So long. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen...Good Night.

If the kind of celebration you have to herald its exit is any indication of the quality of the year, 2011 must have been a good one. Because we had a great time on New Year's Eve 2011! Or perhaps we were just trying to make up for the last few. Our last "normal" New Year's Eve was in 2007...so we were probably due! (Normal indicates any combination of: family, friends, champagne, music, food, fun.) Also note that it would NOT include such events as the following:
1. Counting down to midnight in the car on a highway somewhere in rural Michigan, on a belated trip to Canada, after a stressful trip to the neonatal doctors in Iowa City (New Year's Eve 2008).
2. Spending the evening in bed with the flu and an equally sick spouse, while alternating care of a barfing baby (New Year's Eve 2009).
3. Going into labor! (New Year's Eve 2010)

This year we did "normal", and I have to say we did it well! We started the evening with a family dinner, made by the kids, while Mom and Dad took babysitting duty. We started with bruschetta and a gourmet salad (think: pecans, cranberries, blue cheese, roasted red peppers!). The main course included steak and lobster, stuffed potatoes, and roasted veggies. We finished with a pavlova. It was all divine! We all got into our fancy clothes (although us cooks donned aprons!). And of course we broke out the party hats and the nice wine, although we did forget the champagne.

We attempted a family photo...but this was the best we could muster up.

From there, we left the babes and old folks (all those who can't make it until midnight!) and headed out with friends to a black and white themed masquerade ball! It was just as fun as it sounds! Here we all are, in our fabulous masks, all one of a kind creations by Ms. Breha Patterson, with help from her Pitman apprentices!

We did a lot of dancing.

We took a group shot in front of the "green screen" that promised an exotic background or exciting New Year's wish...but alas, since we forgot to pick up our photo at midnight...the acutal green-screen is all we have.

We took monumental "Last Photo Together in 2011"!

We counted down to midnight!

We took a "First Photo of 2012!"
(...which looks a lot like the last photo of 2011...!)

Before the night was through, we'd also (unwittingly) crashed a Legion party (no photos of that though), shared some good laughs, reminisced about New Years Eves past, and looked ahead to the future. And we all got to bed by 3am! Welcome 2012. You've been good to us so far! Can't wait to see what else you have in store!