The Year in Pictures

2011 was abundant with thriving relationships, new love, triumphs of gratitude, connection and adventure. I remain astonished by my quality of life and grateful for the healthy, loving friends and family that encompass me. In a sharing spirit, here is the last year, in pictures.

JANUARY. Patrick and I rung in 2011 with friends on the slopes of glorious Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon. Although it was beautiful up there, I noticed I had developed a large amount of snowboarding fear. Is it natural human ripening, to gradually feel like there's more to lose if you get a broken leg or a chipped tooth? While in the lodge sipping a bloody mary, I considered retiring from snowboarding and embracing snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

JANUARY. Beatrice, the large love, became more attached to my lap this year. Her unhappiness with my travel absences brought her a new love-Sam the Cat Man. Doting on cats is his business and he was paid to let her knead, purr and drool all over him while I was gone. She is his favorite client.

JANUARY. 1/11/11 was the day Zachary Michael, my second cousin, joined our family. We are happy to have a male bringing up the percentages for the grandchildren. In my mom's generation we are 25% male (she has two sisters and one brother). For their children (the nine cousins) we are at 22%, with two out of nine males. Now that my cousin, Caity, has a boy and a girl, we are at 50% males so far. My mom is starting to ask when Allisen and I plan to contribute to the percentages.

FEBRUARY. After years of getting fliers from Team in Training, I decided to focus my winter on raising money and training for a half-marathon. Upon attending the first meeting, the coach of the triathlon team (Scott Besemann) Besazzled me into joining their crazy gang instead. The fundraising had special meaning for me as my dear friend Lodi is a cancer survivor and her father is a leukemia survivor. The process of recruiting donations for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was an astonishing demonstration of the loving, supportive and generous people I know. Over $3400!

MARCH 3. Addison Joy, my dear friend Heather's daughter, turned ONE. It's so crazy to see a friend you knew during her braces phase and Clyde Drexler obsession being a mother. Heather and her husband, Brad, are amazing parents.

MARCH. Patrick and I escaped the Portland winter with a Yelapa, Mexico spring break. It's a little fishing village that has no cars, near Puerto Vallarta. We stayed in a completely outdoor pelapa with netting around the bed to keep us safe from scorpions and other crawlies. A pelapa in Yelapa beats a condo in Redondo.

MARCH. A Yelapa dog followed us to our pelapa each night. She was a sweet and loyal companion. Since she adopted and loved me so unconditionally, I tried to adopt her back. My flight would not allow dogs and so I left her in Mexico, along with my heart.

APRIL. Fortunately, the vet in Yelapa found a woman visiting from Portland, willing and able to fly back with a random dog, to reunite soul mates. A week later, Isabel (left) and Patrick's dog, Bender (right), met and became the best of friends. He has only tried to hump her once and she let him know right away that's not what their relationship is about. I didn't know I was missing out on so much love until this dog came into my life.

MAY. My first time at the Indy 500, Patrick  has rarely missed the event since 1984. A visit to the midwest had us happy with mosquito bites, sunburns and full tummies. The Grogans are known for John's expert grilling of massive amounts of meat and MaryAnn's delicious orchestration of a hearty spread that calls the family home.

JUNE 26. After a winter and spring of training, I swam a mile in Lake Wickiup, biked 29 miles into Sunriver and ru/walked 6 miles through Sunriver Village. That last mile was painful and emotional, as I ran on my creaky knees. My pain was nothing in light of the hurt and suffering endured by cancer patients and their families. During my state of elation at the end of the race, I decided I would do another triathlon. After icing my knees, I changed my mind.

JUNE. From left to right: The triathlon squad celebrated our accomplishments- Mom, Don, sister Allisen, friends Andrew and Carrie, pseudo-niece Claire and inspirational confidante, Lodi. I'm in front of course, and Patrick is behind the lens.

JULY. We spent the 4th of July back in Patrick's hometown of Indianapolis. Patrick has five nieces and nephews that visit for Grammie Camp each summer. They made signs for our arrival. So much good family and good food- and FIREFLIES!

