2012 rewind

 by Clint

2012 was a year of growth for the Aichele family. We were blessed with a pregnancy, and the boys grew before our eyes every day. Melanie and I now feel like we are grown-ups, though hopefully 2013 will be more carefree so we can turn the clock back a little. My waistline grew. We knew going into the year that it was going to be a rough ride. However, we did get surprised a couple times. The year started with my interview at OSU. The interview was the start of a multi-month process that had twists and turns along the way. We intentionally kept February simple, knowing that March would be focused on getting the house ready to sell if I got the job. Getting the house ready actually was not as bad as we thought it would be. We had plenty of fun times and themed weekends, including a Treasure Island themed night that was a highlight, complete with a trip to Long John Silver's. The winter was mild with only one snow that gave us a brief snowman. The winter quickly gave way to spring and before we knew it, our house was on the market (April). We spent a lot of time on Pathfinder in the spring riding bikes and running. Pathfinder was our greatest gem in Bartlesville. We had some good times at Frontier pool, and we really enjoyed spending time with our small group.

Time passed faster than ever before for me, and like the last moments of a sunset, our time in Bartlesville accelerated to the end. This wasn't like moving from Houston for us. In that move, we never looked back. We joyfully left that place as fast as we could. Leaving Bartlesville was different. We started living there with the intention of building a life. In the beginning, we didn't know how long we would stay, but we knew that we wouldn't mind if it was for a while. We made great friends and we loved the community. I will always remember the hours we spent at "our park" next to the house. Thinking about all the time we spent in the backyard digging in the garden always makes me smile. And the hours that we rocked on the porch swing in the backyard will always bring me joy. Leaving Bartlesville hurt. It was the first place that the Aichele family had really felt like calling home. I will say that the drive was a little blurry leaving Bartlesville. Sawyer and Beau, some day go back to 2724 Kingston Dr. and try to remember all our good times.

Mimi's diagnosis of stage 4 cancer on literally the day before we left Bartlesville did not help the moving process. We drove straight from our last night in Bartlesville at the Price Tower to Siloam Springs. The family gathered there to try to help Diana figure out the smartest path forward. Diana has always inspired me by her strength and tenacity. The same day I started my new job as a professor, Diana started her battle with cancer at MD Anderson. Thankfully, 2012 would see miraculous healing for Diana! Grammy also had a few rough patches with a near heart attack in the fall, but she is also on the mend.

The rest of 2012 from July to December 31 was a mix of chaotic activity, exhaustion, and joy. The problem about being a tenure track assistant professor at an institution that hasn't quite reached research status but desperately wants to is that you never stop working or thinking about work. There really is only one word in my vocabulary, proposals. This was a big change from my last job. I tried to carve out time for the family, and we did have some good times in Stillwater. We swam a lot at Grammy and Grandpa's the first few months we were here. We had a lot of friends welcome us into Stillwater. Sawyer and Beau had fun at their school. Melanie got bigger by the day with number 3. We had a record hot summer, again, and continued the exceptional drought. Our trip to Colorado in July re-centered all of us and helped us to get through the fall. We enjoyed football and fixing our house. The fall was fun, and we got an extra long Christmas season this year. The boys are at the peak of Christmas fun! Our New Years sandwich tradition continued this year with a four cheese grilled cheese in truffle butter on homemade bread. This was plan B. We originally were going to re-create Johnnie's burgers, but everyone was sick, so Melanie made grilled cheeses.

2012's theme was "Sometimes it is better to travel than to arrive."  We hoped to keep our mind on enjoying the moment and not looking toward an end goal like selling our house, moving, having a baby.  Unfortunately we did not realize all the other challenges that 2012 would bring and there were many moments we just counted down to the end.  We are optimistic about 2013.  2013 looks bright, and that's why we are going with the theme of "Fair and Bright," taken from one of our favorite songs, Big Rock Candy Mountain. We're thankful for 2012, but we're looking forward to and welcoming 2013.

2012 Top 10
10. Wrestling with Iron Man and Iron Baby every day after work.
9. Long awaited April trip to the Tall Grass Prairie.
8. Bike rides and walks on Pathfinder.
7. Starbucks dates.
6. Getting the job at OSU.
5. Lake trips.
4. Swim time at Frontier Pool and Grammy/Grandpa's pool.
3. Cabin trip.
2. Spring fun: campout, pool parties in the back yard, time at the park, and dance parties to kid's Pandora.
1. Getting pregnant with future Paul Tiverton.