December 2012

2012 Recap

LeeAnn and I started talking about 2012 this morning and discussed all of the things we have done this year.  Our year has been full and I thought it would be fun to recap, share with my kids, family and friends.

We started the new year in New York at LeeAnn’s Uncle Joe’s house after celebrating New Year’s Eve.  Haley, Marcella, and Jack had never been to one of LeeAnn’s family events before and it was overwhelming with food, family, and celebration.

Our biggest impacts in 2012 were Ty as the newest addition to our family and me traveling to Dallas. Meanwhile, LeeAnn was going to school and taking care of Ty and James on her own.  We made a trip to Daytona Beach the last weekend of the month to go to the Rolex 24-hour race, another chance to spend time with Haley, Marcella, and Jack.

February came fast and we went to Florida the first weekend for Marcella’s dance competition at Disney.  LeeAnn and I also managed a business trip to Charleston, SC that gave us a short weekend away.  We wrapped up February with another trip to Florida for Jack’s Cub Scout to Boy Scout Crossover.

March was a little easier, less traveled with LeeAnn and I making a 10 day trip to Dallas in anticipation of moving.  We had the kids in Georgia the following week and shared with them we would be moving.

The second week of April we made another trip to Florida, this time for Haley’s Sweet 16 Birthday party. Our good friends Barbara and Neal were able to spend time with us, little did we know it would be the last time we would see Barbara (R.I.P..June 2012).  The following weekend LeeAnn, the boys, and I made a trip to New York for Ty’s Christening.

May started with LeeAnn graduating with her accounting degree, two solid years of work behind her and adding to her marketing degree.   For Mother’s Day I took her to the Biltmore House in Asheville, something we had talked about the entire time we lived in north Georgia and now time to go with urgency around moving in front of us. Memorial Day capped the month with Haley, Marcella, and Jack coming to the cabin.  More importantly, our friends Greg and Chelley from Florida came up, and my sister and her family with my cousin Kevin and his family made it over.  We have a Memorial Day celebration on the porch at the cabin.

June was the Genesis of a new part of our life – a move to Dallas from Georgia,  The hardest part of the change was not Dallas, but the distance from Haley, Marcella, and Jack.  However, I “sold it” to them based on the opportunity to see a new part of the country.  We moved in to our apartment on June 8^th.  I made a trip to Salem the week of June 24^th and then flew back to Atlanta to meet my kids in Tifton, Georgia (Starbucks) on June 29^th – we drove straight through to Dallas.

July was about sharing Dallas with Haley, Marcella, and Jack.  I worked my ass off at work and they went to the pool every day.  However, we all took a trip to the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Salem, Seattle, and Vancouver) which we followed by a cruise on the Inside Passage to Alaska.  A great time to leave Dallas when it is 105 degrees.  LeeAnn’s nieces came when we returned and we shared DFW

experiences with the kids.

August 9^th found us in New Orleans taking my kids back to Florida to meet their mother in Tallahassee.  In a rented minivan LeeAnn and

I made our way to the cabin.  It gave us a chance to see my parents, check on the house, and more importantly drive the motorhome out to Texas (with big plans to vacation in it!).  James started school upon our return – attending a Montessori school in Las Colinas.  The highlight of the trip was my Dad coming home with us.  We were able to take my Dad to see my Uncle Gary in LaGrange, Texas.

September  could not have come sooner.  We had no company, we were settled, and we seemed to have a routine finally.  LeeAnn started studying for the CPA exam and James was loving school.  The week of September 10^th we went to Costa Rica, a trip I had longed for a long time and a reward LeeAnn gave herself for finishing school. I also began taking steps to attend law school: registering for the LSAT, studying, accruing reference letters and filling out applications.  Long a dream, but always impossible, living in Dallas with two schools offering part-time programs made it seem realistic.  The last weekend of the month was concluded with a visit from my sister-in-law Margaret.  The highlight, LeeAnn and I bought cowboy boots.  James also started t-ball!  This was a new experience for us having practice twice per week and games all day Saturdays.

October 6 was the LSAT exam for me, and then  off to James’ t-ball games on a cold, dreary day.  Jack came to see us by himself, his first time traveling alone and I made a trip to Florida for NBAA which allowed me to see Haley, Marcella, and Jack in New Smyrna for dinner one evening.  We found out LeeAnn passed the Financial section of the CPA – another milestone!

November started with LeeAnn having foot surgery that put her on crutches for 6 weeks – a challenging time

for us.  My Mom came out to help for 10 days so I could travel for week.  The second weekend of the month Haley, Marcella, and Jack came to Dallas and we did an early birthday celebration for James.  Sometime in

 

the month we found time to buy a new car, a 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, trading in our Volkswagen.   When Thanksgiving came LeeAnn was still on crutches so I did all of the cooking for us and we had our neighbors/friends from downstairs over for the day.  November 29^th was James’ real birthday so we took him to Medieval Times in Dallas (Lee on crutches..) and LeeAnn’s birthday was the following day. We managed dinner out the next day – all you can eat sushi.

It was hard to believe December finally made it.  We were challenged with LeeAnn’s crutches, Christmas shopping, planning a trip to Georgia for the holidays, and Ty’s 1^st birthday.  Somehow we managed to get it all done!  More important, LeeAnn continued to study for the CPA, I found out I was accepted to one of the law schools of many to which I applied, I traveled, balanced work, and we made important decisions for our family.

Each year I try to challenge myself to do more, to stay ahead. I also want to share with my kids adventures in life.  As I look to 2013 I know there will be many challenges and much excitement.  Like last year, LeeAnn and the boys will start the year in New York, me – Dallas.  Where we end the year I do not know.  However, I know we will move to Florida by March, LeeAnn will wrap up all of the CPA exams and find a job, James and Ty will both start a new day school, James will play spring t-ball, living in Florida will facilitate closer relationships with Haley/Marcella/Jack and bring us even closer together.  In the summer we are taking a family vacation our west to the Grand Canyon with my sister-in-law, and in the Fall James will start Kindergarten and I will start law school part time.  Haley will take the SATs again in March and the two of us will work on picking a college as she starts her Senior year of high school.  I don’t know what unexpected events will transpire but I am confident we can handle anything we face.