2011 Barker Family Year in Review

One of my favorite things to do at the start of a New Year is reflect on the "old year."

Review our many, many blessings and look for ways we can improve our lives.

Here is the first edition of the "Barker Family Year in Review"

Rang in the New Year with a cozy snuggled in getaway and snow shoeing in Brianhead.

Allison came to visit for MLK Day.

Celebrated our first Valentines Day as a married couple with two romantic evenings.

(see here and here)

Enjoyed a Vegas vacation for Kourtney and Matt Harrison's wedding.

Made some incredible lifelong friends while living at the "Roylance Estates" across from the Provo cemetery. (see here too)

James turned the big 25 (see here, here and here) and studied hits guts out for the CPA exams.

Karly wrapped up her last semester while hosting BYU Weekly.

Graduated in April (here and here) and celebrated Easter with both the Staples and Barkers.

Went apartment hunting in California and said goodbye to Utah and hello to California a few weeks later.

I found the perfect job at OC Metro and James started his accounting career. 

Went to Arizona to welcome my nephew home from his mission and again for Michael Choules wedding.

Thoroughly enjoyed our first SoCal Summer...

as did the many visitors at Hotel Barker.

(here, here, here, here, here, here)

Had a reunion with the Lanai crew at Ronnie's wedding in Temecula.

Ate frozen banana's on the island more times than we are willing to admit.

Made many, many new California friends and had a blast getting to know them better.

Celebrated our first anniversary with a weekend in San Diego and Coronado.

Welcomed a new nephew, and the first Barker grandchild, Baby Carter.

Had the biggest blessing of all, found out we are expecting our first baby, a girl, due in the Spring of 2012.

My parents came to visit.

Hosted a Halloween bash to remember.

Had the first of many college friend reunions.

Celebrated Thanksgiving with the Staples family, complete with Henry's first birthday.

And had our first Christmas with the Barkers - in Hawaii!

(more to come on that soon - see La Dolce Vita for even more pics)

We have had a lot of changes around our home this year and abundance of blessings.

In some ways we know exactly where 2012 will take us.

In others, we aren't so sure.

But we do know one thing - 

we are incredibly blessed and excited for our family's future.

Welcome 2012.