2014 Recap

2014 has had it's ups and downs but I like where it's ended up! Here are some highlights.

- I took some vacas this year. In January I went to Milwaukee to celebrate Mary's 30th with the gals. Rob and I visited the Carnes in Merrill, WI in March which was super fun. Also in March Rob and I went to San Francisco/Monterey which was just delightful and fun times with the Liebls. We went to Montreal in May and had the best time. Tons of great food and park naps. We went to Hunky Dory in July with the Jensens which was lovely as usual! Rob and I made several trips to SW Michigan including one to visit the Horaths at their beautiful home and a weekend in Union Pier for our anniversary that was filled with fun outdoor activities and relaxation. Lastly we made the big trip to France for Pitchfork Paris and got to hang with Ness & Tob and also visit the Auvergne region. Truly a great year of travel!

- We celebrated Ness & Tobi's Chicago wedding and Leah & Matt's wedding over the summer and Jenni & Aaron's in the fall. Love love.

- Lots of friends are pregnant so 2015 will bring lots of babies! We were asked to be the God Parents for baby boy Shaklee and we just can't wait to meet him! Stef and Jeff are expecting baby number 2 and so are Jamie and Kyle.

- I volunteered a lot. I see Connie 2x a month and we did all sorts of fun stuff this year. My favorites were the Holiday Party hosted by the park district that Connie loved! She got to pet reindeer and do lots of crafts. I also loved the fall Chicago Park District event we went to where the staff were So nice and helped us get a great pumpkin for her to decorate. Rob and I did our favorite Breakthrough Urban Ministries project a few times, New Life for Old Bags, Sunlight of the Spirit food pantry, Cardz for Kidz projects, served Thanksgiving lunch to seniors and bingo every week. I also did a lot of the DePaul alumni volunteer projects which have been really special.

- I worked out a lot. I got really into Powersculpt Fitness this year and it's been challenging and time consuming but I see the results and am proud of the work I've put into it.

- I paid off my student loans!

- Saw lots of bluegrass and folk shows. Rob and I saw Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Noam Pilkeny 2x and one time with my favorite Aiofe O'Donovan, and seeing Rob's new band The Wandering Boys a few times!

- We put an offer on a lake house! This was huge and an awesome learning experience. We ended up walking away and are still on the prowl for our perfect house.

- We moved in July! We love love love our new place. So much happier in our new home.

- Had a lot of fun with my girlfriends doing different things like summer festivals, our new monthly wine night, an electric boat ride, volunteering, seeing different shows, comedy/plays/concerts and lots of trips to the movies. I always laugh most when we're together and I'm so grateful for my buds.

- Spent a lot of time with family doing fam bbqs and dinners and playing silly games.

- Did tons of fun dates with Rob that usually involved pizza, ice cream, basketball games or Michigan. The best was the ghost tour we did though. So ridiculous.

- I did a lot for myself this year. Making sure I had enough alone time, saying no to things I didn't want to do or wasn't up for and doing my best to spend time doing the things that make me happy - volunteering, spending times with loved ones, getting enough down time, making meals at home and working out. I continue to work on investing time into the relationships that matter most to me, trying not to sweat the relationships that might not be as strong as they used to and communicating how much those VIP loved ones mean to me. This is a work in progress! I'm excited to have some time off from work over the holidays and see what 2015 has to offer.