Checking the Rear-view Mirror: 2010

For me, 2010 was full of "hellos" and "good-byes", and the occasional "hello again" followed closely by a "good-bye again."  

The good-byes are rough, but they do give the opportunity for one more "hello again" and I suppose they're unavoidable when one chooses to live on the opposite side of the world for a while.  So here's a look at my year, divided into two parts by location:

Israel: January-July

January was a month of "hellos" as people slowly trickled back after the Christmas break. 

It also contained lots of bacon (relatively)

…and a trip to Galilee with Emily and her mom

Also, my nephew was born, though I wasn't there to meet him. 

In February school started up again.  I joined the new Physical Settings class on a few of their field studies, continually working on my knowledge of the land and trying to get ideas for my project. 

 It was fun to see water in the wilderness.

March contained a few adventures.

I headed to the Dead Sea area with some friends early one morning where we climbed Masada to watch the sunrise.

Later in the month I went on a camping trip with some friends and my sister and we explored much of the Negev, including parts of the ancient Spice Routes. 

April was a busy month.

During the week of Passover, I went on a field study to Galilee.  It was for a class on the modern history of Israel, so the sites visited and perspective gained were quite a departure from the norm. 

 On campus we had our annual egg hunt and BBQ for Easter.

My sister was stuck in Jerusalem for her birthday, so we partied by getting locked into a church when it closed and had to climb over a gate to escape. 

The next week a group of us went to Dor, Haifa, and Rosh HaNikra for a little break.

May was a month of good-byes as the semester ended and most people left shortly thereafter.  

It was also a month of hellos as my aunt and uncle came with a short-term group and I met up with several other people I knew from "back home."

June was a big month for me as I finally completed all my projects and earned my master's degree.

July was a month of transitions.

For my last week in Israel, a couple girls visited and I took them on a whirl-wind tour of the country. 

Then, after a few more good-byes, I was off to…

The United States of America: July-December

July (continued)

The first job on my list after my return was to visit my nephew, which I quickly accomplished.

 Then they made me dress up like a cow so we could get free food.

I also had a chance to spend some time with another part of my family as I helped them move and spent a few days with them. 

Finally back to beautiful Montana where it rains in the summer!

August was filled with more reunions 

and a week at camp. 

In September I took a recruiting trip to Colorado and also managed to see some old friends. 

In October I tried to do some hiking and exploring and enjoy the Rockies in fall.

Then I broke my finger.  Ouch.

November was spent recovering.

First snow came…and stayed.

My nephew, brother, and sister-in-law came for Thanksgiving, but, unlike the snow, they couldn't stay. 

We got a Christmas tree.

And a herd of elk decided to take up residence in my back yard.

In December I went to the Christmas stroll

And decorated my own place.

It was a blessing to have friends and family around to be with over the holidays.

A few favorite memories this year include:
Numerous birthday celebrations (and yes, '81 was a good year for babies).

In a similar vein, various get-togethers with friends, usually involving food (Shabbat meals, Top Chef Parties, etc.)

 Getting to see most of my friends and family this year - though usually for only very short periods.  

So here's to the New Year!