2016 is coming to a close and it’s been a bit of a whirlwind year. Like most years, it had some high and lows, but overall I’d say that for me, 2016 has been great. Here are the highlights, in no particular order.
Weddings, babies and graduations, oh my!
I was lucky enough to celebrate a cousin and 4 different friends getting married, 2 of which I was honored to stand along side. Well, that ended up being standing beside just one, but more on that later. I also had one dear friend have her first baby and one complete her PhD. It brought me such joy to celebrate these people with showers, bachelorettes, parties, and gifts. I wish them all the best of marriages, new families, and new jobs. All of this alone was enough to make 2016 a great one!
<>
Moving Friends
A good friend moving away is not a good thing for anyone. It’s sad and difficult to come to terms with. But if it has to happen, you might as well make the best of it with a 7 state road trip in a car packed to the ceiling, complete with an overnight stay at a bed and breakfast. Definitely a highlight of the year, albeit a sad long term outcome.
<>
Disney & Universal
My nephew is 2 ½ and you have to pay for children to get into Disney at age 3, so of course my Disney-loving sister-in-law had to plan a big family trip this year. Best. idea. ever. I didn’t get around to doing a whole post on this trip as the end of the year got away from me, but I feel like a Disney expert now. Although I’m sure I still know nothing compared to people who go all the time. This was my first time there since I was 8. And it was magical. The week after Thanksgiving is a great time to go if you can take time off. And I was really surprised at how much stuff there was for my nephew to do! It was an awesome trip and definitely a highlight of the year.
<>
Travels
2016 was a year of many travels. In addition to the trips already mentioned, I made it to cities, states, and another country! Locations included two trips to Nashville, TN; multiple trips to Daphne, AL; Denver (plus south of Denver for work); State College, PA; Nicaragua; Austin, TX; Chattanooga, TN; Asheville, NC; McCormick, SC; Orlando, FL; Helen, GA; St. Augustine, FL
So many places, so little time!
<>
Hospital
The downfall of social media is that all you see is the wonderful, happy pieces of everyone’s life. Although a lot of great things happened this year, it wasn’t all sugar and spice. The night before my friend’s wedding – one I was supposed to be in – I landed myself in the ER, which turned into the ICU, with some kind of infection. And yes, that’s the most diagnosis I ever got. Needless to say, I missed my friend’s wedding and was devastated. It was also a miserable two weeks being in the hospital for 3 ½ days then recovering. But it was made tolerable and I made it out stronger because of my incredible family and friends. It was a reminder of how lucky I am to have the people who are in my life.
<>
This guy
As incredible as everything was this year, this guy takes the cake. We met in our condo complex with the dogs out on the lawn [cue the AWs]. Adorable, right? We grabbed dinner and drinks for our first date on a nearby patio and we hit it off. But little did I know how amazing this year would be together. He is kind, funny, thoughtful and caring. He made it through a stay, by my side, in the ER and ICU just 6 months in. I can go on and on about how much I love this guy, but I’ll spare you. He is easily THE highlight of this year and I can’t wait for the year to come.
<>
Books
I completed my book challenge by 10 books and had some great ones of the 30 I read! I think I’m going to up my challenge to beat my 30 next year.
<>
I know not everyone had a great year. I am ignoring some major events that happened in our country this year to focus on my little insignificant life. If it wasn’t a great year for you, I hope for everything and more for you in 2017. Happy New Year!
Catching Katy 