The Best of 2013

It's that time of year!  Time to look back and reflect on the year that is coming to a close and time to plan and hope for the good things in the year that is about to open.

I've been regretting neglecting my blog as much as I have this year... although, my reasoning has been to soak up time with my kids in the evenings and on the weekends.  That time with my babes, I have not regretted in the slightest.  It might be my top favorite improvement/event for 2013.  But, for the rest of my top 13 favorites... in no specific order.  Faith, Family, Food and Fitness.

Faith

  1. God spent some more time working on my trust issues this year.  Ouch.
  2. My oldest, Connor, asked to be baptized this year.  What an awesome thing!
  3. Jason's new schedule allows us to get the kids to Sunday School every week and spend time           together every Sunday.
  4. In January, I blogged about letting go of the past.  God continuously reminds me to step out of regret.
  5. By June, God was working on me to focus on Him and His purpose for my life instead of trying to figure everything out on my own.  I'm such a work in progress... :)
  6. Our church went through a lot of changes this year.  But we stuck together, and God has seen us through.
  7. I moved from teaching 3rd-5th grade girls every Wednesday to... highschool!  Terrifying and super fun!
  8. This summer, I shared my story with our women's Sunday School class.  Also terrifying.  
  9. One of my favorite Bible studies is Stuck by Jennie Allen.  I think going through her study would be an annual thing.
  10. I regretted skipping women's Bible study this year.  I even skipped Beth Moore's James... and I love her studies.  Next year, I will make the time.
  11. I carry a rock around in my purse now.
  12. God started this year out showing me that I need to spend energy on being thankful... and I have!
  13. God also wanted me to work on my friendships... I don't know that I did a great job of that.  Guess 2014 will have to be a continuation.

Family

  1. We welcomed my new niece this year.  One of the most adorable babies ever!
  2. My mother-in-law moved closer to the family.  We love having another grandma around.
  3. Jason and I took our first ever plane trip together to Rhode Island to help his mom pack (see #2).
  4. We are officially a football family every fall.  Both boys play now, so we are busy from August through November with practices and games.
  5. We are also officially a 4-H family.  The boys have learned so much about their chickens and farm life. Camping at the county fair was actually a lot of fun.
  6. My commitment to spending more time with my kids shows in my blog.  I blogged WAY less this year than last year!
  7. I also fell behind on other stuff just so I could spend quality time with my kids.
  8. We added ducks and sheep and rabbits and new chickens to our family.  
  9. We are officially a "farm" family.  Chores are a big part of our "family" time!
  10. We are starting to run more as a family too... Connor is going to run the Hot Chocolate with us in 2014, and he is super excited!
  11. The kids are getting older and time is going too fast.  I'm getting a little sentimental about it.
  12. Jason and I have made an intentional effort to put family first and spend as much time as possible with our extended family when we have the chance.  
  13. God has put family on the heart of our pastor and church too.  Jason and I have consistently been encouraged by others, and I feel like 2014 is going to be even better for our family!



 Food

  1. I followed a Mother Earth bread recipe and blogged about it.  Mother Earth commented!  I                 geeked out so badly!!
  2. I canned tuna on my own...
  3. And then I taught a friend.  I felt so accomplished.
  4. After experimenting with sausage recipes, I made a breakfast maple sausage that is the bomb-             diggity.
  5. We are getting four khaki campbell duck eggs per day.  I love my ducks and their eggs.
  6. I took the plunge and splurged on a 7 quart Kitchenaid mixer.  It was worth every penny.
  7. My sister was married in October, and I made her wedding cake!  It was nerve-wracking, but she       loved it.  
  8. I'm comfortable leaving eggs out of the refrigerator... and we are all still alive.
  9. We've perfected the art of crock pot yogurt making.  
  10. Adding brown sugar, flaxseed meal, and an egg to a french bread recipe is a wonderful thing.
  11. I canned my butt off this year.  Peaches, pears, tomatoes, zucchini relish, kosher dills, dilly beans and venison stew meat.  And the tuna!
  12. I'm not scared of our pressure cooker anymore!
  13. Even with blogging less, I did a lot of meal planning.  Meal planning makes all the difference in our crazy lives!


 Fitness

  1. In June, my husband and I ran our first marathon.  North Olympic Discovery Marathon was a great     experience!
  2. In January, I was chosen as a Sweat Pink Ambassador!  I was so thrilled, and I have loved being a     part of this community.
  3. We ran the Hot Chocolate in March, and this year, I was chosen to be a Hot Chocolate Blogger for   2014!  I am so excited. 
  4. As part of our trip to Rhode Island, I got to bring Jason to the National Mall for a run.  It was              freezing but so fun!  We said hi to Abe and raced back to the hotel to change and catch our plane.  
  5. I fell in love with injinji toe socks after winning a pair from Run with Jess.  I'm up to three pairs.
  6. During marathon training, I ran a 15 mile run in my Saucony Hattoris with no socks.  By mile eight I was bleeding through my shoes.  Not awesome, but a lesson learned and bragging rights earned.
  7. I'm getting serious about working on strengthening my core this year.  Planks anyone?
  8. 2013 was the year I ran solely in minimal shoes.
  9. I never thought that I would be that runner who rotates multiple pairs of shoes... but I am!  
  10. New Balance replaced one of those multiple pairs of shoes this year because they had ripped. Thanks to aforesaid rotation... they are still going strong!
  11. I had my first ever DNS this year... there's a funny story to go with it, but I'm still embarrassed.
  12. One of my Christmas presents was a FlipBelt!  I am so excited to run with this!
  13. I learned that my favorite flavor of GU is Peanut Butter.  I need to stock up on those, because 2014 is the year of the 50k training.
There you have it.  The best (or most memorable) as best as I can remember it all.   Please, click the links, comment, become a follower!  I will follow you back, and we will work through 2014 together! 




Happy New Year!

Comments

  1. Michelle MarinoJanuary 2, 2014 at 9:47 PM

    I love this if not for your readers to relate to but for you too look back at next year :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NicoleJanuary 3, 2014 at 8:43 PM

      Thank you! It was good for me to go back through and remember. This might become an annual thing!

      Delete

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