The End

Well, I did it. I finished my Project 365! And, I only missed two days (so I guess I should say Project 363). It was quite the adventure. Some days I took really boring pictures (sorry) and other days I took fun pictures that told a story. But, I'm happy to have all of them and I intend to make a photo book to remember 2011 and this memorable project. I thought it would be fun to share a few statistics with you as a recap. I know it seems like I was constantly boring you with pictures of our pets, but it wasn't really that many, I promise! Here are the numbers:

*FOOD: 72 - My most popular category, by far. I added up all the pictures I took of food (although I only counted actual food - not boxes, wrappers, containers, etc. - and it was a lot. Obviously, I really like food...and I'm ok with that!
*PETS: 48 - That's only 13% of the total, not so bad...and besides, they are so cute!
*BILL: 52 - I guess it's appropriate that Bill was in a bunch of my pictures. I'm just thankful he was willing to be a part of this fun idea with me.
*AIRPORTS: 9 - Over the course of 1 year, I took 9 different pictures in airports!! That number makes me happy - it means I traveled (or someone traveled to see me). I hope to be in even more airports this year!
*MALL: 16 - Apparently, we go to the mall often. At least half of these pictures are from movie theaters located in the malls.
*CLOCKS: 4 - When it was late at night and I had nothing to take a picture of, I sometimes resorted to taking a picture of the clock. I guess I didn't do this as often as I thought...just 4!
*DUCKS: 9 - As in, OREGON Ducks!! These pictures were all pertaining to watching Oregon games or just general love of Oregon Ducks! Yay, Vamos Patos!
*BRACES: 3 - Braces were a big part of my year (an annoying part), but I didn't like to focus my pictures on my teeth...so just a few that actually highlighted my braces.
*GAMES: 4 - I'm sad that this number isn't higher. I know we played games more than 4 times, but I didn't always get a photo of it. Oh well, I'll try to improve this one for the coming year!
*ABBY: 19! - This is one of my favorite statistics. Abby was always willing to be in a picture for this project...and she's always smiling! It is fun to see the pictures and remember the great times we've had together. Thank you for being a super fun part of my year, Abby!

Looking back, I really enjoyed my Project 365. I am not continuing with it this year because I need a break - but I'll think of something else to keep my blog interesting. Thanks for dropping by from time to time.

Here's a reminder of how I started the year and ended the year (both in airports!!).

The Beginning
January 1

Bidding farewell to my sister and her family in the airport.
I miss them!

The End
December 31
A quick visit with my parents as they pass through the airport. Toasting to a wonderful 2012!

Also a quick look at the wonderful (*sarcasm*) pictures of me from each month. I look pretty much the same, except for the braces and my hair length. I just need to smile more, but part of that is because I usually took these shots at the end of the day, often when I was tired or grumpy (and January's was after having my teeth pulled, so I wasn't smiling and my cheeks were puffy). This is the most pictures of me you'll ever seen all at once!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

That's it - that's all the pictures for 2011. Thanks again for coming along on this adventure. I'll let you know when I start the next one.

Week 52

December 26
We had our delicious ham for Christmas dinner. We also had scalloped hash brown potatoes and peas. As leftovers we mix the potatoes and the ham...it is simply delicious. One of the best things ever! I will probably make more potatoes next week and add the ham to it before baking it! So yummy! (Even though it doesn't look that good, it is...trust me!)

December 27
One of my Christmas gifts was this water pick. I love it. I'm still perfecting my skills - and I still make quite a mess - but it's fun. It makes my teeth feel clean! Thanks, mom!

December 28
I couldn't end the year, and my Project 365, without one more picture of the dog. You can tell he's sick of pictures. This is the last one, I promise!

December 29
Bill and I are trying to buy a house...again! Here we are signing our life away. I'll let you know if we get it!

