Monday, January 9, 2012

2011 in Review

Happy New Year everyone! What an eventful, challenging and blessed year 2011 was. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are ready for the upcoming year.
The Alberts were again busy with cross country, basketball, track, swim team, school, college, family, work etc. I won't write too much but I will list the highlights and include several pictures.
The year started with Carla and I adopting a debt reduction plan inspired by finacial expert Dave Ramsey. We made it a year without a credit card and paid off two large debts! I am now teaching Dave's curriculum for high school students in my Business Math classes. Loving it!
Jaylee and I spent the year living the AAU basketball life. The girls finished 90-17. (See previous posts for more details.) She is now playing JV and varsity for the Lady Broncs. She played volleyball this fall and will be a solid high jumper for the track team this spring.
Easton and I had a memorable cross country season as he placed 7th overall at state and our boys team took home a third place trophy. The good news is we return our top 5 runners the next two years. Both Easton and the boys (and their coach) have very high expectations! He is now playing JV basketball and will follow up his very successful track season last year with another one this spring.
Easton had an incredible summer. He worked for Algevolve, a water treatment company that specializes in a patented process of water purification using a certain strain of algae. He also had a unique opportunity to travel to New York to spend a week on the West Point campus. This was truly a catalyst for Easton's goal to attend a miltary academy. He's is off to an incredible start to school!
Kaurie graduated from HHS and is now attending Whitworth University in Spokane. She is majoring in English and competing on the swim team. She is up at 5:00 am every day for practice and has really worked to improve her times. She gets no compensation for this commitment so we are very proud of her efforts.
Ashley is again healthy and off to a terrific start to her sophomore season with the Montana State women's basketball team. She loves her teammates and coaches and is looking to win the Big Sky Championship. She is averaging about 13 points and 7 rebounds a game while playing the most minutes for the Cats. We are so proud of her leadership and toughness...especially after coming off her ACL surgery last season.
The big news is Ashley is engaged! She will marry Gage Brumwell on August 18th at First Presbyterian Church in Missoula this summer. She is busy planning the details and starting her 6th semester of college this month.
Carla is busy with work. She is the heart and soul of Catalyst Physical Therapy here in Hamilton. She is amazing how she balances the challenges of being a mom and my incredible wife of nearly 24 years!
We spend most of our weekends traveling to the sites of our kids' events. It is hectic but special. We are so blessed to be entrusted with such a special family. God is good.
I taught 30 kids how to drive this summer...had fun but sat way too much!!I am reffing varsity basketball again...hoping to get a tournament or two this year.
We hope this post finds you well. May God bless you this next year and may we all walk in his will daily.
The Alberts