By any measure, 2012 was a pretty rough year all around. It started out pretty hard with Isabella going through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, then just got worse as we watched her decline until she died. Every time I think about her, it’s just unfathomable to think that her time here on Earth was just so short with a large chunk spent in sickness. It’s just so unfair.
But as I sit here and reflect on the last year (last few years, actually), I’m reminded that we have to live life to the fullest at all times because you just never know how much time you have. At the beginning of 2012, we didn’t know that it would be Isabella’s last.
So it’s not just my 2013 New Year’s resolution, but my permanent resolution is to savor every moment. Enjoy life and laugh and have fun every day like Isabella did.
Below are some pictures from some past New Years. On behalf of our family, we wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2013.
12/31/2011 – A giant New Years Eve banana split at Friendly’s. Notice Isabella is in her pajamas! Here’s a little secret, Isabella wasn’t actually eating the ice cream, but she had a little cup of oranges that she was eating! But from the angle of the picture, it looks like she is digging into the sundae!
12/31/2010 – We spent New Years Eve watching fireworks at First Night in Burlington, Vermont.
12/31/2009 – For this New Years, Isabella had completed her rounds of chemotherapy and radiation so we decided to spend the holidays down in Orlando. This picture was taken a few minutes before midnight at Downtown Disney. Notice Isabella’s hair just growing back. How cute!
12/31/2008 – I don’t have any pictures to post from this year, but I remember it pretty vividly. Isabella had just started her intensive rounds of chemotherapy and Julianne, Isabella, and I spent New Years in the hospital. That’s the closest we’ve been to Times Square at New Years.