December 30
After getting out of a late night movie, the mall was empty! The animal statues at each entrance look more ominous when it's dark. We were exiting the "Dino" entrance, so obviously there was a dinosaur! I like the animals in our mall!

December 31
How fitting that I should end the year, and my Project 365, with a picture in the airport. (If you'll recall, I started this whole thing with a picture in the airport on January 1.) This time, my parents were flying through Panama and had a layover. We were able to get in to their gate and surprise them. Unfortunately their incoming flight was late so we only had 15 minutes with them...but we managed to enjoy a few New Year's Eve finger foods and toast to a "Happy New Year" with sparkling Sprite. It was so much fun and a wonderful way to end 2011!

Week 51

December 18
I hosted a Christmas Cookie party. It was a wonderful afternoon and we had tons of cookies. Everyone brought their favorite treat and we were all able to sample each others delicious cookies. After the party, everyone took a plate home to continue enjoying the cookies. It was a lot of fun!

December 19
Bill wrapped a bunch of presents for me. He got too many gifts for me this year, but I enjoyed all of them! He carefully wrote on each gift...it was super cute!

December 20
Just wanted to show you that even my braces are Christmasy! I got red and green ligatures to show my Christmas spirit!

December 21
My turn to wrap presents. I love presents and wrapping...and opening! These are all for Bill.

December 22
HAM!! We're having HAM for Christmas dinner. We love ham! I splurged and bought an expensive imported ham because we love ham that much. We look forward to our ham Christmas dinner all year long!

December 23
We had a lovely afternoon going to lunch, going to a movie, running errands, etc. One exciting event was driving on the new overpass by our house. They have been doing construction on the overpass and roundabout for a year now and we've been eagerly awaiting it's end. Although the construction isn't completely done...the overpass is open and it alleviates some of the traffic headache near our house. We were able to drive on it to the mall and it was splendid!

December 24
Christmas Eve is not complete without a Candlelight Service. We enjoyed a lovely Candlelight Service at church before our traditional Chinese food dinner. I love Christmas and the candlelight service is one of my favorite parts! Happy Christmas Eve!!

Week 50

December 11
Today we went to the wonderful Christmas Cantata put on by our church. It was a lot of fun to go with a huge group of friends. The cantata was amazing and I sort of wished I had participated in it this year (but I guess there's always next year, somewhere else). It was a great evening and we ended it with dinner at the food court - I'm so thankful for wonderful friends!

December 12
I never showed you a picture of our finished Christmas tree. It would be prettier if you could see the lights better, but this is it. I think our tree is absolutely lovely!!

December 13
Our guest room has become the staging area for presents. We have a lot of gifts in boxes and a lot of wrapping paper...now we just have to put the two together!

December 14
One of my coworkers is leaving this month so we had a going away party for him. He will be missed.

December 15
At our embassy Christmas party this year, there were "guests" in the backyard. They are coatimundis, or "gato solos" as they are called here. I've never been so close to so many of them. They were kind of cute...until someone fed one and then they turned nasty!

December 16
Another going away dinner for the same coworker. A new experience at a boutique restaurant...interesting!

December 17
I started my Christmas baking!! Spritz are one of my favorite cookies - and a Christmas must-have! I made them in preparation for my Christmas Cookie party tomorrow. Now it really feels like Christmas!

Week 49

December 4
We wanted to put Christmas lights on our house, but the ones from last year were all burnt out and very old. So, we went to the store and bought new ones. We decided to buy the cheap ones to last just 1 year and next year we'd buy good LED ones in the US. Unfortunately, we got what we paid for...they were cheap! We tested them and they worked, so we put them all up and then they didn't work. We tried and tried, but finally gave up because they were so cheap! I guess we'll wait until next year to have lights on our house!

December 5
As part of my Christmas spirit, I tried a new recipe and made Christmas Truffles. In theory, they were good. They tasted great (pure chocolate) but they weren't very easy to make. It was very messy and I'm not sure they were worth the effort. But, don't they look pretty?

