2017 Christmas Card (and Past Years)

I'm a day (or three) late and a dollar short (what's new these days?), but I couldn't resist sharing our 2017 Christmas card... and while I was uploading it, I thought it would be fun to reminisce about the past few years, and I was right! I love putting together our card each year and sending them out to our family and friends! 

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate!) Happy New Year! 2018 is just around the corner! 

2016: A Year in Review

This is one of those posts that probably won't interest too many of you, especially as I've blogged (not too well this year!) about many of these topics already... but this is more of a post for the books. For my memory. For my family... and especially for my daughter. 

Regardless, 2016 was good to us! It was less life-changing than 2015 was, but it did bring along a cross-country move and home-ownership for the first time. Each month was filled with many different events, and I want to remember as much as possible.

In January, we took our first family vacation to Niagara Falls, Canada (with a stop at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on the way) when Annabelle was four months old. 

In February, we had lots of visitors to our home in Ohio - my mom, followed by Lydia, followed by Michelle! 

March brought Annabelle's half birthday, Dan graduating with his Master's in Applied Physics from AFIT, and saying goodbye to good friends in Ohio before moving to Texas. 

We stopped in Missouri to see family for Easter on our cross-country drive and got settled in Texas in April. Annabelle went to her first air show and (kind of) enjoyed it. 

We traveled to Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and New Mexico in May, and Annabelle got to go on her first six flights, including one Space A flight on a C-17. We visited family and friends on that trip and even took Annabelle to our favorite places from our years in Colorado Springs. At the end of the month, Dan and I celebrated two years of marriage. Exciting! 

In June, Dan promoted to 1st Lieutenant and started pilot training at ENJJPT, signifying the real beginning of our life in Texas. 

July was hot, and we spent a lot of time walking around our neighborhood in the mornings before it was unbearable. 

August was spent with a trip to Branson for a wedding and a trip to Kansas City for a bridal shower and bachelorette party. Dan flew his Dollar Ride in the T-6, and Annabelle and I went to the airfield to watch Dan fly his first solo in the T-6 - how fun! 

September brought our sweet and sassy Annabelle's first birthday, which was a blast, and a family trip to Dallas to take her to the zoo for the first time. That month ended with a trip to Kansas City so I could stand by one of my best friend's side as she became a wife, and then Annabelle and I visited another best friend in St. Louis so we could meet Baby Huxley! I also finished my exclusively pumping journey, which was a long but well worth it year-long extravaganza for me. 

In October, Annabelle and I returned from our road trip, and we celebrated her second Halloween by taking her to a Trunk-or-Treat event on base. 

November was busy with Dan flying long hours, hosting a giant Thanksgiving dinner, and just living life. 

December brought about Dan completing his training in the T-6 and traveling to Missouri for Christmas and New Years! 

What a wonderful year we had as a family. Here's to 2017 - hopefully it will be even better!

2016 Goals

I don't know about you, but I'm very much a goal-oriented person. I thrive with challenges, especially if I have a routine. That's why I want to share my 2016 goals with you all. It will help hold me accountable, but more importantly, I'll have a reference point.

Here you have it, friends... what I hope to accomplish in this great year of 2016:

1. Read Devotional Every Day - I have a few different devotionals, but I'm going to start with one (Jesus Day by Day by Beth Moore) and work my way into another (Jesus Calling) by Sarah Young when I finish the first. I'd really like a mother of a daughter type devotional after that, so I'll be looking for recommendations. I hope to do this each morning as I drink my coffee, but I know life (ahem, a baby) can get in the way of plans like that, so I'll fit this in wherever I can.

2. Be Intentional About Birthdays - this one will be easier with my new planner and stickers (Dan got me an Erin Condren for Christmas - woo!) 

3. Breastfeed Annabelle to First Birthday - I know, I know... she never would eat "correctly"... but I am pumping like a mad-woman and even have a whole additional month of milk stored in the freezer now - over 700 ounces! At the rate I'm going, I should be able to stop pumping sometime in May and still feed her my milk exclusively (we will add normal food too but keep her rate of breastmilk the same) until her first birthday in September.

4. Finish Cookbook - This isn't something huge... it's not like I'm planning on publishing a cookbook... but I do want a nice, organized, easy-to-follow book of all of the recipes my family enjoys... which is a huge undertaking since we try LOTS of new meals all the time. I currently have recipes printed from the Internet in a basket... we keep all the ones we like. I am going to type each one up in the exact same format so it's easy for me to make each one when I'm busy in the kitchen. I do have this project started, and I'm hoping to be done typing my current recipes by the time we move at the end of March, so I can focus on printing and putting together my book once we arrive at our new home.

5. Blog Twice a Week Minimum - This one is pretty self explanatory. I'll always shoot for three posts (M W F), but we saw how that worked out last year, so I'm trying to give myself a little grace here. ;-)

6. Complete 10 30 Before 30 Tasks - My list is found here, and I still have 13 tasks I have't even started in addition to some that are currently in progress. I need to get busy! I turn 29 in July...

7. Read 16 Books - Last year, I failed at reading the amount I set out for - 26 - but I think that whole having a baby thing got in the way a bit. I chose to keep my goal number lower this year in hopes that I won't give up. I use Goodreads to track my progress, find new books, and review the ones I read. I'd love to be friends - find me here. 

8. Set Monthly Goals to Stay Motivated - That's right - I'll be posting monthly goals on the blog and sharing how I did with them the next month. I know a few other blogger friends do this, and it seems like a great way to focus on short-term goals, so I'm going to give it a go!

9. Focus on My Digital Shop - I have unfortunately made the decision to close my shop, Two Cats Decorations. I love making products for people, but I hate packaging and shipping. My tile magnets are too fragile to pack haphazardly, and I was wasting way too much time preparing them for shipment... time I could be spending with sweet Annabelle. My husband was awesome about helping (he always is), but the amount of money I brought in from the shop in 2015 wasn't enough to justify staying open. Instead, I'll focus on my digital shop, Printspirational Art Co., since there's no packaging involved, and it'll be easier to keep up with on a day-to-day basis. I can always turn my shop off during busy times and not even worry about it! 

10. Be Intentional About Life (being a wife, being a mother, being a friend, being myself) - This one is also pretty self-explanatory. I want to make sure I'm being genuine and trying my hardest to fill my roles in life. That's pretty vague, I know, but I'm hoping this one kind of guides me. 

• What are your goals for 2015?

    

2015: A Recap

2015 was such a whirlwind of a year for us!

We found out we were expecting a baby, prepped everything for the baby, found out she's a girl, traveled to Europe, celebrated our one year wedding anniversary, bought a new car, went to a Royals game in Cincinnati, had maternity photos taken, and HAD A BABY!

Annabelle is the sweetest gift to ever come into our lives, and while we are sad to see the year of her birth go, we are extremely excited to watch her grow, develop, and learn new things!

• How was your 2015?
• Are you happy or sad that it's over?