Best Year Ever!

Hi Friends!

I hope this wonderful Tuesday has greeted you kindness. It's time for our Tuesday coffee chat. I have my cup here, just how I've enjoyed it in the past two months: a dash of half + half, and a spoon of sugar (unless it's my morning cup for work, which is twice that, because I drink a giant cup of coffee at work, haha). I am ready to chat with you yet again about the new year. Actually, the old year, today. Reminiscent is my middle name (maybe "emotional" is my middle name, and 'reminiscent' just falls under that umbrella), which means that a New Year tugs my heart towards the past with a fond look and an aching heart. It seems that just as much as I look towards the bright future, my heart aches at the passage of time and the sweet past I have lived. I often find myself thinking about the past with a longing to go back and visit a moment just once more. Like the first time I held my husbands hand, the day that we said "I do," or the fit of laughter I had with my best friend on a foggy drive home from classes. My life has been blessed abundantly, with spots of trials. Overall victory and grace have won, and sometimes I am not quite ready to say goodbye.

2018 was on of those years of pure, uninhibited goodness. For some blessed reason (that I take not for granted) God decided to dump a pile of joy and blessing upon me. This I need to remember so that the trials to come can be combated with promises of a flood of blessing and goodness and grace upon grace upon grace. Because the Lord, in His infinite mercy, decided to rain mercy on my life in 2018, I want to document it in this post. Place it here forevermore with a big heart of thankfulness. It is not my own doing that made 2018 so good, and I want to remember the ways He loved on me.

Here is a review of my year, and all the good things that happened (and a painful thing as well).

January

2018 started off pretty sweet, being engaged to the man of my dreams! Wedding planning was in full swing, and we had so much fun doing our engagement photos with my best friend Shana, which we used for out save the date. She did such a great job and I love them! (I have a lot more, this one is my favorite, though. Honestly those big hazel eyes of his make my heart flutter).

I also started 2018 off wedding dress shopping. I had so much fun shopping. I knew what exactly what I wanted and found it super quickly. I know some girls make multiple trips, but the first trip proved successful (which was a blessing because the dress shop was almost a three hour drive one way). My dress was also under my budget! I kept saying I wasn't going to cry, because it is silly to cry over a dress (it is a piece of material that has no real significance). However, once I made my decision, the stylist said the sweetest things and it all hit me like a train: IT IS REAL! I actually get to marry my best friend! I love the photos my sister got. The dress was actually the first one I tried on (though I tried on about 10 others. It is was still this one!). I just wish I had another occasion to wear it haha.

February

Nothing overly exciting happened in February, except that it was mine and Josh's first Valentine's Day in the same place as a couple. We had one Valentine's together in 2016, but we weren't officially dating at that time (the stinker surprised me with a gift anyway). It was really nice to spend it together even though it was in the middle of the week and we couldn't go out. Josh made the day extra special and proposed to me again with my wedding band. He said that when he actually proposed in December, he got too excited and didn't say everything that he wanted to say. I wish I could remember fully everything that he said, but I have the letter he wrote still tucked away to keep forever. I also made chocolate covered strawberries for the first time and it was way harder and messier than I expected it to be. Thankfully level of beauty doesn't equal taste.

March

I got to spend my spring break with my best friends in Missouri in March. We all went to BBC together and it was a blast to hang out with them again. It was our last shin dig as all single people, 2 of us are now married and the others are probably going to be engaged within 2019. We rarely get to be together in the same place since I live in New Mexico, and it was nice to spend quality time with some good friends. We went to a place called "Fritz's Adventure" which is a big indoor playground for adults. Some of it was nerve wracking but I eventually got over my fear and had a great time! I actually get to go see them again for Spring Break this year which will be fun! We are probably going to day trip to St. Louis and go to the Arch + Zoo.

April

Literally nothing exciting happened in April, haha. I don't remember anything from the month! Josh and I did have our first Easter together, but I did NOT get a photo (I always forget. #badblogger). I did finish most of my wedding planning in April, though, and it was probably very stressful and I blocked most of it out! It is the one month out of the year that I do not remember anything about.

May

I was blessed to have a wonderful Bridal Shower hosted by my mom and maid of honor. I was loved on, and given some really great advice for marriage that I kept. Maybe I'll do it a blog post on it sometime! Other than that, the month was spent finishing details for the big day! (2018 revolved 100% around our wedding). I also spent some sweet outside time with my lady bugs and I am so glad I have those memories to keep, especially as they are growing and changing so quickly. They are such a blessing to my heart!

