See Ya, 2014 - & Hello 2015!

“And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” ― Meister Eckhart

For the first time in ages, the house is quiet and I have some time to write.  I found this little nugget of time while Dave is out on his annual ice-climbing trip, Emme is actually taking a decent nap (thank you, pneumonia) and Benjamin has earned some screen time with his favorite video game.   Normally, any free moment such as this, I jump onto the computer to catch up on work because I am ALWAYS BEHIND.  But alas, today is a holiday, so I'm taking a break!

Before I start in on all of the New Year hullaballoo, I wanted to take a quick look back at 2014.  Let's just get it out of the way and say it - I am absolutely stoked that this year is over.  It's been a rough one.  But there have been some good moments that have made the rough ride worth it.  Here we go:

january

My 40th Birthday - so many fun celebrations, I couldn't pick just one photo!

               

february

Our one snowstorm of the season - yep, we went sledding on a Sunday morning!

march

Emme's first trip to the Woodland Park Zoo

april

Marchant Reunion - Easter at Lincoln City, OR

may

Memorial Day at Deception Pass Park

june

Co-hosted Rochelle's baby shower

july

Willis Tucker splash pad

august

This one is a TIE!

Riding the Train at Remlinger Farms with Grandma Julie

AND...

Manzanita, OR with Ady, Grandma Julie & Grandpa Frank

september

First Day of School (Pre-K)

october
Swan Trails' pumpkin patch

november

Emme's Big #2

december

Leavenworth at Christmas-time

So, yes, we had a very busy year full of fun activities and great people, all for which I am so grateful.

  To celebrate NYE last night, we opted to stay in; in fact, the kids were in bed before 8, as was Dave! I stayed up on my own, cozied up on the couch and started chowing down on a yummy ice cream sundae while watching "Edge of Tomorrow".  My party of one didn't last long, though!  Shortly thereafter, Emme woke up (she's fighting sinusitis and viral pneumonia), followed by Benjamin, who awoke from a nightmare.  And thus, two sleepy kiddos snuggled up with me and we rang in 2015 like wild and crazy party animals.

As to the New Year, I am on the fence about writing down resolutions this year... mostly because I stink at keeping them for any length of time.  I did stick to last year's resolution of getting the gym more often.  Now I just need to balance that with some better eating habits!  Anyway, I digress.

Thus, rather than going the resolution route, I came across the hashtag: #olw ("one little word").  People have been choosing a word that is going to be their goal for the new year; a word to focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as each day rolls by.  I thought that sounded like a more reasonable and realistic thing to work on in the months ahead -- or maybe it's so vague that it's going to be a heck of a lot harder!  Nonetheless, I want to make some big changes in my life, to myself, to my environment - so maybe this will be the jumpstart I need.  Without further ado, here is my ONE LITTLE WORD:

To grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.

We'll see how it goes - wish me luck!