Best of 2011

This New Year's Eve, as we celebrate and remember the blessings and highlights of another great year, we hope you enjoy this VM Family Best of 2011 List:

Best Book: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Best Movie: (Okay not really a movie, but probably the thing Dave and I most enjoyed watching this year) Arrested Development.

Best New Recipe: I discovered Pinterest, and thus a new addiction, this year.  I'll share the 2 best recipes I've tried (multiple times now!), thanks to Pinterest.  One is dinner, one dessert: Panko-Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach and Tomatoes and S'mores Bars.  You're welcome.

Best Family Visit: A four-way tie between Uncle Chris, Uncle Kyle, Anna and Heather

Best Outing: Carmel over Spring Break where we were delighted to find it was seal pupping season!

Best Way to Celebrate an Anniversary and Birthday: Disneyland!

Best Teacher: Mrs. H. who made sure Ella had a wonderful year in kindergarten.  Ella maintains a relationship with this favorite teacher still this year.

Best Way to Worship God: This one doesn't change from year to year-- the Redwood sanctuary and fellowship of friends at Mount Hermon wins again!

Best Hike: All the way around Pinecrest Lake during our family camping trip.

Best Display of Bravery: Delia taking her first ride on the tube this summer.

Best Baseball Game: Dave and I vote for the nostalgic Cubs game, Ella and Delia vote for the entertaining Giants game.

Best Vacation: The 2 wonderful weeks we spent with family in Chicago and Michigan

Best Song: Anything Ella plays on the piano! (A close second: Party Rock-- the marching band edition on You Tube! :)

Best Investment: Our membership to the awesome Monterey Bay Aquarium, where we learn and marvel at something new each time we visit.

Best Costumes at the Harvest Party (in my biased opinion): Delia as Little Red Riding Hood, Dave as the Big Bad Wolf and Ella as Rapunzel.

Best Part of the Preschool Program (again, in my biased opinion): Delia as a "Sneaky" Angel.

Best Surprise: An unexpected weekend in Chicago where we ate pizza, visited a world-class museum and saw SNOW!

Best Lesson Learned this Year: As God nudges us to explore a new ministry opportunity and challenges us to ask ourselves if we'd be willing to leave our beloved home to move back to the Midwest, our biggest lesson this year has been that of discerning God's voice, seeking His will and submitting in obedience.  We've been extra intentional about prayer, finding the ways He speaks through our various studies of the Bible and listening the wise council of our must trusted friends.  It's always amazing to see God working and we'll be excited to share what trials He brings us through and what blessings He has in store for the VM Family in 2012!