2012 in Review

Happy Couple with Engagement Daffodil	JANUARY WE GOT ENGAGED!  Afterwards, we toured downtown Washington, D.C., in the wee foggy hours of the morning and, finding a bed of bright yellow daffodils—Eileen’s favorite flower—in full bloom beside one of the Smithsonian museums, Jay committed his first (and only) felony theft from federal property.
A stopover in Myrtle Beach, SC	FEBRUARY WE TRAVELED to Charleston, South Carolina, to see a specialist whose diagnoses led to significant improvement in Jay’s health.
Clipart from Microsoft Word, modified	MARCH/APRIL WE CONTINUED SPLITTING OUR TIME between states, mostly Virginia and Michigan, moving in a hazy daze of wedding planning and exhaustion.
Theda at a previous celebration in July, 2011.	MAY WE TRAVELED TO MASSACHUSETTS with Mom Aveni and Jay’s sister, Barb, to celebrate the 90th birthday of Jay’s and Barb’s Aunt Theda. (Don’t tell her we told!)
Mr. and Mrs. Jay Sappington photo © James Pinard	JUNE WE MARRIED and held our first reception, in Michigan, with family and friends from across the world and throughout the decades. We ate! We sang! We danced! We celebrated! Note: Some gifts we received became separated from cards identifying the givers! If you gave us a gift and haven’t received a thank you note, please let us know!
Siesta Key, Florida  photo from www.sunnysideproperties.com copyright unknown	JULY WE HAD A FABULOUS HONEYMOON on the Gulf coast—just after Tropical Storm Debby passed through.
illustration by Mark A. Hicks, from school.discoveryeducation.com	AUGUST WE BOTH SUFFERED significant health setbacks whose effects linger even now.
Jay and fellow former residents of the "Hill Dorms." photo © Nico Anglys	SEPTEMBER WE ATTENDED A REUNION of college era friends in Michigan.
Members of Horizon pose after singing at our 2nd wedding reception	OCTOBER WE ATTENDED A REUNION of Jay’s high school choir, Horizon, in Virginia, then...
Click the arrow at above left to see Jay dance with his new mom and namesake, Josephine "Jay" (really!) Aveni (video courtesy of Doug Barylski)	WE HELD A SECOND WEDDING RECEPTION in Virginia, with more friends from past and present. We ate some more! We sang some more! We danced some more! We celebrated!
Scenic Seton Hill University photo from www.nationalappcenter.com Copyright unknown	NOVEMBER WE HAD THANKSGIVING WITH EILEEN’S FAMILY, then visited Eileen’s alma mater, Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
University of Michigan Central Campus photo from www.pictureninja.com. Used under the GNU free documentation license (www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl.html#TOC1)	DECEMBER BACK IN ANN ARBOR, we toured Jay’s alma mater, The University of Michigan (another big road trip!), then...
Book cover by Thomas Nelson publishers	December (cont.) WE SANG IN A CHRISTMAS CANTATA, “One Incredible Moment.” Jay performed the role of Simeon (to view a cell-phone video of his solo, click here), then... .
Clipart from Microsoft Word	WE MADE ANOTHER TRIP EAST, celebrating Christmas Eve with Mom Aveni in VA, Christmas day with  Aunt Theda in MA, and New Year's Eve and New Year's day with Mom A. and two sets of friends in VA.