In this, the darkest and quietest time of the year, I have taken a few moments to reflect on all that has passed in 2012. Here is a brief look at my year in pictures:

January: Palubari, Nepal

January 2012: Battisputali neighborhood, Kathmandu, Nepal

February: Backyard hockey rink.

March: The Peanut Challenge. My oldest son was diagnosed at age 1 with a peanut allergy. After blood tests determined he had outgrown it, the final test was eating peanut butter.

April: Spring break.

May: View from Ydra, Greece

May: Sunset on the Greek island of Ydra

May: At the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland

May: Lac Leman, Geneva, Switzerland

June: Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Skogfjorden Norwegian Language Village (Bemidji, Minnesota).

June: Bukkesjøen, Bemidji, Minnesota

July: Family reunion, Lake George, Minnesota

August: Weedfield, Center Sandwich, New Hampshire

September: Interviewing students at the Sankhu-Palubari Community School in Nepal

Sanku village, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

September: Swayambhunath temple, Kathmadu, Nepal

October: Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, Minnesota

November: Election 2012

November: All the kids at my daughter’s school wrote what they were thankful for on a feather, creating this Thankful Turkey.

December: The things you see when you cross-country ski! Elm Creek Park Reserve, Minnesota
All in all, it has been a pretty good year. As my friend Amy described it, a mix of exotic and everyday. The perfect description of my life!
What’s in store for 2013? To begin with, I’ll be in Morocco in January, Cameroon in February and Tanzania in March. In short, the fortune cookie was right:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
(See other bloggers’ 2012 in Pictures here and here)
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Human rights lawyer, wife and mother of three. Not necessarily in that order.
December 31, 2012 at 12:24 am
Tell us more about your work, please!
December 31, 2012 at 11:52 am
Gladly! I am the Deputy Director of an international non-governmental organization called The Advocates for Human Rights. We are based in Minneapolis, MN USA but do work locally, nationally and internationally. I was in Nepal twice in 2012 because we support a school for kids at risk of child labor. I also supervise our International Justice programming, which means that I do a lot of our United Nations advocacy (hence the Geneva photos). We are currently working on a pro bono needs assessment project in Africa, with travel planned for several countries in 2013. That’s just a short description, but you can find out more about The Advocates for Human Rights on our website http://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org. Happy New Year! ~Jennifer
December 31, 2012 at 7:41 pm
Thanks.
I will check out the webite.
All the best for 2013.
Love & peace.
Ela
January 1, 2013 at 1:50 pm
Best to you, too, Ela!
Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Year-in-Review Photos | Four Deer Oak
December 31, 2012 at 2:14 am
Love your pictures! They told us the good work you had done in the Human Rights area, including your visit to Napal; your nice family, and a great vacation in Greece! Thanks for sharing!
December 31, 2012 at 11:35 am
Thanks! Happy New Year!
December 31, 2012 at 1:55 pm
wonderful images and it sounds like 2013 will be interesting for you
January 1, 2013 at 1:51 pm
Thank you, Jo! Best wishes for 2013!
Pingback: Versatile? « Talk About Cheesecake
January 1, 2013 at 1:18 pm
I nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award to kick off the New Year – http://talkaboutcheesecake.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/versatile/
January 1, 2013 at 3:50 pm
Wow! Thanks so much! What a great way to say, “Happy New Year!” Best wishes for 2013!
January 2, 2013 at 4:46 pm
Wow Jennifer what a collection of wonderful pictures! I love the one of you and your daughter in native dress, too!
What a few months you are going to have! I cannot wait to hear all about it!
Wishing you the best in 2013!
January 2, 2013 at 4:52 pm
Thanks Nicole! Happy New Year! Safe travels to Honduras.
January 4, 2013 at 7:19 pm
Safe travels for you too Jennifer! We are going to have so much to catch up on….if I can catch YOU! Wow, you are doing some amazing travel and work! I am so inspired by you!
January 4, 2013 at 5:20 pm
Wow, what a series of adventures! And 2013 sounds just as exciting. That’s a fortune I’d love to have.
Thanks for linking up with me!