A quick year in review

The year started out with Steve and I having the honor of attending the inauguration of President Barack Obama. This was an experience that I will never forget! David turned 15 on the 24th of January and the studying for a permit commenced.
March was a busy month. I became football coach for Alex’s team, Mad Dogs. It was a learning experience for all of us! We won our first (and only) game, but it was fun. I also went to Vegas that month to visit my BFF Stephanie! My sister-in-law Jane also came along and as the trio of trouble we had a great time.
April was chaotic. Our dog Prospero had to get neutered. Honeywell announced 10% pay cuts that affected Steve. I tripped over Prospero and gave myself a concussion. And I turned another year older. (Numbers are not important here……)
David went from helping me coach the Mad Dogs to playing on the team as our QB. In his third game, he made his best tackle ever – and broke his right arm! We spent a few hours in the ER and I spent Mother’s Day tending to HIM. We also lost our cat Loki in May. He snuck out one night and owls found him. Honeywell announced more furloughs, this time affecting me. On a positive note, Steve and I saw Styx, REO Speedwagon and 38 Special with my friend Mike.
June 1st brought us 11 puppies. Fortunately I had taken that week off from work. We lost 4 of the pups, but 7 survived and were so darn cute! A few days after they were born, I flew to Virginia to pick up Hamlet, another pug. Yes – we bought another pug. We didn’t think Prospero could get Ariel pregnant. He made it happen the week before he was neutered. Steve injured himself pretty bad by falling off of a ladder into a cactus. He did this the day before he left for an international trip. He visited Prague, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo….among other airport stops, such as Moscow!
Alex spent the summer in Las Vegas with his dad. He did some odd jobs for friends of his dad’s and earned enough money to buy himself a 360. He was very proud of this accomplishment! David’s summer was spent going to the orthopedic at Luke Air Force Base on an almost weekly basis for his arm. His BFF Andrew did come down from Alaska for a couple days, which made David happy.
July marked our anniversary – 2 years. We also added yet another new member to our family. Jasmine, a Siamese Lilac Point, was adopted from the Arizona Humane Society. She is a beautiful and very sweet kitty. And David did get his permit on his 15-1/2 birthday.
School started for us in August. David started the 10th grade, Alex started 8th grade. Me? I dropped University of Phoenix and moved over to Arizona State University. A lot more work, but I love it! I started off with only 2 classes (7 credits) to make sure that I didn’t overdo it. We also got a new car in August. We traded in the Mercury Sable for a 2009 Hyundai Elantra. Oh, and I can’t forget the Green Day concert! Best concert I have ever been to.
In September, Steve and I took separate vacations. He went to Buffalo/Chautauqua for a week to visit with his dad. I flew to Seattle to see my family and Stephanie. She and Chad (and Shelby) took me to the Miley Cyrus concert for their wedding anniversary. Mom, Mike and I went to the Puyallup Fair one day. And I got to see my mom Patty too! Visited my Nana in her new place, which is very nice. It was a very busy week, but I loved it. The day that Steve was to return to Phoenix, and while I was at the Miley concert, David called to tell me he hurt his foot. A friend had to take him to Urgent Care. His foot was sprained and he was on crutches for about a week.
October was a nice quiet month. Steve kidnapped me and took me to Flagstaff for a weekend. We rented a cabin at Fort Tuthill. We did some hiking, went to Sedona and just relaxed. It was wonderful.
Alex turned 14 in November and is constantly reminding me how he will be in high school next year. Right before his birthday, the kid broke his finger at school. He was playing football at lunch. We went to John and Denise’s house for Thanksgiving. Our good friends Blake, Amy and Molly joined us. Steve and Alex went camping in the White Tanks the day after Thanksgiving and did a lot of hiking. I joined them on their final night out there.
Steve just celebrated his birthday on December 8th. (Again, numbers are not important here) We had a quiet evening. I made him a steak dinner and we watched a movie.