The Unforgettable Year 2011

Dear 2011,

If it was your intention to make sure that I would remember you, well then I’d say Mission Accomplished.  I mean, just the weather alone was memorable.  Who could forget the blizzard that dumped over a foot of snow on our fair state.

Then there were all the spring storms that brought hail, high winds, and tornadoes.

And let’s not forget the unrelenting heat and drought of summer.

But it wasn’t just your weather that brought us challenges.  Don’t think that I’ve forgotten that whole frozen pipe/bathroom renovation stunt you pulled.

Seriously, that was pretty uncool considering how much our family already had going on with Kelsey’s college application process and campus visits.  Although I will say that situation turned out pretty well all things considered.

In all fairness, you weren’t all bad.  Even after such a long, cold winter, Spring didn’t disappoint and we enjoyed some lovely weather (when it wasn’t storming of course).

And to be perfectly honest, watching my sweet girl walk across that stage to receive her high school diploma was one of the proudest moments of my life. 

Once Summer came, you seemed to settle down a bit.  Plus, you did a good job helping to facilitate some great memories at the lake.

And speaking of great memories, our vacation to St. John will go down as one of the most amazing vacations ever.

The future is going to have some HUGE shoes to fill in that department.

Once we got home from vacation, you seemed to be in a hurry – it was no time before we were moving Kelsey into her college dorm.

I’m not going to lie, sending our girl off to college was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.  There was many a day when I wished you were 1999 rather than 2011.

But I suppose if that was the case then I would have missed out on a lot of fun.

 

2011, you surprised a lot of people.  Even after the long, hot summer…

…you still managed to dazzle me with your beautiful Fall colors.

And by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, I started to appreciate you even more.

Once Christmas came I was full on joyful and in return you rewarded me with one of the most special holiday seasons of my life.

So 2011, as you pack your bags to make room for 2012 I just want to say thank you.  Looking back, there were times that I didn’t like you very much, but I really do appreciate all the lessons you taught me. I learned a lot about myself, but mostly I just learned to be grateful for and to enjoy every single second of my life.

I will never forget you.

Love, Kelly