Year in Review-40 questions to learn about my past year!

YOUR 2014

• 1.What one event, big or small, are you going to tell your grandchildren about?
•  I ran a 1/2 marathon this year. It was my first race ever and it took me 3 hours to complete, but it was a huge accomplishment that I will forever be proud of!
• 2.If you had to describe your 2014 in 3 words, what would they be?
• Fun, Trying and Different
• 3.What new things did you discover about yourself?
• I discovered that I carry my stress with me and I try to take care of things on my own and I can't always accept help. I have also learned that when provoked I seem like I am a lot angrier or defensive than I really am!
• 4.What single achievement are you most proud of?
• Running. I am proud of the fact that I never ran (not even in school) and now I know that I can run, and continue to do so!
• 5.What was the best news you received?
• That we weren't moving to WI after thinking that we were for a week!
• 6.What was your favourite place that you visited in 2014?
• The Smoky Mountains for the second time! We went in 2011 too, but the boys were younger then. It was a really nice cabin and a fun time all around!
• 7.Which of your personal qualities turned out to be the most helpful this year?
• My friendliness.
• 8.Who was your number one go-to person that you could always rely on?
• Matt, which is to be expected since he is my husband!
• 9.Which new skills did you learn?
• I started to learn Italian, lifting weights to a small degree and how to be an advocate for my children at their school.
• 10.What, or who, are you most thankful for?
• I am most thankful for Jesus Christ dying for my sins. On Earth I am thankful for Matt, Bruce and Levi and many friends and family too.
• 11.If someone wrote a book about your life in 2014, what kind of genre would it be? A comedy, love story, drama, film noir or something else?
• I think my life would always be somewhat considered a comedy. I guess I would say a Romantic comedy?
• 12.What was the most important lesson you learnt in 2014?
• To stretch before you run and to take protein too! Seriously!
• 13.Which mental block(s) did you overcome?
• I am still working on it, but other peoples opinions of me! I have been trying to not care what others have to say about me!

         14.What 5 people did you most enjoy spending   time with?
Matthew, Betsey, Rachel D. (although this year we didn't get to spend as much time together), Bruce and Levi

• 15.What was your biggest break-through moment career-wise?
• Since I am a stay-at-home-mom I will say that my biggest break-through was both of my kids going to school for the first year and I had to learn to be my own person again!
• 16.How did your relationship to your family evolve?
• As a mom I became more calm. As a wife I became more calm. As a daughter I became more calm and so on and so on! I guess I would say that I have become a more calm person all around and that has helped!
• 17.What book or movie affected your life in a profound way?
• The Bible
• 18.What was your favourite compliment that you received this year?
• That I was a good nursery boss! Also that I am a good mom and a good friend.
• 19.What little things did you most enjoy during your day-to-day life?
• I enjoyed drinking coffee with my husband. I also enjoyed the few lunch dates I had with friends and running almost everyday since May.
• 20.What cool things did you create this year?
• I made a few wreaths, a few paintings and a few canvas pieces.

• 21.What was your most common mental state this year (e.g. excited, curious, stressed)?
• Most days this year I was happy!
• 22.Was there anything you did for the very first time in your life this year?
• I already mentioned it, but I ran a 1/2 marathon and a 10k! 13.1 miles is a lot to learn how to do when you had never run before. I also joined a gym!
• 23.What was your favourite moment spent with your friends?
• Call me crazy, but I love AWANA! I love AWANA for the friend connections made and the kids.
• 24.What major goal did you lay the foundations for?
• Running 13.1by miles. Can you tell what some of my year was focused on?
• 25.Which worries turned out to be completely unnecessary?
• Matt and I went to Myrtle Beach by ourselves and left the boys with Rachel and Bella with Tina. I was worried that the kids or Bella would misbehave.
• 26.What experience would you love to do all over again?
• I would love to go to the mountains again for the third time!
• 27.What was the best gift you received?
• I can't choose one. I cherish all of the gifts that I get!
• 28.How did your overall outlook on life evolve?
• I have always had a pretty sunny outlook, but I think that since I have been free mostly this year I was even sunnier for the most part. And skeptical of people too.
• 29.What was the biggest problem you solved?
• The kids not getting along! We gave them separate bedrooms for the first time ever.
• 30.What was the funniest moment of your year, one that still makes it hard not to burst out laughing when you think about it?
• We have so many funny moments in this house that I can't pick just one to be the top. Most of them lately involve Levi because he is so cute and funny!
• 31.What purchase turned out to be the best decision ever?
• My gym membership is what I would have said this past summer before school was in. Now I would say that my running watch and Matt's running watch would be the best purchases!
• 32.What one thing would you do differently and why?
• I would have to say that I would have procrastinated less this year if I could take that back. Here I am with 2 days left in the year and I am still procrastinating about small things.
• 33.What do you deserve a pat on the back for?
• I honestly will say that I don't think I deserve a pat on the back for anything. God gets all of the credit for the things in my life that are good and the glory too.
• 34.What activities made you lose track of time?
• I risk the sound of being an obsessed running junkie, but running or going to the gym! Also playing games with the boys, when we play board games I think 30 minutes have passed and next thing I know it has been 2 hours!
• 35.What did you think about more than anything else?
• God and whether or not I am doing the right things for Him. Also Matt and the boys and whether or not I was being the wife and mom that I should be and if I was being a Proverbs 31 woman or not.
• 36.What topics did you most enjoy learning about?
• Football. I have liked football for quite some time now, but there were so many things that I didn't know about football until this year! I am sure this question was looking for a more sophisticated answer or something, but I am a simple girl!
• 37.What new habits did you cultivate?
• Here we go again! Running, stretching, sporty stuff and cooking with Tastefully Simple!
• 38.What advice would you give your early-2014 self if you could?
• I would tell myself to stop using my left hand since I sprained it on January 2 and didn't know that until March. It hurt, but I kept using it and now almost a year later it is still hurting! I would have also told myself to stop eating junk food because Christmas time is totally the wrong time to try to cut that out!
• 39.Did any parts of your self or your life do a complete 180 this year?
• I got off of my bum and started to get healthier! What is funny is that I always told Matt about how lame working out was and I could do it if I wanted to, but I didn't want to! Now if I go a few days without working out I feel worse!
• 40.What or who had the biggest positive impact on your life this year?
• The other women at my church. I always have a hard time connecting with other women. I like football, I know a little about cars, I don't always want to talk about my feelings and talking on the phone isn't my favorite thing to do anymore. I fit in with my husband more than other women, but this year I got to connect with other women more and got to see that I am not the only one who feels that way about phones and sports! And, someone can be considered your friend without spending every day with them! I love my church family and am blessed with the women from there especially! Also I would say Matt! He is just an amazing husband and him and the kids help me so much to be a better person!

