best of 2011

Each year Ginny & I work together on some patchwork Best of List.  I truly love this time of year- as it begs one to look back as well as ahead.

You’ll need to remember the caveat with the following list:  to be on our list does not mean that a thing was introduced in 2011, but rather that it came upon our radar or was particularly loved by us this last year.

We’ll be ringing in the new year 8 hours ahead of you Americans; which also means 2012 will last 8 hours longer for us than you.  Now that your mind is blown, enjoy our list, and feel free to add the things you thought were great this year that we missed- via the comments.  We’ve found some great stuff through others’ comments on these posts in the past.

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life, family and things that matter more than most:

Away with ankle biting::

This was the year our kids became fun.  Okay, that sounds horrible.  But that doesn’t make it any less true.  Parenting can be tough, and parenting two kids that are 15 months apart can really serve to wring out the selfishness that we all drip with, and that is such a good thing.   But it is also a good thing to just absolutely enjoy your family, and this year that became extremely easy.

Anders is turning two and Hazel turned three.  Hazel talks a ton and I take her on dates.  Anders just wants to bang into things or bump them or bite them.  He is all man, and he is such a blast.  They started playing together and even slept this year.

It seems that home with infants can often be associated with a checklist; home with toddlers is easier associated with cars, crowns, and lots of laughs.  We turned a corner in a way, and I grieve while at the same time I enjoyed the heck out of it.

The year of preparation::

So much of this year was, and continues to be, focused on our decision to adopt Lena.  From months of paperwork to adding space for another onto our home- this has been the year of preparation.  This has been a tough phase, to be honest, but one that has laid a foundation for something we are so excited to build on.  Having spent about 10% of this last year in Ukraine, we will all be home together soon; what else is there to say!

Needing Others::

We could not talk about this year and of our preparation for Lena without speaking of the community that has worked to help us bring home our daughter.

• For the Home addition– Bradley, our neighbor & architect.    Clay our friend and builder (yes the friendship is in tact).  Paul the tireless.  And many more gave up their time and talents to help us build a space for a girl they have yet to meet.

• Taking care of our children in our stead–  Family and friends have rallied to care for our two kids with such love and tenderness.  Others gave money to do what we didn’t know how we would, but felt we must.

We will be forever grateful to those who made our family possible.  We could not have done this without others, and that- to us- is both beautiful and humbling.

Failures & disappointments::

I did not get published.  I have worked hard on a book about Eliot and thereafter, and had built a friendship with an agent who was helping me navigate the publishing world.  And I was excited, and I love to write and I love to talk of Eliot and God’s work through him.  But, at least for 2011, it was not to be.

I worked hard and wrote much.  And although I am thankful for the process, I had really hoped that something was going to come through.  This is typically the kind of thing that I don’t blog about, and I only do so now as to not sell this year for something it was not.  I was disappointed.  But I am persistent and I can and will accept if it is not to be.

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Things that matter less.

A list from both Ginny & I, so if you disagree with it- it was probably Ginny’s:

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MUSIC:

• Bon Iver– If you’re looking for a follow up to the 1^st album, it’s not here.  But this is great stuff even if different.

• Bethany Dillon::  acoustic– This album has served as the backdrop of our time in Ukraine and it has brought us hope and faith in greater things continuously.

• Avett Bros::  Live cd’s- I saw them a while back on an episode of Austin City Limits- jumping around and yelling and trading places.  This is the cd I yell along with when I am driving alone in my car.

• She & Him:: Great background music for all occasions.

• Ben Rector:: He won’t follow me on Twitter, but if he keeps making great music like this I’ll get over it.  Pretty much one of the only artists the whole family agrees on.  Hazel asks for Ben before Veggie Tales, and I thank her for it…..Yes, I like Veggie Tales too, in moderation.

• Josh Garrells::  Eclectic sound.  Poetic lyrics.

• Ingrid Michaelson::  Every since we saw her in NYC, we’ve been catching up on her music.

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THINGS BETTER LEFT IN 2011:

It was the year of the break-in as my car was broken into twice (once by bashing out the window) and I had 2 Ipads stolen, although one was recovered by the police (score one for the good guys).

In the process, I had 4 books that I was reading stolen also- which somewhat explains less reading activity this year.

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BOOKS:

Adam (Henri Nouwen)-An account of Henri Nouwen’s work with Adam- a mentally disabled man that Henri came to know through his work L’arche Communities.  Lessons gleaned from one with a different set of priorities than most of his fellow men.  Thankful for this account.

Writing From Your Life (William Zinsser) Best known for On Writing Well, which I was working through before it was stolen, William dispenses writing wisdom but manages to sneak in life lessons along the way such that you find yourself taking notes and it has nothing to with the craft of writing.  I would recommend anything he has written- even without having read it myself.

Best of A.W. Tozer (A.W. Tozer) This man is simultaneously mystic and theologian.  He is purely logically about the supernatural.  I have enjoyed taking pieces from this book and reflecting on them rather than reading through it at once.

Bossy Pants (Tina Fey) I bought this book for Ginny.  Apparently it contains more bombs than Baghdad, but Ginny laughed more within these pages than I have seen her in a while.

1,000 Gifts (Anne Voskamp) Ginny felt that Anne’s words were so often her own- just better said.  I really want to read this book, but can only do so when everyone else stops talking about it (it’s just the way I am).

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MISCELLANEOUS::

• Netflix Ipad App: We cut the cable for the majority of the year and got by with this app.  Come football season, we caved and got cable, but it’s a great app if anyone will come back around after they drove them off.

• Relevant Ipad App::  Relevant is a magazine and its app is the best I have found at being a tailored experience for the Ipad.  Well done.

• IKEA (bathroom, lighting & floors) &   CB2 (lighting)- These are where we got a few touches for the add on and would have gotten even more if money grew on trees or anywhere for that matter.

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Here in Ukraine the New Year holiday entails pieces of our 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas & New Year’s- all rolled into a nice cluster of holiday madness; so we’re off to go watch a movie in our room as we have strict orders from our translator to avoid going out by all means possible.  Remember to add stuff through your comments.

Goodbye 2011.