2011 was a year of big changes for me. I looked and felt quite different and grown up as the year came to an end.

Turned 12 in April. Went for a movie with my friends. Mommy was sick that day, so pretty much ran the party!

In school news, I graduated from Forest Park Elementary school with the Presidential Award of Excellence and started attending Thornton Junior High in fall. Junior High turned out to be a really different world with its early morning start, class switching every period, mile runs, school dances, teen fashion, and more. The school workload more than tripled especially since I am in all Honors classes. I still miss my old school but have adjusted well to the new one.
Beginning of the year at Forest Park, I enjoyed playing another season of basketball for the Wolverines. Went on multiple fun outings before graduation including a trip to Great America and a whole day picnic by a pool. I got picked to perform at the school variety show and sang a parody with my friends. Played the part of a Princess in the school play.
I won both in literature and visual arts categories in the Reflections competition at Thornton.

Visited our nation's capital and New York city in spring. Went on a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons with Pooja and family in summer. That was fabulous. Ended the year with a trip to Puerto Rico. Also went skiing, camping, and on long hikes.

I continued my piano lessons, taking another exam in November. In school I took band as an elective and also joined the after school Jazz band, playing percussion in both. I started taking western singing classes.
In summer, I took classes like writing, debate, badminton, biology, and even cooking. Also started learning Spanish.

Writing replaced reading as my favorite pastime. I wrote my longest story ever and even got it self-published. Of course, I continued to enjoy reading, watching movies, playing games, spending time with family and friends, drawing and painting. In sports, I continued to enjoy shooting hoops, learned ultimate frisbee, and started enjoying biking more.


Here are some pictures from 2011

Leah's eight birthday, other Jan pictures. And a few more.

Us in February and a few more.

Us in March and a few more.

Us in April, in New York and Washington DC and a few more.

Us in May, Memorial Day barbecue, field trip to Great America, and a few more.

Us in June.

Trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.

July pictures.

August pictures.

September pictures.

Us in October and what Mommy saw of Prague.

November pictures.

Finally, December pictures.