December 31, 2011
-
A goodbye to 2011…
Here is my annual Bartosch good-bye to the year!
January started with laughs…
and screams…
an attempt to fly…
silly times…
helping the down trodden…
and witnessing on the pier.
February came with more laughs…
a snuggle with Ariel…
guitar lessons…
handpicked flowers…
lazy days…
new friends…
Valerie turning 18…
being serenaded by the sisters…
and yucky dissecting…
March found Steve and I celebrating 21 years…
a visit to the Getty….
Julie turning 16…
which she celebrated with her friends…
took some pretty pictures…
had some silly times with good friends…
and Ellie’s first PartyLite show as a consultant…
April came with preparations for graduation…
with a photo shoot by Phoebe…
and a picture chosen for the announcement…
Gracie decided to cut 4 inches off her hair…
Julie took some more pretty pictures….
a trip to Kentucky to visit the Steins…
a date in a gondola with good friends…
enjoying the sunset…
a surprise visit from Florida friends…
some training at work (Julie took over Ellie’s position at Danceworks)…
a panda hat…
and a video on the roof.
In April also, my sweet sister-in-law passed away.
May danced in with the HSFM recital…
the last day of guitar class….
and the last time Ellie and Chapman sang together in the HSFM singing class…
Elizabeth left her teen years….
and had dance party bash….
took some silly pictures….
and some serious ones…
was in full swing as the Angels struck out…
went on a visit to my sister in Idaho for her cancer surgery…
and many days stay in the hospital…
with a joyous reunion when I returned home.
June began with celebrations…
Gracie graduated from 8th grade…
Valerie graduated from High School…
and a 2nd monthaversary….
had an awesome water fight…
played some worship tunes…
another shorter haircut for summertime…
an annual camping trip…
an attempt to be the master of disguise…
as well as some impersonations…
and some more serenading…
roasted by the fire…
and had a good night’s sleep in the tent…
and now I have to stop to give some perspective on this picture. Lori and I stopped on the way home to check out a potentially new camping spot on the beach. The kids hurried ahead of us down the path to the beach. It took Lori and I a few minutes to get down there after them. When we got down there we didn’t see them. We figured they took this other steeper path back up. So we headed back up the path we were on when we come around the corner and see the kids making their way down this hill!! They had gone up the steep path and tried to cross over to where we were…. They made it down with not much injury
July started with Grace another year older (14!)…
celebrated with some good friends…
then was surprised with a party…
had some delicious cheese cake…
as well as a bit of a food fight…
smiled with good friends…
and grew a mustache…
injured Val (hurt leg) got a lift from a caring mom (thanks DeeDee!)…
injured Val (cut her elbow open on the surf board) get’s some sympathy from her friend…
also was subjected to painful tests for her head nerve damage… (quite the month for her!)
we celebrated the life of my sister in law…
with a big Memorial at the Rose Center…
some final studying (4 years of Counseling classes) — Here I was on my last book/class…
a trip to the fair for a WESPAC recital of the class Val teaches…
August swelled in with a fun day at the US Open…
captured green eyes on film…
then it was party time….
with party dresses….
attempted some water acrobatics….
had a good time bowling…
a lovely day at the beach…
praising God for His creation…
but for Julie a nasty bee sting…
and a 4th monthaversary.
I have no caption for this one… just thought it was really funny..
September found me certified as a Christian Family Counselor (Yay!)…
Valerie a shark hunter….
and Grace giving Ukulele lessons…
a bit of creative bike riding…
nice evenings around the camp fire…
relaxing with friends…
as well as yummy camp dinners…
we witnessed God’s amazing beauty…
celebrated the Lord with 8 baptisms in our pool…
became a secret agent
… trying to find the secret tunnel 
…
took some more pretty pictures….
even some in black and white…
ate our worries away…
crushed on celebrities….
died hair the color of red velvet cake…
said painful good byes (till next summer) to a very dear friend…
made the BEST video ever!!!
and celebrated 48 years!
October found Julie with the camera once again…
celebrated Steve turning 54…
as well as celebrated all the September birthdays… (Rebecca, Chris, DeeDee & mine)
I made a
LOVE video for him of our years together…got a little help from a little friend…
and dressed up as a panda for Halloween…
and her sister, Ellie….
as well as Peanut Butter and Jelly.
November spun in….
as Julie spun off…
we made a funny spinning video…
played in the rain….
Casey and Ellie made a
love cake for Val…
took a trip to Colorado to visit Jessica who shares the same type of nerve damage issues as Valerie…
were bridesmaids in a wedding…
witnessed Hindu Pirates in action (Casey’s band) at the Galaxy…
got a much needed hair cut….
worked for days on Thanksgiving hors d’oeuvres…
as well as made a YUMMY blackberry pie…
danced Thanksgiving day away…
had a GREAT meal with family…
and tried to walk some of it off afterwards…
put up the Christmas lights….
took a photo shoot for the Christmas card…
some silly pictures too…
as well as some with Kona…
and Waikiki…
and celebrated a 7th monthavesary!
December started with a yummy lunch out…
lots of worshiping at the Hillsong’s concert…
which my dear friend purchased as a Christmas present for me quite FABULOUS seats for us both!
took an early morning trip to the tree farm to get our Christmas tree (Not! Home Depot
)…
Found the perfect tree…
Decked it out…
Even the Waikiki helped… but wasn’t very happy about it…
had a Christmas get together with good friends…
as well as enjoyed a party with the cousins…
another HSFM recital…
took annual formal pictures…
had our day brightened by sunny flowers (from Casey for Ellie and from Josh for Val)…
cooked an early Christmas breakfast…
sat down to enjoy it…
singing Happy Birthday to our Savior first (we put a candle on for every year we have been a family… forgot to buy candles for the first time in 21 years… so only had 19…. :
the girls enjoyed the new HAMBOARD Christmas gift…
even Steve and I did, too…
finally… celebrated a 8th monthaversary!
This year had its challenges as well: the passing of my sister-in-law and celebrating the holidays without her, challenges with friends that were very painful, and… Valerie’s nerve pain gave her more bad days than good
– which is hard to believe seeing her smile in all these pictures – even at times when her head hurt sooooo bad. We praise God for his peace and his comfort during this painful trial. We also praise Him for the gift of laughter and for the good friends He has given us to make this burden a bit lighter to carry and walk though. Even so, we prayerfully hope for a less painful tomorrow – a less painful 2012!
