2012 Year in Review

On January 6, Dear Hubby and I celebrated our 22nd Wedding Anniversary....and to think they (okay, only the best man...that I know of) said it wouldn't last.  (Not that I'm keeping score but Best Man has been divorced three times.  Hubby and I are on our first and only marriage.)  Four days later, Dear Hubby and I celebrated our 25th anniversary (dating) together.

February 4th, Son #1 had his best high school wrestling match to date.  He lost 11 to 13 in overtime.  Although he lost, he went 6+ minutes and did an amazing job.

February 12th.  We attended 11:00 am Mass at the Abbey, followed by brunch at Copeland's to celebrate my father-in-law's 80th birthday.  Eighty is a milestone for the men in Dear Hubby's family.  We had a great time.

February 18th.  Happy 10th birthday, Son #3.  It was a rainy day, but we celebrated with lunch at Panda Buffet.  We celebrated your birthday with friends Jared, Indy, Spencer and Grant on Feb. 24th with pizza and a Nerf war before going to see the movie "Journey to the Mysterious Island 2 in 3D".

February 26th.  My birthday....lunch with Dear Hubby and kids at Mellow Mushroom, followed by shopping.  Found a pair of black leather boots - in my size - at JCPenney's on sale for $15.  Bazinga!  Happy Birthday to Me!

March 4th.  Finished the frame of the deck that we started last October.

March 13th.  Oh my goodness.  I'm too dumb for the smart phone I purchased today.

April 12th - 16th.  My sister and I flew to Virginia to visit my Mom.  Good shopping, good food, good times.

May 18th.  Son #1's friend, age 17, had an implantable defibrillator put in today.  Two days later, we had a farewell picnic for our pastor and parochial vicar, who are being transferred to another parish, and to Washington D to work with the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, respectively.

June 2nd.  Celebrate Dear Hubby's birthday yesterday.  Today, we put down 6 deck surface boards.  81 to go.

June 10th. Son #1 and I watched "Jersey Shore Shark Attack."  Yes, this is a highlight of our year.  Lots of chuckles.

June 15th.  After 16 months, we finally finished the deck.  Woo Hoo!

June 17th - July 1st -- Dear Hubby and Son #2 attend a 12 day backpacking trip in the mountains of New Mexico (Philmont Scout Ranch), along with Defib boy (see May 18th) and others.  All have a great time and return safe and sound.

June 23rd.   Happy 17th birthday, Son #1.  Aunt Amy and I take him to dinner at Olive Garden.  Later I wished him a Happy Birthday on Facebook.  He replied, "I love you too, Mom."  on Facebook.  In Public.  Wow!

July 1st.  Dear Hubby received his assignment letter.  If/when he's ordained as a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church (he's been studying for 4 years), he'll be assigned to our home parish.

July 25th - 29th.  Dear Hubby and I attended a 5-day pre-ordination retreat.  Good times, good stories. 

August 12th.  Rest in Peace, Kramer (beloved guinea pig).

September 29th.  I spent the day with 150+ 11th graders at the Confirmation Retreat.  Good times.  Meanwhile, today Son #1 had a Cross Country PR (personal record):  3 miles in 21 minutes 18 seconds.  He'll attend the State Meet as an alternate in November.  He's very excited!

November 9th.  Beloved father-in-law admitted to the hospital with bleeding of the brain.  We're not sure whether he had an aneurism, which caused him to fall, or whether the fall (and subsequent blow to the head) caused bleeding.  He passed away on November 14th and was laid to rest on the 19th.

November 22nd.  Our first Thanksgiving with Father-in-law.  We usually spend the holidays at his house and decided to do the same this year.  It was a good day overall, but we'll definitely miss him.

December 1st.  Ordination Day.  Dear Hubby has worked and studied for four years for this moment.  He and 19 other men were ordained as deacons for our Archdiocese.  Bittersweet that his dad wasn't there to see it. 

Dec. 3rd - 7th.   I visited my mom in Virginia.  She had cataract surgery on Dec. 4th.  She handled the procedure well, but her recovery is taking longer than expected.

Other highlights:  Son #3 played soccer for the local recreation district park this fall.  His team was undefeated during the regular season.  He and his two brothers are doing great in school.  My boss (aka Boss Man), who is a college buddy, and his wife adopted an infant in July -- adorable! 





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I'm the best wife ever!

Not only did I buy my husband and I each a mini laptop for Christmas/Anniversary (so he doesn't have to share with the boys anymore!), but I managed to -- get this -- download printer drivers so I can print from our existing printer (Lexmark Prevail Pro 705).  

Not so simple, though, as our new laptops run Windows 8 and Lexmark hasn't updated the drivers for Windows 8 (boo!).  Nevertheless, thanks to "John" at Lexmark TechSupport, I learned how to download the most recent driver (Windows 7) and adjust the compatibility.  All without throwing the darn Lexmark printer out the window.  Yoo Hoo!

Seriously "John" emailed me the instructions.  Sooooo simple.  I wonder why they couldn't just post them on the Lexmark site.   Nah, that would be too easy.