2022 Double Time Now

At year's end, I like to go back and look at this blog to see how this year compared to my expectations.

Last year I didn't feel up to writing a whole year summary and honestly, I didn't really want to this year either until yesterday. It's been kind of fun to look back at 2022. It was a year of really hard work, some unexpected challenges, and a lot more adventures than we usually have during the average year. 

1. Verizon: Yesterday Dave was officially laid off from his job at Verizon. It's a pretty heavy thing. He's been there for almost 12 years. We met in a Verizon training class. Over the years, Verizon has been a rollercoaster and in the last few years, we watched layers of layoffs. We were always grateful that Dave wasn't in the mix, but this year wasn't so lucky. I think it depends on how you look at it. 

2. Autism Solutions: The layoff drove Dave into a little bit of a mid-life crisis (my words, not his). It's made him step back a look at his professional/career. He decided to try something a little different. He applied to several autism facilities, interviewed, and was offered jobs in several different facilities. With his Master's degree in psychology and his experience, he was a very desirable candidate. He accepted a position as a Behavioral Tech at Autism Solutions, which is not quite full-time to allow for education (which he starts in 2023). 

3. Universal Studies/Disney World: We pulled off a HUGE surprise for the girls in February. We flew into Georgia and drove the Orlando with Dave's Sister's family. We spent two days at Universal Studios and two days at The Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom, and a fun beach day at Cocoa Beach. While I loved the Animal Kingdom and would have loved to see more, I think the highlight for everyone was Universal Studios with the Smiths (Dave's sister's family).

4. Mesquite: Dave and I got a weekend away to celebrate my birthday and Mother's Day in May. It was an incredible and unforgettable trip. We got to see Cirque du Soleil-Ka and went to see the drug trip experience that is Meow Wolf. 

5. Idaho Falls: On this adventure, we went to the distant lands of Idaho Falls for the not-quite-annual Tate family vacation. Highlights included: The Potato Museum, Yellowstone's Bear World, and Reed's Ice-cream

6. Incubus: This gets a highlight because your girl does not go to concerts anymore. Merilee took me to see Incubus in August as a Mother's Day gift from her husband. The majority of their set list was old favorites, and it was incredible to see them live. 

7. Family Pictures: We did professional family photos for our little family in October. It's the first time we had professional photos taken of our family in almost eight years. I love how they turned out. It's a little alarming how much the girls have grown up. 

8. Cami: Speaking of "girls", time to highlight Cami. Despite my best efforts, she continues to grow and develop at an alarming rate. She started 2022 in 4th grade with her favorite teacher-Mr. Edwards. In the second half of the year, she was in 5th grade with Mrs. Reynolds. She also joined the school newspaper club and wrote a little article about one of the new teachers this year. Cami is really into anime/manga and Roblox. She's only 11, but the girl looks and acts like she's 13. 

 

9. Emily: Emily also continues to grow and develop, but luckily, she has stayed relatively average and at a much slower pace, she makes up for that with her abundance of energy and social skills. She started the year in 1st grade with Mrs. Alder and ended the year with Mrs. Zealley. Mrs. Zealley has been so great to have as her teacher this year. She is so patient with Emily and gives her a lot of love and encouragement. Right now Emily loves Gravity Falls, Roblox, and two book series (Rainbow Fairies & Dragon Masters). 

10: Summer Camp: This may be the last year the girls get to go to Wasatch Kids Summer Camp. It was a day camp and they had so much fun making friends and doing all the activities. Cami loved hanging out with her friends: Sadie, Emerson, and Ada. Emily generally doesn't love going to camp. She has a hard time getting up and finds camp to be "too hot", but when she's there she has a blast, especially with the crafts. 

11: Cincinnati: On our last 2022 adventure, we took a trip to Ohio to visit my sister's family. I miss them so much and it was so great to be able to spend time with all of them while we were there. I was able to meet/re-introduce to my great niece & nephew: Adri & Oliver. We drug the whole family with us to the Cincinnati Zoo to meet Fiona and bask in their HUGE insect exhibit. The best thing about this trip, according to Emily, was her discovery of five toads in Lara's window well. She named them and basically claimed them as family.