adieu, 2011.

a new year.  new beginnings.  new experiences.  new, well, lots of things.

2011 was more than good to us in many ways ... while bid 2011 adieu, we greet the new year with smiles, humble hearts and excitement!

 quick recap of the last day of 2011 ... we aren't the "going out" NY Eve type, so we celebrated by watching the auburn game at home, making risotto (yum! a weekly tradition in the vaughan house - but one we have not done since early November), and enjoying 2631.  normally the neighborhood fireworks are a booming NY Eve ... and savannah and shelby do not care for them one little bit.  however, this was the first year we heard ZERO fireworks (hooray!) and the dogs were happy, happy about that!

 the above is a picture of the field way behind our house - this field is not our property, but the owner is super nice and allows us to use it.  it is a really nice piece of land ... and we have mapped out a great place for a trail run.

 a view of the side of our house that overlooks the pond (the pond sits in front of our house, where the picture is being taken).  the fence for the dog's yard is on the right side of this picture.

 if you look closely on the right hand side of the photo, you can see the back of our house.  this is coming back from a walk on that pretty piece of pasture from the above photo.

 from our deck/porch - one of the many gorgeous sunsets out here.  breathtaking, each one.  henry commented at the sunset one afternoon after his nap, "mommy, look at the sky and the pond.  isn't it beautiful?"  amazing.  there are a hundred and one things we love about the new digs ... it just fits us.  our lifestyle, our personalities, us.  our brother in law and his many crews did an outstanding job in the building process.  many more posts to come about 2631.  :)

 and we can't bid 2011 adieu without this thinking of this gem {warning: nostalgia to follow}.  1007 stage road. 2011 marked the year we moved from this, our first home.  a place where we became a family ... this home saw a marriage, loved and protected us in our marriage the nearly eight years, saw various home projects, renovations, learning, growing, living, the loss of a dear family kitty, the incredible addition of brother bricks to our family, helped a few foster doggies, celebrated the births of our two most precious gifts, helped us survive two strokes and thrive through the miraculous recovery that followed.  a place we went through the daily joys, pains, laughter, and everything in betweens in the life that God has granted us.

while we are beyond thrilled about our new home, the move itself was truly bittersweet.  we will forever reflect on the millions of memories created there.  and even though a home is not merely a piece of real estate, we will always cherish it. {tear}

 as we said goodbye to our kitchen, truly the main room of our home ...

 then to what used to be an office, then the sweet nursery where we brought home our first and second baby boys ...

 and goodbye to the room that was once a guest room, then became henry's big boy room ...

 and when the furniture was gone, the pictures were off the walls, everything was clean and freshly painted and ready for the next family, welcoming their firstborn child ...

... we said a prayer of thanks, followed by a few sniffles and tears.  1007 stage road was so, so good to us. 

an old "friends" viewer, i thought about the last "friends" episode when monica and chandler move. {just a show, no question, but a move always reminds me of this}.  the camera zooms into the little yellow frame around the keyhole of the door. 

a door ... a means of access.  opening and closing.  closing this one chapter of our lives.  opening a new chapter of our lives.  accessing a part of each of our days.  accessing many parts of our minds, of our hearts.

 

here's the many doors - old, new, small, medium, large, quiet and loud, we will all access in 2012!