December 6
We had our Bible Study Christmas party. It was so much fun. I loved the games - thanks, Abby! And we had delicious food and a gift exchange. It was a wonderful evening with great friends!

December 7
I think our stockings are so cute. We don't have a chimney, so we hang them by the stairs...but it works. The only problem is that the cat likes to weave in and out of them so there is black hair stuck to the tops (mostly on mine!).

December 8
We had a day off work for a local holiday so we started our Christmas movie watching with my favorite...The Muppet Christmas Carol. Abby joined us to watch it since she'd never seen it (can you believe it?). I love that movie - it is a Christmas tradition and definitely a classic!

December 9
Here I am...for the last time! I think I look pretty much the same as my picture from January. Maybe after the year is done, I'll put them all together and you can decide for yourself. I guess I have gained weight - otherwise pretty much the same.

December 10
Hooray!!! Bill graduated!!! He's been taking online classes for the last 2.5 years and he's finally done. He took finals yesterday and his graduation ceremony was today (although he didn't fly to Missouri to attend). Instead, I had a fun party for him! I am so proud of him!

Week 48

November 27
In the airport, on my way back to Panama. I'm sad to leave Oregon...I love Oregon! I like this picture because of the duck, but also because of the small sign that says "No Sales Tax in Oregon". Yet another reason to love Oregon!

November 28
The first Christmas present this year...and it's for Bill. What a cute present...now we just have to set up our tree so we have somewhere to put it.

November 29
Bill is so tired. Just a couple more weeks of school...you can do it! We really should stop staying up so late!

November 30
Ubi was being really cute and trying to scratch his face with his paws. He is a cute dog. Thanks to the antibiotic, his skin disease is improving and he looks much better!

December 1
December means Christmas socks. Yay for Christmas socks. I wear them every day for the whole month!

December 2
This is another picture I've been intending to take all year. At the mall, in addition to animal statues at each entrance (to help you remember where you came in) they have a big King Kong statue. We go to the food court all the time and I thought it would be fun to take my picture with him, but never have. So, finally, in the last month, I took my picture. Do I look like I'm about to be eaten?

December 3
We finally put up our Christmas tree!! The whole day was spent setting up the tree and decorating! So much fun! This really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Week 47

November 20
After talking to my mom and Bill, I decided to fly back to Oregon to see my grandpa. We just made the decision and bought a ticket online...for tomorrow! I can't believe I'm buying a ticket one day and flying the next! This changes all our plans for Thanksgiving and vacation, but it's important.

November 21
Here I am in Houston. Just waiting for my next flight to take off. That's my plane out there waiting for me!

November 22
Back in America! Shopping at Costco to prepare for Thanksgiving. They had PALLETS OF PIES!! It was unbelievable. People were buying so many pies...one guy had about 10 in his cart. There were so many pies! This picture isn't even all of them - the pumpkin pies were behind me in the refrigerated section. They were disappearing about as fast as the employees could restock them. And, they are actually really good pies - considering they only cost $5.99.

November 23
Enjoying my dad's pancakes for breakfast with my family. It was good to be with everyone and the pancakes were delicious too!

November 24
Thanksgiving dinner. This picture doesn't even begin to capture all the food we had. It was a delicious feast with my extended family. We have so much to be thankful for! I wish Bill and the rest of my family could have been with us.

November 25
My mom and I decided to get up early for Black Friday shopping...my first time. We missed my sister - who is the real expert. It would have been more fun if she was with us. We didn't need much, but we were out there and got the good deals (on socks) and free donuts. In the evening, we went out again and I snagged the last TV on sale at Target. I pretended it was early morning and I was fighting off the crowds as I rushed thru the store with the big box in my cart. Good times! (The TV was an early merry Christmas gift for my dad!)

November 26
One of the best things about a big Thanksgiving is the leftovers. We enjoyed turkey sandwiches and all the extras!