Top Moments and Memories of 2017


Last sunset of 2017, and it is almost time to welcome in 2018. And not to wish away the year too eagerly, because there was definitely a lot worth celebrating, but I am ready for the mindset of what opportunities a new chapter will bring. Before I get too far ahead of myself, I do want to share some of the big moments and memories of 2017. I know I’ll enjoy looking back at these and be able to see how far we’ve come when we look back at all the things.

Accomplishments
Debt free (jan) & New Job (may) & Promotion (aug)

• In January we rung in the New Year as being debt free and it felt so good. It was all my debt from prior years—thank the Lord for a husband with financial skills and discernment! Also, we now own both cars, which was also a major financial relief.

• T went for and got a new position. He is much, much happier now. As for me, I also was promoted this year, which was special for so many reasons.


House
New stove (feb) & Magnolia bench pew (jun) & settee

• Our biggest home purchase this year was our new stove. Our old stove was failing to heat, and so instead of spending money and time tinkering to fix it, we opted to just buy a new stove. It was so worth it.


• For decor, we added two new big pieces—a bench I saw at TJ Maxx and immediately fell in love with. My parents bought it for me as a very generous birthday gift. For our living room, I had begun wanting additional seating and one day we walked into Dirt Cheap and found really nice love seats for $100. Sold. We managed to fit it just barely into T's CRV and headed home with a love seat I've loved (and the dogs, too—it's their new spot) ever since.


Health
Minimalizing & Whole30 & winning a Fitbit (oct)

• I can't remember what year we are on with minimizing our life, but this year we continued to remove more items from our home. I feel like we finally reached the point where we could enjoy our hard work, because the house suddenly seemed so spacious. This was due in part to deceasing what we have and being selective with what we bring in. We’re definitely more thoughtful, thinking more long term now than ever before. T has always been really good at this anyway, so it's been more of a change in a state of mind for me.

• In February, we started and finished Whole30 for the first time. It was an amazing experience, because we felt so much better and healthier then. We both lost significant amounts of weight, slept better, could think better, and just overall it put us in a better state of being.

• I won a very cool thing that I was excited about winning—the Fitbit HR! It was my first time to win something that I wanted and something that I would actually use. I’m looking forward to bringing it with me to Italy.


Recreation
New Orleans (may) & Wilco (sep) & Minneapolis (oct) 

• For our kind-of anniversary, we went to New Orleans for a quick getaway.

• T loves Wilco and we had the opportunity to see them in September. I wasn’t as taken with them, but I am so glad we were able to experience it together..

• I finally visited my best friend in Minneapolis.


Community
GM’s Wedding & SW’s Baby & T and N &  & church

• GM got married and it was honestly one of the best weddings I’ve ever been to. And more importantly I am so happy for her and her family!

 • S had her baby—a miracle and answer to prayer! I am so thankful for this friendship and that God blessed our friends with a beautiful baby girl.

 • T and I were blessed with a new friendship—T & N. They have been such a blessing to our lives and I hope we are friends for the long haul.

 • Little frustrating, but when it comes to church, we still haven't found a church home. It's really hard to be disconnected once you become used to having that second family in your life. I'm praying that we'll find where God wants us to be and be able to connect asap.


Family & Marriage
Dogs turned 10 & 3rd year of marriage & dad car accident & Baby H

• Both our pups turned 10 this year. Thankful that they haven’t had any health issues. Cheeyo looks the same to me, but Paris has grown out more white, like the opposite of a raccoon mask, around her eyes and mouth. She’s slowed down for the most part, not a lot of jumping or roughhousing, mostly she just wants to cuddle and be around people. She enjoys the settee we bought, but always prefers a lap when available.

• Celebrated 3 whole years of marriage and we haven’t killed each other yet! Success! It’s close some days. I think blessedly T and I are very laidback people, we have fun together, ultimately we’re there for each other, and yet it’s still an adjustment to have someone in your space all the time. Overall, I think we’re doing really well and we love each other and choose to love each other every day.

• My family moved here in Sep 2016, so they just saw their first whole year in Memphis fly by. Two big things happened: Dad got into his first car accident while it was raining and then on Memorial Day we experienced the worst power outage since I moved here in 2006. It was rough, but not as bad as it could have been. My brother is adjusting, and it’s been nice to spend quality time with him. We were able to take him to the Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie, which I loved being able to do with him. The family also experienced their first snow early on when they moved here.
• At Christmas, T and I revealed that we are thinking about trying to have a baby after Italy. This has been fun for both sets of parents to day dream and think about cuddling a grand baby in the future.


Me
Hand lettering & blogging & actively working on myself & eyebrows

• Hand lettering — I started practicing hand lettering. It takes so much skill and some people it is just so natural. I will continue to try and hone my skills.

