That's a Wrap, 2012

I'm very behind here and have many updates to post - mostly for me to remember them before too much more time passes! I wanted to enjoy the break we had from house projects without trying to document anything, though that didn't last too long (the no projects thing, at least). We've been busy working on both our townhouse in Denver and up in Breck over the last few months and though some of the work was just WORK, some of the projects were smaller, more fun and more interesting (to me!). So I need to put them on electronic paper before I forget.

I'm a little bit relieved - and a little bit sad - that 2012 is almost over. It was fun, hard, rewarding, exhausting, educational, exciting, unsettling, eye-opening and probably more celebratory than any other year has been for me. But unlike last year, when we entered 2012 with a lot of uncertainty at work and a huge amount of manual labor ahead of us, we are both going into 2013 in a good place with our jobs and a dwindling list of house projects in our future. That means we're both a little more well-rested, a bit less stressed, with more money in our bank accounts and ready to find something new to do! Possibly a new (old) house in Denver that will bring us some more fun projects to play with.

We still have a few small loose ends to tie up in Breck but we are mere weeks away from tying a bow on that house (until we tackle finishing the basement next summer) and just enjoying it for ourselves, as well as listing it on VRBO to see if we can recoup any of our spending on it. Curt's punch list gets shorter and shorter each weekend. We have had our share of new and continuing headaches - losing water (again - and just a few days before hosting a houseful at Thanksgiving!), losing heat (when temps outside plummeted to well below zero), pipes freezing/leaking (causing some panic and unfortunate drywall/insulation destruction after finding a flooded room in our basement just last weekend when we thought our water woes were far behind us), issues with our snowplower and plenty of other things we are learning about life at high altitude in our first real winter - but we've also gotten to enjoy two amazing holidays, one with a bunch of friends and my little brother, and one with just the two of us and our pups. Both were perfect in their own way.

On New Year's Eve, I'll be toasting with friends and to friends and especially to my family, many of whom I got to spend time with this year on some of my favorite vacations I've ever taken. I'll be smooching my two favorite red-headed monsters and also my husband who I am absolutely positive will be providing me with many new adventures in the coming year ;)

Curt carving his smoked 15-lb turkey

Our Thanksgiving dinner table

This year's tree

Snowshoeing on Christmas Eve