June

The best month of the whole year: WEDDING MONTH! I spent all my spare moments preparing the last details of the wedding and trying to wrap my head around the fact that it is real. June 29 felt like it took forever to arrive, and at the same time it arrived before I even realized it. Whirlwind is the best word to describe the month. Every moment of waiting was worth it. I am honestly just glad I got everything done wedding wise. Shout out to the people who did jobs for me when I asked last minute, and for every person who did what I asked without question, and deconstructed the wedding while we went on vacation. There were days in June when I didn't know if everything would come together the right way (wedding planning is hard!) and I didn't really know if it would workout until the day of! The day before our wedding was supposed to be Josh's bachelor "shin dig" (he is not a partier, haha). but me and my sister ended up going too! It was kind of the perfect stress reliever to just shoot at targets all morning and bask in the heat of the day. It was a hurry to get cleaned up for rehearsal (rehearsal was another overwhelming event but that's a story for another day), but it all worked out perfectly. Our wedding day was the most magical day of my life, and one I ache to go back to. I'm so thankful for the 600+ wedding photos we have! You can find my official wedding post here on the blog with lots of pictures!

JULY

Working and settling into our home + life together labelled the month of July. Though it was just as busy as June, it was more peaceful. Everything finally felt right. Moving into a home takes a lot of work and organization, and I will admit that I cried over our tiny home and the mess that it was for a while (Not looking forward to moving again in a year and a half). It was good to finally be settled and enjoy regular life together. Amidst the wedding planning of June, it seemed like we hardly saw one another, so the calmness and togetherness of July was comforting.

August

Oh AUGUST! It was almost as exhausting as June but in a totally different way. We both began working again and that in itself is exhausting. However, we also adopted our sweet Penelope (man! This feels like it was ages ago, Penelope is SO BIG compared to these photos)! Puppies are exhausting, and potty training her meant getting up multiple times a night. I am so thankful she sleeps all night in her own bed now haha. (LOOK AT THAT LITTLE FACE!). It gave me a glimpse into motherhood (a very small, incomparable glimpse) and made me realize I don't want/need a baby right now lol).

September

The highlights of September were celebrating Josh's birthday and going camping at Mesa Verde, CO. Not only was the break from work and the time together sweet, it was so beautiful. Taking in God's creation and seeing the Colorado Rockies in the distance with their snow capped peaks was breath taking. I also loved visiting the Pueblo Ruins. It was like being taken back in history to see how the Native Americans lived long before America was discovered by others. It was incredible to see cliff dwellings that seemed impossible to get to. If you are ever in that area, it is a must!

October

The month of All Hallow's Eve was fairly quiet and peaceful. I just held onto this sweet memory of my sweet girls! We braced ourselves from the October winds and went for a walk through the neighborhood to see the Halloween decorations! Taking walks/bike rides is one of their favorite activities and we are surely missing them today as it snow seems to keep covering the ground! It was also a fun (but very cold) Halloween with my Reptar Husband!

November

Bitter grief sprinkled over November in 2018. We said goodbye to my grandmother, Ella Mae, as she entered heaven's gates. I have lost 3 grandparents total, but this one was different. While it was a mercy that she was finally freed from a painful disease, it is still heart breaking to know that going to Houston will never be the same, my grandparents' house will never ever feel the same again in her absence. She is and forever will be missed until we see her again.

Thankfully, November was filled with good things, too. My in-laws were in town and it was great spending time with them and getting to know them more. We did some family photos and played a lot of games. I even did karaoke for the first and last time.

December

The culmination of 2018 (and every year ever) is Christmas! It was a good Christmas, our first together married. My first married birthday too! It was awesome to have two entire weeks off together (being on a school schedule is awesome 10/10 recommend). There was a lot of sleeping, movie watching, game playing, and family time. In my opinion, that is a near perfect combination. My brothers were both able to come home for Christmas Day, which hasn't happened for years. I'm so grateful for the warmth and togetherness of the Holidays, though at times it is stressful. I wish coming off the Holiday high wasn't so difficult, but thankfully my post-Holiday blues are nearly gone. For my birthday we went to the River of Lights and it was so fun despite the cold (shout out to the random woman who offered to take a photo when she saw us struggle to selfie in front of the Dino. Hashtag tall husband problems). The perfect ending to a perfect year.

I saw on Instagram a few weeks ago a post about how unnecessary the "Year in Review" was, because everyone on your social media has already seen it with you. It made me question whether or not I really wanted to post this, but I realized this post isn't for anyone else, it is for me (though I do hope you have enjoyed it). It is for my remembrance, so that next January I can compare the highlights and see what all has changed.

I encourage you to find the specific moments from this last year, whether joyous or not, and write them down somewhere so you can hold onto them. See what has changed, what has gotten better, what hurts have healed and what blessings have been given. I look forward to doing this in 2020, I know the potential of this year is so thick and exciting that it is electrifying to my soul! I am energized and ready to capture the blessings and yes, even the pain, of the new year.