• Blogging — I vowed to start writing again. I knew it would help as an outlet since everything with K happened and that mentally I really needed a place to share my life. It has been on and off this year, but it’s been a lot more than years previous and I’m grateful that somehow I am making time and using my energy to begin to write again.

• Actively working on healing and loving myself — With everything that happened between 2014-2015, I was really depressed. I only started to come out of it, early this year. I got to the point where I wanted to and thought I finally had enough energy back that I felt like I could make a change. And here I am, reading all the blogs, listening to the wisdom of friends and family, reading Brené Brown, and crying and laughing along the way. Something else that has been difficult for me is my physical appearance. I’ve always felt ugly, but this year I decided to grow my eyebrows out and surprisingly, it. Is. A. Long. Process. You think it would be quick, but it’s like when you decide you want your brows to grow out, that’s when they decide to slow down.


Best Purchases
Rothy's & Longchamp (mar) & iPad mini & Airpods & Moviepass & Byta & Baggu

• We were blessed to be able to afford some extra items this year. Looking for comfortable flats? Rothy’s. Need a roomy bag that can travel with you anywhere and isn’t cumbersome to do so? Longchamp. Need a lightweight cup to carry with you in an effort to be green and reduce waste? Byta. Tired of plastic bags that crud up the environment? Baggu. I absolutely love my iPad mini and use it daily. I wanted it because I wanted something small enough to bring to Europe with us. AirPods was another item on my wishlist—easy. Items on my wishlist are usually things that I perceive will make my life easier. At work, I keep my headphones on to help me work, but my phone would fall on the ground when I would roll my chair back or swivel—it was irritating! Plus I love the shape of Apple’s earbuds. The last thing I’ll mention is Moviepass. This has been a fun subscriptions and we’ve seen more movies in the last month than we have all year, because we don’t have to worry about wasting money on potentially horrible movies.


Sometimes it’s easy to forget all the blessings in a year and just move on. Looking back at this brings me some joy because we actually ended up doing, seeing, and receiving a lot. Just thanking Jesus for all His many blessings and I can’t wait to see what’s to come in the following year. Happy New Year, y’all!
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Christmas 2017


But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

T and I had so much fun this Christmas, and I am so thankful that he took over wrapping gifts, because my back has been hurting lately. He did a beautiful job and even had personalized cards for everyone. It meant a lot that this year that I could relax without worry of having to overexert myself.

We spent Christmas Eve day with my family. This was their second Christmas since moving to Memphis. They cooked turkey, ham, potatoes and some casseroles for lunch. We ate and watched A Christmas Story together for the first time. After, we opened gifts. Small things this year—a dog treat launcher, mittens, Starbucks, and t-shirts. The best gift we gave them was at the end of the night when we told them we may start trying to have a baby after our Italy trip. They played it cool, but I knew they were excited. We talked about them helping with the baby and decorating a room in the house. Then we said our goodbyes and left to head to T's parent's home.


When we arrived, T's mom made us grilled cheese sandwiches for a late snack and then we watched Meet Me in St. Louis before heading to bed.

On Christmas morning, T woke his parents up. His dad had been suffering with a kidney stone all night long, so they were a little tired. We went downstairs to open gifts. We tried to record everything, but the camera kept saying the battery was dead—but both batteries had just been fully charged the night before! Ugh! So we made it through with our iPhones. My favorite gifts were my Airpods and second pair of Rothy's. My favorite gifts I gave to T were his Pixel glasses and Hot Ones hot sauces. We also got his mom a really nice blanket and a new cup for his dad.

Later on, my family joined us and the talk of the afternoon was about babies—all things baby. Grandbaby fever all around! And after the hubbub, we decided to go see a movie. We decided on Downsizing, which was really disappointing.


Some of my favorite memories were T’s mom’s spaghetti and her homemade gingerbread cookies. I loved T’s reaction when his saw his glasses and his brother and his girlfriend made some really yummy Christmas treats. Overall, it was a great holiday and I was sad to see it end. Looking forward to next Christmas already!

What was your favorite gift to give this year?
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Day in the Life 23

I am sitting here reminiscing about my mid-to-late twenties when I had a blog and I somehow was able to write a post every day. Every day. How?! How did I have the time and energy to do that?

Every day I intend to pick up my laptop and write at least something, but somehow it gets away from me. After a long day, I just want to curl up and relax. I want to turn off my mind.

Anyway, back to writing today. This week was long, but somehow I made it through.

Yesterday was really great. I slept in, because I really needed to and when I woke up T made me a cup of coffee that I drank...slowly and happily. Then we got ready and were on our way to the theater to see our second movie since signing up with Moviepass. We went to go see Thor, which we both loved. And we're really happy with how Moviepass has worked out. It took about a month from first signing up to being able to see a movie, but the wait was worth it.

