Goodbye to 2012 - Looking Forward to 2013

So . . . as I prepare to say goodbye to 2012, I'm taking a few minutes to reflect on what an incredible year it was in so many ways.

January saw a trip to New Orleans for ImagingUSA; who knew Kirsten and I would find our rings in "The Big Easy"?

February marked the one year anniversary of surgery and a year of being cancer-free. I proposed to Kirsten and she said yes!

In March, my family and I celebrated my mother's 89th birthday. It was wonderful to have everyone together for dinner with her.

April opened another season at Target Field . . . love going to see the Twins, no matter what.

At the end of May, I said farewell to the students I'd been working with at Hill-Murray School. Some graduated and moved on to college while others would stay, but when Mr Sherman retired, it brought an end to 2 years of volunteering as a bw photography /  darkroom instructor (for now, anyway.)

June opened a new year of high school seniors through the studio. I just love working with you all throughout the summer!

Wedding bells rang at the American Swedish Institute in July. Kirsten and I exchanged vows on the 7th in front of an intimate gathering of family and our closest friends. We then moved on to a party at Republic in Minneapolis where we were joined by over 70 friends and family. We truly felt all of your love and support!

August marked a trip to Atlanta for the annual PPA Charities Board Meeting, along with a busy month photographing hs seniors before school began.

September opened with a Labor Day trip to Duluth, MN. We visited Kirsten's sister and her family, drove along the North Shore of Lake Superior for a day, then came back and celebrated my son Joseph's 21st birthday with his friends. (It's been a long time since I've been at a bar with 40+ college kids!) It was a great weekend.

The end of September and beginning of October was a bittersweet time as Mom lost her 8 year battle with cancer. There were lots of tears and laughs as we saw family and friends who came to pay their respects before we laid her to rest next to Dad.

November . . . Thanksgiving with a new twist as we celebrated with my family at my sisters' lake home, then headed west about 45 mins to do the same with Kirsten's family the next day. I love spending time with family. I also became involved with a BNI business networking group; I'm now connected to a wide range of talented professionals in a variety of fields.

Which brings us to December . . . We opened the month another year older for both Kirsten and myself (both of us have early  December birthdays.) We enjoyed Christmas with both of our families, missed my mother dearly, and began to look forward to the changes that 2013 will bring to our lives.

What will those changes be? If I told you that, it would spoil all the fun!

Stay tuned . . . 2013 promises to be busy, exciting and better than ever.

Happy New Year!

- David Grupa