This was a great year for the Barnes family. Nekos and I both started new jobs that we love; Tessa Jean started walking, talking and going to a Mother's Day Out program twice a week; I found a fun, creative, supportive group of girlfriends to hang with, and we took some unforgettable trips. And we're really looking forward to 2012: We have more fun trips planned and, best of all, we're hoping to get pregnant with baby No. 2 over the summer.
Here's our 2011 highlight reel:
January: We take a gorgeous family road trip through Tucson, Phoenix, Sedona, Flagstaff, Vegas, and Los Angeles. It's unreal and we're sad to come home.
February: Nekos starts his new job at cj advertising and loves it. We try to get Tessa to eat vegetables.
March: Tessa turns one and we throw her a fun party!
April: Tessa starts walking and Nekos and I go see Kings of Leon and Band of Horses in Memphis.
May: I cut off all my hair, start writing blogs for 14 lawyers (for Nekos's company), and quit my longstanding freelance gig at Gibson Guitar, which is a big deal (read: huge relief) after four years of working with them in some capacity.
June: Tessa starts going to a Spanish immersion Mother's Day Out program twice a week, we take Tessa to Bonnaroo for the afternoon, and Nekos gets Tessa tattooed on his wrist.
July: The month of friendship transitions: I let go of one friendship, welcome an old one back with open arms, and strike up some new ones. Nekos and I see Bon Iver at the Ryman with new friends Faith and Chris.
August: Nekos, Tessa and I get to be in a fashion show for The Hip Zipper at the Tomato Festival. We host our first backyard movie night.
September: Nekos and I celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary with a trip to Barcelona; Nekos turns 31 and I turn 29; Tessa really starts talking up a storm; and my friend Brittany comes to visit from Baton Rouge.
October: I start freelancing 20 hours a week for Euro RSCG Worldwide PR and quit my lawyer blogs job. (I'm in love with the new gig.) We dress up like the Wizard of Oz for Halloween. (Nekos is the cowardly lion, I'm Dorothy, Tess is the scarecrow, and our cairn terrier Garp is Toto.)
November: I redo our bedroom and start a fiction writing group.
December: We throw a Christmas party, spend time with besties who are in town for the holidays (Molly, Rocky, and Brooke), and get jazzed about Tessa's second Christmas.
Here's our 2011 highlight reel:
January: We take a gorgeous family road trip through Tucson, Phoenix, Sedona, Flagstaff, Vegas, and Los Angeles. It's unreal and we're sad to come home.
February: Nekos starts his new job at cj advertising and loves it. We try to get Tessa to eat vegetables.
March: Tessa turns one and we throw her a fun party!
April: Tessa starts walking and Nekos and I go see Kings of Leon and Band of Horses in Memphis.
May: I cut off all my hair, start writing blogs for 14 lawyers (for Nekos's company), and quit my longstanding freelance gig at Gibson Guitar, which is a big deal (read: huge relief) after four years of working with them in some capacity.
June: Tessa starts going to a Spanish immersion Mother's Day Out program twice a week, we take Tessa to Bonnaroo for the afternoon, and Nekos gets Tessa tattooed on his wrist.
July: The month of friendship transitions: I let go of one friendship, welcome an old one back with open arms, and strike up some new ones. Nekos and I see Bon Iver at the Ryman with new friends Faith and Chris.
August: Nekos, Tessa and I get to be in a fashion show for The Hip Zipper at the Tomato Festival. We host our first backyard movie night.
September: Nekos and I celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary with a trip to Barcelona; Nekos turns 31 and I turn 29; Tessa really starts talking up a storm; and my friend Brittany comes to visit from Baton Rouge.
October: I start freelancing 20 hours a week for Euro RSCG Worldwide PR and quit my lawyer blogs job. (I'm in love with the new gig.) We dress up like the Wizard of Oz for Halloween. (Nekos is the cowardly lion, I'm Dorothy, Tess is the scarecrow, and our cairn terrier Garp is Toto.)
November: I redo our bedroom and start a fiction writing group.
December: We throw a Christmas party, spend time with besties who are in town for the holidays (Molly, Rocky, and Brooke), and get jazzed about Tessa's second Christmas.
