekend. I ♥ it there! Fun times with friends and family!

For fall break in October, the boys and I went to Magic Mountain and visited with the Richarsons in CA. Had a great time at the beach. The weather was absolutely wonderful!

Also, in October, I had a super fun thing happen. I got to plant trees with one of my favorite singers, Jason Mraz! We planted trees for the Boys and Girls Club in Scottsdale. Super fun...he is a great guy.

In November, Jenny turned the big 4-0 and we celebrated with a fun trip to Napa Valley and San Francisco. We originally were going to go to NYC, but Hurricane Sandy hit the day before we were to leave! So, we changed our plans and headed to Napa. It was such a great time. So fun to spend time with my mom and sisters. We toured around Napa in a limousine! So much fun. Definitely the way to see Napa!

For Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful dinner with Jim's parents and Aunt. The following Friday, we headed north to the Grand Canyon. I hadn't been there in years! It is such a beautiful sight. The kids enjoyed seeing it and hiking down a little ways. Fun day.