JULY. I lived with four girls in a house on Mill Street during college at University of Oregon. Each year since 2002, we've been reuniting in different spots to relive the good ol' days. This year we were at Tanya's place in Bellingham, Washington to meet her new baby. Mekah didn't make it, but we're hoping it's the first and last time we'll be missing a part of the crew! Mill Street Girls from left to right: Natalie (in stroller), Tanya, Rhea, Dana, Iris. (Mekah, in spirit)

AUGUST. My mother's best friend, Colleen, is a second mom to Allisen and me. She visited Oregon for our Annual Camping Trip of the Century. They act like kids when they get together. We had seven tents and trailers at Lost Creek Lake and took a day to raft the Rogue River. The 2011 Camping Games were won by Mom and Don. Colleen scheduled a complete spa day when she returned to California, to be sure all the camping dirt was cleaned from her cracks and crevices.

SEPTEMBER. In the spirit of adventure, Patrick and I decided to escape the Portland gray for fall, winter and spring. This decision included a leave of absence from my job as a teacher at Findley Elementary and a "see ya soon" to my dear colleagues. I miss my community at school but have fully embraced the slow pace of my days!

OCTOBER. My period of unemployment worked out perfectly for Mom and Don's lobster diving trip. During my house-sitting stint, I was able to enjoy the vistas of their ranch in southern Oregon, feed cattle, be woken by coyote yelps, spend quality time with the Dalbertis, and teach my two dogs how to be "country."

OCTOBER 12. Jackson Hole, Wyoming was the first stop on our travel adventure. Four days of wild west, Grand Tetons, wildlife and country music bars. This is where your mental images of the old west come from. Really. Tons of western movies were filmed in the area.

OCTOBER. A month in Denver, Colorado gifted us with a trip to Red Rocks, a Ducks game in Boulder, a bike ride to Golden for a tour of Coors Brewery and wonderful outings in town with new friends. The sun shines bright in the Mile High City.

OCTOBER 26. Experiencing the most volatile weather of the year in Denver, we wore shorts one day and a snow suit the next!

NOVEMBER 13. Being in Colorado provided an opportunity for Allisen to visit and for the two of us to see a place we've been hearing about all our lives. When we were babies, Mom bought forty acres outside Fort Collins, CO. It was beautiful, wide open and windy country with friendly neighbors and a distant view of the Rocky Mountains.

NOVEMBER. After Denver, Santa Fe, New Mexico inspired us with its abounding art, charismatic desert landscape and rich history. It's the oldest capital city in the U.S., as it was settled by Spain long before the U.S. existed.

NOVEMBER. Hanging out at the adobe with our traveling show. Allisen helped ease the transition to a new city by being an awesome hiking partner and photographer while Patrick focused, admirably, on his work.

NOVEMBER. I would have to say my favorite day on the road adventure so far was our visit to the Bandelier Cliff Dwellings. The massive rock to the left of Patrick housed the ancient Pueblo people in the small openings you can see. We were able to climb up and sit inside the caves for a feel of how they lived. We learned about kivas, which were circular spaces used for big meetings. They were usually underground and covered with a thatch roof. When I build my dream home, I'm putting in a kiva.

NOVEMBER. We spent Thanksgiving in Houston, Texas with Patrick's sister, husband and their three beautiful girls. Four million is a lot of people in one city.

NOVEMBER 24. We spent most of our time at the house, playing with the kids and dogs. We took naps in the yard on Thanksgiving Day. Can't do that in Portland.

DECEMBER. Months of a moderate schedule have allowed me to expand my limited cooking abilities. As Chief of Domestic Organization, I made my first quiche, stuffed squash, split pea and minestrone soup, three pies, carrot muffins, cookies and many more creative kitchen endeavors. I now understand cooking as another art form, a way to express the inner artist.

DECEMBER. This photo captures the scale of the Texas capital building. Austin has been an amazing place for live music, new friends, outdoor adventure and ESPECIALLY a growing relationship with yoga.

DECEMBER. Being that we travel light*, we got into the Christmas spirit by decorating a large lamp and listening to lots of Christmas music instead of getting a tree. Luckily, it rained a lot during Austin's December, making me feel like I was right at home. *light is a matter of opinion- Patrick would say we do NOT travel light.

DECEMBER 25. Christmas with the WHOLE family in Oregon was full of warmth, play and delight. And presents. Above, Mom and Don open their grand finale gifts on Christmas morning.

DECEMBER 31. Another year has passed, giving us a landmark to reflect on blessings and set new intentions for the future. Patrick and I are back in Austin, enjoying the dog friendliest city we know and sharing new experiences.

Thanks for sharing yourself with me. 

Best to you and yours in 2012!

Love,

Rhea