2013: You're OK after all.

Hey 2013, hope this finds you well.  Sorry I missed getting this to you before you left, but, well, I'm pretty much behind on everything at the moment, so don't take it personally?  If you recall, we got off to a rough start, but I think we really recovered nicely don't you?  I'm still not much for playdates (well, except the kind where you trade kids) but I think we grew together.

The big highlight was the house, of course.  It's hard to believe we actually did it, putting the second story on.  Early on I kinda hated to talk about it, since we'd been kicking this around for so long, but you saw us through and it seems like a distant memory already.  We'll need to work with your successor to figure out what to do with our time and mental energy, but I'm thinking that won't take us too long to sort out.

You hooked us up with some other cool stuff too - last time I was at work, albeit nearly 2 weeks ago, I was feeling pretty good with the situation there.  It's been a lot of churn, as always, but I finally feel like I found my place there.  Glad I stuck around, having regular access to the bazillionaire who owns the joint is pretty cool - thanks for that.

You were great to the kids this year too - after nearly freezing out that first week that is.   They really flourished, living in the camper.  Something about forced independence and what not.  Of course, you had Norah start school this year, which was huge.  The timing was great - she's such a curious sponge and was totally ready emotionally.  Thanks for making sure she made so many new friends - but do they ALL need to have birthday parties??

I must thank for for the end of all forms of disposable waste collection - no diapers of any kind have been used in the new house.  Having Rod transition almost seamlessly was a nice touch.  I also love how you've made him mama's boy this year - the kid tells me he loves me non-stop, but again, I've got a request for your successor - it'd be nice if he could let Matt share the load once in a while also. 
Lastly, 2013, thanks for wrapping it all up with a much needed vacation.  We had some busy time together and those of us that live here in the new house needed some time to recover and reset before we tackle 2014. Good thing too, day 1 was ok, but he's sending us a big-ass storm over the next two days.  Doesn't give me a warm fuzzy, but you turned out ok, so I'll just roll with it.

So, thanks for everything, and enjoy whatever's next for you!  We'll be here if you ever want to visit.