2011: a year in review.

you guys, i cannot believe that the new year is in less than a week. 2011 has been a great year filled with new experiences. lessons in learning to say no, being content in any situation, and letting go and giving it all to God. i feel i've gained confidence and character throughout the year. here is a review of 2011 in pictures.


[january] - snow greeted us at the beginning of the year. it was awesome. here's why: i'm a bookkeeper at my grandma's accounting office. that's right...tax season starts january 1st. the snow prevented us from going to work for a couple days. #ilovesnowdays

[february] - it snowed even more in february, which meant more days off. (woohoo!) how cute is our snowfan? february also brings with it the stupidest day of the year. if ya ask me, valentine's day should be changed to february 30th. #justsayin'.  but by far, this last february was the best ever. i remembered that my half-birthday was in february, so i casually mentioned it to my mama and g-ma. and by casually, i was playfully joking around. no serious intent or expectations. well, i show up to work, and my desk is covered in presents, cake, and flowers. it was so sweet. #ilovemyjob

[march] - after the snow melted, spring started showing its beautiful face! i love spring. if you haven't noticed, nature is my thang. i lovelovelove nature photography. it makes my soul happy.

[april] - april is a great month for many reasons. spring has come, the weather is warming, and flowers are starting to spring up everywhere. i bought a fancy-shmancy macro lens just in time to capture God's little surprises. springtime in oklahoma also means thunderstorms and thunderheads. #iloveoklahoma

[may] - the first weekend of may, i went camping with one of my dear friends, meagan. we went to robbers cave state park in southern oklahoma. we hiked, ate hotdogs, made s'mores, and had great conversation. i also went to the races with my bubba. on memorial day, my parents and i visited the cemeteries where our loved one are buried.

[june] - i spent my days in june trying to stay cool. instead of a nice spring after the long winter, we went from cool to hot in a heartbeat. VBS was a blast, like always. and of course, i found more flowers to capture.

[july] - july was HOT. 100+ degree heat almost everyday. mama's birthday is the 4th, and since we were in a burn ban, we ate cake and okra, and watched the few fireworks the city shot off. sunflowers started peaking their way through the dry ground.

[august] - the best month evah. i'm biased, of course, because it's my birthday month. august was even hotter. this summer, we broke the record for 100+ degree days. there were a few sunflowers that survived the scorching oklahoma heat.

[september] - this month went by fast. more heat, but it was starting to cool down. and yes, more nature shots.

[october] - won't forget this month for a long time. my grandma had her heart attack this month. it was insane and eye-opening. i did go to the races again with my brother earlier in the month. i made some cute diy pumpkins.

[november] - the weather started cooling down. leaves falling off the trees. and we put up the cutest inflatables after thanksgiving.

[december] - the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas, hot chocolate, family, lights. i love it all.