After the movie, we gorged ourselves on wings and fries from Wing Stop. It was so good! Can I tell you I'm both ready and not ready for Whole30, which we're starting January 8th. I'm ready to feel better again, but I'm not ready to give up junk food.

Current music in rotation is:

Current TV we're watching:
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Why I Don't Drink


Not drinking is a really abstract concept.

Any time I tell someone I don't drink I can tell that something switches off in their head and suddenly there's a disconnect between me and that person, like whatever bond we could have had has already been severed. I know that's sounds extreme, but I've experienced it more than once.

I gave up drinking in 2014, so it's been 3 years now. Honestly, I don't miss it. What I do miss is the social aspect of it and how if you drink, you're automatically accepted into a group. But let's get real here, I've been different and living on the outskirts of normal since I can remember. I may as well get comfortable with it, because it's always been this way. Me being different. Anyway, I diverge.

The three big reasons I don't drink are family, health, and money.

Family is a deep pocket when it comes to alcohol. I won't mention T's family history here out of respect, but as far as my own I think both sides of the my family have struggled. And I remember when I was young understanding that my grandfather had a choice between giving up drinking and living longer or continue drinking and die, and he chose the latter. Which, whether he meant it to or not, spoke volumes to the family about where they stood in his life and his heart.

As far as personally, I am sharing this here and now because I think there is a stigma associated with being an alcoholic. And people are also apathetic. They don't care. I've had people shrug me off when I tell them my husband is a recovered alcoholic like it's nothing. Like, excuse me?

First, I can't tell you the bravery it takes for someone to stand up and say, "I've got a problem," and actually do the work it takes to FIX IT. And "I'm going to fix it despite that choosing to do so will make me different from the outside world...Forever." It's choosing to fix yourself at the cost of not fitting in anymore.

Second, it is really at the cost of having normal relationships with people. No one wants to hang out with the people who don't drink. And the people who don't drink don't like being the only sober people in a group of people who get drunk. The drunk debauchery isn't cute when you're sober. So what happens? Your relationships end up changing naturally.

Third, it takes some damn good discipline to not fall back into it when it's EVERYWHERE. Could you not eat chocolate for the rest of your life if your livelihood and family-life depended on it? Just think about it like that.

The second biggest reason I don't miss drinking is health. You know how many calories I don't consume because I don't drink? All the beers, all the greasy food for hangovers, all the wine... I used to come home or go out and have a drink every night. Those, my friend, are calories that I gladly spend on delicious morsels of food now. And even beyond the physical health, there's the mental wellness aspect. If you're having to drink to help you relax at a party or at the end of the night every night, there's some co-dependency there. Removing the alcohol makes you work through your emotions and what you're feeling. Remember, alcohol doesn't get rid of your problem, it just temporarily numbs you and then you're back at the start when you've sobered up.

Biggest, last reason for not drinking is money. The cost itself, ugh. I'm thinking of the weekly bottle of wine or specialty cocktails at a restaurant that cost as much as an entree. I don't miss the large bills at the end of the night and all the money that would be thrown down the toilet on drinks.


I'm sure this post sounds like I'm condemning people who drink—I'm not. What I am condemning is the lack of compassion and understanding for people who don't drink and who don't understand the implications of the decision or why someone might not be a drinker. It is no small choice.

If anything here has resonated with you, if you're thinking about living the non-drinking life, I found and liked this: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-ways-kickstart-your-alcohol-free-life-mark-henson
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Day in the Life 22



This last week was a whirlwind. It was one of those weeks where I only had enough energy to focus on the very next day only.

On Wednesday T and I had dinner with friends at Elwood’s Shack and then we came home and played a couple games. Now my only goal when we play games is that T doesn’t win. I don’t care if I win, but I definitely don’t want T to have any bragging rights. Well, he didn’t win the first game, but I was so disappointed that somehow he won the second. Ugh ugh ugh. Next time I’ll watch him a little closer.

On Thursday. T and I took my brother to see the new Star Wars movie with us. It was such a fun experience and I’m glad that my brother is here now so we can do things like this. We got there early and played games of hangman with my handy dandy mini notebook I bring with me. I think he had fun and the movie itself was awesome. T and I will definitely be going back to see it again, especially now that we finally have our MoviePass cards and they’ve been activated.


I am in love with essential oils—have I told you all this already? In. Love. One of the shops I discovered via an Instagrammer I follow is Little Shop of Oils. I decided to buy her Mermaid Hair spray, headache oil, anxiety oil, and zodiac oil. They’re part of my stocking stuffers now, so I don’t get to enjoy them just yet, but I am super excited about them!




