More than most years, 2011 has been a year of loss and beginnings.
The year started out with PJ in New Hampshire spending what time she could with her sister, Vanessa, who passed away a few weeks later. V had become a regular guest with us at Christmastime over the past few years. We didn’t know 2009 would be the last year for that tradition. Christmas this year was low-key compared with previous years, but actually went better than expected.
Much of the year was dedicated to planning our 9/10/11 wedding which also went better than expected. We found a venue, photographer, clothing, reception venue, flowers, and pretty much everything else without too much hassle. A small group of friends and family members gathered for a simple and lovely ceremony, a lively reception, and a fun after party.
Our honeymoon was a series of day trips that also went well, though it felt like it all ended too soon.
Returning to work, we both found a lot of changes in store for us. PJ’s company announced it was closing some of their locations including hers. They’ve been generous with the advanced notice and plans to help us out after the office closes about 5 weeks from now. We’re cautiously optimistic about PJ’s new job opportunities at this point.
My organization started a new service, 2-1-1 Arizona. We’re the last state to implement this service and it’s been quite the uphill battle that we’re still fighting. Funding to ramp up services has been hard to come by, but we’re doing what we can. And though we’ve just this month said goodbye to our longtime President, our new CEO brings a new vision and energy to the agency and is helping us move forward.
PJ’s been working hard this past year learning new techniques in jewelry making with the help of her beading buddies at Raincharmer Beads. We were saddened that their bead and jewelry store was unceremoniously shut down after their landlord lost the lease on the store property, but we’re hoping they’ll find a new place in the coming months.
I’ve been working on my photography skills this year and I’ll continue doing so in 2012 with a special emphasis on composition and lighting. I’m not the most patient person around, but I do need to learn to take my time and make sure what I’m trying to say through my photos comes across in the final shot.
I leave you with this bit of fortune cookie inspiration. Speaking from personal experience, creative outlets like photography help keep me on as even a keel as I get to have. Without that, I probably wouldn’t be here to pass along platitudes like this to you.
May we all have a safe, productive, creative, prosperous, and peaceful 2012. Let’s keep moving forward together.
