I had a lot of fun doing our "Year in Review" last year and looking forward to what was coming that I decided to do it again! Looking back on the past year once again left me in awe of all the blessings that God sent our way and excited about what is to come in the new year. This year I decided to go with the Top 14 in 2014.
14 - Surgeries. Let's face it, top moments aren't always going to be great moments, but when you have 3 surgeries in one year (with a newborn), one of them leading to 100+ days of Home Health, it's gonna make it on the list! There were some days it seemed like that would be our life forever, and other days it seemed like it was going pretty fast {to me at least...but I'm not the one that went under the knife three times in a matter of months}. Throughout that journey, we continually saw God answer prayers and meet the needs we had. I am thankful for no scheduled surgeries and knowing that God will meet every need in 2015.
13 - Living for the weekends...again. This little "top moment" also made its way on last year's list. We started 2013 with Brad traveling, and we are ending 2014 the same way. Just as Brad was cleared from his doctor and finished with Home Health, he was asked to travel for some interviews and before we knew it he was headed to Winston Salem, NC every week. We definitely make the most of our weekends while he is home, but I am so grateful that Brad loves his job and that he is so good at what he does! I am thankful my husband has an amazing job he loves and that there are 52 weekends in 2015 we'll be able to make LOTS of memories during.
12 - We were on the news. I mean, sometimes, things are just too crazy...like leaving the house with your hair not fixed, no make up on, matching your husband...and being stopped by an NBC News Anchor to be featured on a story for that evening's news cast. How can you pass up the opportunity to be a 15 minute celebrity?! (We shared our views about the Whooping Cough vaccine and how we treated the issue when Bryleigh was born.) I am thankful for all the funny, unexpected moments that are coming our way in 2015.
11 - 1st Mother's and Father's Days. A holiday that used to be pretty tough became one of my favorites last year when we found out our little miracle baby was on the way. This year, we celebrated at home, just the three of us (because Brad had just had surgery), and it was perfect! :) "You turned my mourning in to dancing..." Psalm 30:11. I can't speak for Brad on his personal feelings about past Father's Days compared to this one, but I know he definitely had a great one this year!! I'm thankful that we'll forever be able to celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day as Bryleigh's Mommy and Daddy, so I'm certainly looking forward to doing it in 2015.
10 - We cheered on our teams (of course). The Rangers and Cowboys. The Bears, Sooners, and Raiders. The Broncos and Nationals. We have a lot of favorites around our house. Basically if there is a ball involved, we'll watch it - including the fact that we are new soccer fans as of this year! ;) Brad really enjoyed watching the World Cup, and I really enjoyed watching my Baylor Bears WIN. This was the first season we didn't make it out to a Rangers game, but we certainly cheered them on from home! We're hoping for a better year in 2015. And we are definitely excited to see what's ahead for the Boys! Fingers crossed they're still playing when we ring in the new year. I'm thankful that our teams will still be "our teams" in 2015, no matter how good or bad they are.
9 - We grew (and we shrank). To say 2014 was a year of growth would be an understatement. I wish there was a way to quantify how far you've come in a certain period of time, but I know Brad and I have learned so much about life, love, and relationships over the past year as we fell in to our role of parents to Bryleigh. It was also so fun to watch as Bryleigh grew this year...both physically and mentally. I think watching her learn and accomplish new things is seriously one of my favorite things. And it wasn't ALL growing in our house this year...SO thankful to say that I've lost over 25 pounds in the past 5 months. That's definitely been a learning experience as well. I'm thankful that 2015 will bring more growth for our sweet girl, our family, and I'd be okay with a little more shrinking. ;)
8 - Carrie's first 5k. Running. It's been a punishment, and it's been torture, but it's still something I really wanted to learn to love. I worked off and on, sometimes a lot more off than I wanted too, but by November, I was officially ready and I did what I set out to do. I crossed the starting line with my momma!! And I FINISHED! I'm thankful there will be a lot more running in 2015.
7 - F.R.I.E.N.D.S. The one with all the fun! Just like last year, our Small Group from Fielder definitely makes the cut of "top moments" for us. We have been so blessed with a great group of young marrieds/young families to do life with. We are thankful to know they are there to pray for us at a moments notice, and they are there to PLAY with us at a moments notice! This crew has grown so much in the last year, and we are so grateful for each new couple that has joined us. I'm thankful for the new friendships we'll make in 2015 and for the ones that will grow even stronger, and I'm thankful for all the memories I know we'll make with this group!
6 - Bryleigh's first. This year was full of firsts, from Bryleigh's first breath to her first holidays, we had so much fun celebrating every little (and big) milestone along the way. She mad fun days funner and the tough times a whole lot better! I'm thankful that there are a lot more FIRSTS coming our way in 2015, including Bryleigh's 1st birthday and her 1st steps (that she is ever so close to taking).
5 - Celebrating 5. This year we celebrated our 5th anniversary. It was so much fun to look back on all God has blessed us with over the past five years and to spend some time with the little family God has so richly blessed us with. I'm thankful that on August 8, 2015, we'll celebrate 6 years of marriage...so thankful for a godly husband and a wonderful family!
4 - Celebrating the Tusins. One of the best things in life is nieces and nephews. I have loved them both since the moment I knew they were coming, and I was beyond thrilled when I knew that Olivia and Bryleigh would be 3 months apart. {SO. MUCH. FUN!!! And so much more to come!} This year, we celebrated with Tate as he turned 3 years old, and we watched him grow in to his big brother role (which includes some rough housing, but he loves her very much). He is truly such a smart little boy. We also celebrated with Miss Olivia as she turned 1 year old. She is the sweetest, lovingest little thing and I love her more and more every single time I get to snuggle her! I'm thankful for all the "tusin time" that we'll have during 2015!
3 - Celebrating Grandmother. This year, our family celebrated a special milestone in the life of my Grandmother. She turned NINETY years old! It was so great to have all our family (and extended family) in town to celebrate her. She and my granddad are two of the most influential people in my life, so it was so neat to see so many come and celebrate her life, it was truly what she deserved. I'm thankful for my Grandmother's health and life as we go in to 2015, and looking forward to sharing Bryleigh with her as my sweet little girl continues to grow up.
2 - Family Time. I think a "top moment" for us each year will always be the time we spend with our families (as you can tell by the previous two "top moments"). We are so blessed with incredible families on both sides, and we are always doing fun things with each of them, making new memories all the time. We were glad to have our newest addition around to have even more reasons to get together. I'm looking forward to lots more family time coming in 2015 with more memories to be made!
1 - Welcoming Bryleigh Renee. Could there really be any other "Number One" for our year?! I don't think anything even comes close to Friday, January 17, 2014. It was truly the best day of my life, and I think Brad would agree with me on that one! I'm looking forward to all that 2015 has in store for our sweet B-Girl...I know we'll be here getting ready for 2016 before we know it!
No comments:
Post a Comment