2011 .... Our first year

2011 was a year of firsts ... it was our first year as husband and wife... it was the year for Laura's first trip to Newfoundland and it was the year for our first celebration of Step-mom Saturday (for those that missed it - that is the Saturday prior to Mothers Day)

VMFA Richmond

The year started out with some adventure in February. After having a great January with Sam and Laura's birthday we started February with our powder room on the main floor flooding. We never did figure out why it happened but we were suspicious that the cold weather had something to do with it. Of course it happened just before I was to leave for California - which made life just a little more stressful.

California was nice.... a work trip that we took advantage of it extend into a mini-vacation. Santa Monica in February is nice and we thoroughly enjoyed it ... found some interesting restaurants and some very cool art near Muscle Beach.

The rest of Spring had some interesting twists with the weird weather but also a lot of fun ... with trips to Richmond to see a Picasso exhibit, a wine festival for Valentine's Day and a great Easter with the kids. The Spring also saw Laura get a promotion making her a manager within the Research and Development group so yet another reason to celebrate. Of course the Spring also had us celebrate Step-Mom's Day in May - along with the Spring birthdays for Kris and Tika. Step-Mom Saturday was great as it was a nice way for the girls to let Laura know how much she means to them.

NFLD Arrival

The Summer had us travelling again with a wonderful trip to Newfoundland. This was Laura's first and she was greeted with a true Newfoundland greeting - with a damp and windy evening. We spent the better part of the week in St. John's where again we found some great food but also had a chance to show Laura the artistic and fun side of Newfoundland. We had dinner and drinks with an old friend of mine and explored some of the local communities around St. John's. We found two wonderful B&B's that were very different but both very fun.

Laura also made my summer special by getting tickets for me to go see Jeff Dunham in Richmond. She made it very special by insisting that I spend the night in Richmond and take Tika to the show. We both loved the show and had a great time catching up with her. She did not stop with an early summer treat but also made sure that my birthday was extra special - and a complete surprise. She had made reservations at a small B&B in Washington, VA and then booked dinner at the Inn at Little Washington. Either one of these events is an outstanding way to spend a birthday but she arranged both and more .... a special cake at the Inn and then a trip to a small distillery just down the road where we had a great tour.

Laura in China

The Fall did not end the travelling. Laura's trip to China was an adventure for her and opened her eyes to some very interesting things including interesting food - but she championed her way through it all. We got to spend our Thanksgiving weekend in Woodinville, WA, a beautiful area just east of Seattle that has an astounding selection of wineries, and restaurants. We had a wonderful time spending the weekend at a fantastic hotel that easily has some of the best service in the US. The combination of food, wine, spa time and just pure relaxation was wonderful.

And then came Christmas .... what a wonderful weekend from Christmas through New Years. We did get to spend some great time with the girls, and also took some time off just to have for ourselves. It was hard to take down our tree at New Years but we tried to make up for it by making a nice big New Years dinner with a roast leg of lamb with a wine reduction, portabello mushrooms, roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts. It was a great way to celebrate the end of 2011 and the start of 2012.

All in all 2011 was a great year - myself and Laura grew as a couple; we had opportunity to enjoy time together and with the girls; Laura got to know the girls better; Laura got some great recognition at work and we had quite a year of good eating. We did have some other ups and downs, as will always happen, my running was up and down for one - with a great start with the Cherry Blossom race and a great end with Ringing in Hope but with a big bump in the middle with yet another bout of Lyme Disease and a stress fracture. We also had some sad news in December when Laura found out that a dear friend, and their family doctor in Nashville, was in very ill health. I know she will continue to think of Dr. Jim, as will all of the Bell family.

All of this is what we all face in life, joys and pains, challenges and successes, days we will always remember and days we will want to immediately forget - but all of this is part of life and I know that as a family, Laura, myself and the girls, we will face all challenges with an open-mind and we will celebrate our successes and our days of happiness with a great meal and a nice bottle of wine.

Enjoy 2012 - remember all you have faced and what you have learned from it and look for new opportunities to enjoy and learn.





Gary & Laura