This weekend has been nice, but quick. I didn’t have a chance to sleep in on Saturday, but even that was okay. We had lots of errands to run and our first stop was Kohl’s. That was quick enough, but unfortunately when we came out T’s battery was completely dead. Luckily he had his portable battery and after a few attempts the car finally started and we headed to Autozone. We met some nice people, got his battery changed, and headed on our way. From Kohl’s to Autozone then Steinmart and TJ Maxx and we finished the trip with a pizza from The Fresh Market.



Today we woke up early and went to church. I’m excited about the candlelight service next Saturday. It’s one of my favorite services ever. After church we went to Walmart for groceries and Target for some final Christmas shopping. Phew. It’s been fun buying gifts, but I wish I had planned better this year. Normally I’m buying gifts throughout the year to save myself time, but this year I’ve just been so tired I couldn’t manage that.

Tomorrow is Monday—at least Christmas is not far behind. I’m looking forward to the quality time with family and T.
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Day in the Life 21


Last night T and I watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This was the first time I ever watched it. Tonight we're watching another movie from the 80s—License to Drive.

Time to wind down — I'm slowly figuring out what things or activities really help me relax. I love oils so much. To put on my skin. For the diffuser. For my hair. Love, love, love.

When it comes to feeling left out, found some helpful thoughts:
-Commiserate and get over it
-Coping with being left out
-FOMO in the office
-Being self-aware

It's been two weeks or so since I've been on Instagram. And it feels good! It's been hard and I've found myself fighting the urge to sign on, but I also am not feeling feelings of being less-than or comparing myself to others. And it's making this all worthwhile.

How am I keeping up with my December intentions? Well, I've definitely missed a few days of writing. There have been a couple of times I've felt myself being offended. BUT to be clear, there's a difference between being just offended and standing up for myself or what's right.
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Day in the Life 20

  • Paint by numbers — I was really surprised by a sweet gift today! Someone sweet got me a coloring book where you paint with water. It was so sweet. I think that's the sweetest gift I've gotten since my friend bought me my byta cup. I do want to mention that T's mom also got me a cute Christmas pillow. I really want to take a moment to celebrate these generous gestures and the people that made them. It's not every day people give meaningful gifts, and these things were special.
  • Moviepass — T and I signed up for the Moviepass service. My biggest fear was that the cards wouldn't come. Welp, we got the cards. However, I wasn't expecting to get the cards and not be able to use them. I'm not really worried. I knew going in we'd most likely encounter some trouble. Right now we're waiting to be able to activate the card, but our card status still says it's processing the order :/ Sad. 
  • Hat — I bought a hat from Morning Lavender. I can't wait to have an event to wear it to. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to wear it just anywhere, though it is gorgeous.
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Day in the Life 19

So I messed my back up.

Pretty sure I did it the day I stood for three and a half hours in heels. In the past that wouldn’t have been a big deal, but now I am in my thirties and I haven’t worn heels in five months because all I wear are my Rothy’s.

I hate not feeling 100%—it’s so restricting. I can’t rake leaves, I can’t go shopping, I can’t give big bear hugs. Ugh.

My back feels a lot better now, thanks to T’s mom taking care of me this weekend. But I’m still being super delicate about it because I don’t want to mess it up again.

Right now we’re taking time to watch Andy Stanley since we couldn’t make it to church today. I miss going to church and being in the word.

Self care this weekend- I took a shower/bath with bath salts, I coated my hair and scalp with coconut oil, then I moisturized my face with oils, I have my oil diffuser with lavender and peppermint oils, I painted my nails, shaved and lotioned up my legs... Oh, these have helped me relax so much this weekend. Not to mention having something on TV- Once Upon a Time. 
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Wish List

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Personal History Series

In an effort to write more, I found some great writing prompts on Pinterest. I really like this one--a personal history prompt. Hoping this will make it easier for me to write daily while I get to revisit some things about myself. Once I start blogging, I'll tag them as personal history series.

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Day in the Life 18

  • Rothy’s — I got my first pair of Rothy’s on August 8th and I’ve pretty much worn them every day since. My feet are so comfortable in them that I almost always never want to wear anything else. They are the one shoe I can wear for an extended period of time (like walking around Mall of America all day) and not have any rubbing. These will definitely be going to Italy, though I do think I’ll need some comfortable inserts.
  • MoviePass — T and I ordered our MoviePass cards on November 30 and got another email yesterday, December 2, that said they are on their way. I hope it’s true and that we’ll be receiving them soon. I’m so excited about seeing more movies.
  • Morning Lavender — I bought a few things on sale. A hat and a Piko style top. I really want to be more comfortable wearing hats, because I have some cute ones. Maybe that will be my New Year’s resolution—to be more comfortable with my style.
  • Christmas Shopping — Ugh, still have gifts to buy.
  • Church — Going to church today was good. The worship was great. The message was good for me to hear. I always struggle with being different and not fitting in. Today’s message was from John about us looking, acting and sounding different. I definitely needed to hear this message.
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