Christmas Letter Fun!

Every year I think that I should write a Christmas Letter to let everyone know of the wonderful things we have done for the year. Once I think it through I always decide against it because I realize that we live relatively boring lives and people probably wouldn't think our last 12 months were as exciting as I do! This year I decided that I will write about it online and if you want to relive the last year with me you can, and if not then you can ignore this! I am going to do this in a few different ways, so stay with me!




Top 10 list of 2014
10. Antonia Sprained her left hand by slipping on ice... the only patch of ice in the whole driveway.
9. Bruce turned 9 years old and Levi turned 5, we celebrated with a superhero party!
8. We got snow in NC. More importantly, we got snow for Bruce's birthday and exactly 2 weeks later we got even more snow for Levi's birthday!
7. Bruce was an Awana clubber of the year for TNT.
6. Matt hit his 13 year mark in the Army!
5. Matt coached the women's softball team at church and played men's softball. Antonia played women's softball.
4. We had our second mountain vacation in a cabin that was in the mountains this time!
3. Levi started kindergarten, Bruce started 4th grade and I started selling Tastefully Simple.
2. Antonia joined a gym in May and started training for a 1/2 marathon. Matt also trained for the 1/2 marathon (although he didn't have to try as hard) and in October we ran the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon and we both completed it!
1. We had visitors in both September and November!


The highlights from each month.
January- Traveled home from our trip to MO, OK and AR and Bruce's birthday!
February- Snow, birthday, birthday party and a lot of missed school!
March- My birthday and the awana games!
April- Spring break and our 2nd visit to the mountains.
May- Our 6th wedding anniversary and softball.
June- Matt's birthday and Bruce finished 3rd grade.
July- Independence day and Bella's birthday
August- Levi started kindergarten and Bruce went to 4th grade.
September- Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt Sharon visited and Matt went to JRTC.
October- Matt got home from JRTC, we had a mini kid-free vacation/ 1/2 marathon in Myrtle Beach.
November- Matt's parents came for Thanksgiving and I ran a 10k in my fastest 10k time!
December- 1 year of pretty much pain free for me and more things to come perhaps!






Silly Memory Poem- I made this up on the spot, so don't judge too harshly!
January started oh so blurry as we headed home to North Carolina in a hurry. We rushed and we hurried to the truck and I fell on my bottom and said, "That's my luck!" We traveled the many hours to make it home, it felt as long as a trip to Rome! Shortly after we got back, well a few weeks or so, Bruce turned 9 and then we actually got snow! The boys were excited and Bella was too, but we had wet socks and no one knew what to do. No snow boots and we thought that was okay, but 2 weeks later we had more snow come our way! This time it snowed a lot more, so much more that we could barely open the door! A few days later it did melt away, which was lucky for us so the birthday party could stay! The rest of February is kind a blur, but March wasn't too bad I am sure! March was my 28th birthday you see,  we ate and we had dessert and chai tea. We had the awana games this month too and we waited to see if the sky would turn blue! April was Easter and spring break and vacation, so much to do this month I had no time for multiplication. Wisconsin we were told would be our new place, but after a week it got erased. We are staying at Bragg for as long as we know, but really where else would we go? May was our 6th anniversary of marriage, we celebrated, but not with a ride in a carriage. May was filled also with running and sports, and Matt and I played softball in fields, not courts! June was Matt's birthday and summer break, it was also VBS and a time to bake! July was Frisbees and fireworks fun, which was not a great month to go for a run. August was busy with school, the boys both went this year which was cool! September saw family come to say hi, and for a few weeks Matt had to say bye. October was Myrtle Beach! And also the 1/2 marathon goal was reached! November was chilly and turkey too, plus more family visited us for a few. December is just starting, but it will be so busy, I just hope I don't end up dizzy. This year was fun and a crazy one too, I took on some leadership things for something to do! I know that next year will be just as great because the love of our family and God helps set us straight!






That sums up our year a bit! I hope that you made it through the whole thing and be glad that you only had to read a made up poem and not have to hear me sing!


God Bless!