Bring It On

The last part of 2013 was such a non-stop whirlwind, I started to wonder if it would ever end. I wanted to leave the rough spots of 2013 behind me and jump head first into making 2014 the best year yet. But when I had time to stop and think about it — while vacuuming water out of our basement — it occurred to me that we did a lot last year. Most of it was great, some of it was tough, but it was all time well-spent.

We started 2013 on top of Camelback Mountain in Arizona.

I bought Mickey Mouse sunglasses at Epcot.

Roadtripped to Charleston with a bunch of girlfriends.

Hosted a bridal shower.

Got peer pressured into running the Cherry Blossom 10-miler.

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary with an afternoon at the batting cages where Hugh proposed.

I cried through our best friends’ wedding.

We spent my grandpa’s birthday with him in the hospital.

Packed Memorial Day weekend full of outdoor adventures with friends and both of our families.

We carried on an annual beach tradition with friends.

We reunited with family in Virginia.

And in Oklahoma.

And vacationed in Isle of Palms, SC.

I spent an incredible girls weekend in Nashville.

We got to attend Lucy’s baptism.

We bought a little house.

We celebrated the life of one of my most cherished family members.

Dressed up our home with Hugh’s very first live Christmas tree.

And rang in the new year in New Jersey with old friends.

Yes, 2013 taught me a little about loss and change and wet basements, but it also taught me that I can run and that Hugh and I make a pretty good home improvement team. It also reminded me that we are surrounded by incredible friends and family who helped us through home-buying, moving and maintenance and who are generous with hugs when you need them.

And as for 2014, well it’s already off to a big start. I began [yet another] new job on January 2nd, and Hugh is becoming a master landscaper as I type this. I don’t like to make resolutions, but I do like to make goals and set milestones to look forward to.

In 2014 we will:

• Dry out the basement, once and for all, then tackle our two-page project list
• Run the Cherry Blossom 10-miler together
• Celebrate two anniversaries and a big birthday in Key West with great friends
• Not let work run our lives, but strive to be great at our jobs
• Watch my brother graduate from our alma mater
• Spend time vacationing with both sides of Hugh’s family
• Never lose sight of how fortunate we are

Bring it on, 2014. Bring it on.

Blogging Confessions from a Chronic Blog Lover

As I said when I started to blog here — I have a thing for blogs.

I started my first blog four years ago and spent a year or so writing about my commuting adventures. My second blog chronicled the year before I turned 25, was freshly pressed, got a bunch of followers, and really became a lot of fun to keep up with before its time was up.

And then there’s this one, which started out with the looney tunes concept that I’d take and post pictures from the majority of the days in our first year of marriage so we’d have somewhat of a scrapbook to look back on. Womp womp. That clearly hasn’t happened and it still doesn’t have a real concept, but it doesn’t really need one if you’re just blogging for your own love of blogging.

Which brings me to my second blogging confession. I sometimes suddenly have to spend time I don’t have to revamp the look of my blogs. Both of my previous blogs went through at least two looks before I landed on the one I liked best (due in part to all of the awesome themes on WordPress).

So far this little blog has done only one wardrobe change (the one I accidentally did today) and I think I kind of like its new ‘do.

It’s a little less … wedded bliss blog … and a little more … I write about Duck Dynasty blog.

What do you think?

100!

This is my 100th post since I started this blog on my birthday, November 22, 2010.

100 posts seems like a lot in under six months and yet I have had stretches of time (more recently) in which I wasn’t feeling like I was writing enough.

And on that note, I never posted pictures from the reason we went to Florida last weekend — Amanda’s graduation from UF!

The beautiful grad with her proud family/my godparents/my parents’ BFFs:

With her Uncle Shelly, whom I’ve adopted as my own Uncle Shelly:

We were thankful for her hot pink shoes, they were solely responsible for our ability to identify her from way up in the stands:

Family pic with the grad — sadly, without the Dylan who was finishing up the semester still:

At her graduation party that night, we took one of the best — certainly the most epic — Lee/Johnson Family Photos of all time.

Unfortunately, most of our VT’s are not quite right…

We needed Dylan there to fully represent the six of us Hokies in the family outnumbering the two lone Gators, but I think we got the point across.

Oh, Amanda, I can’t believe you graduated already. Remember when you came to my graduation? The only picture I have is blurry, but it’s proof:

Yeah, that was three years ago.

Anyway, Amanda, congratulations to you. You’re getting quite the start to alumni life — a job with university athletics and an apartment with a college best friend?! Lucky girl. Here’s hoping it’s like a continuation of college, but instead of classes and homework you’ll have a paycheck and at least a little more freedom.

Three years from now I know you’ll be doing great things and be surrounded by wonderful people.

And we’ll be at Dylan’s college graduation in Blacksburg.

No, I can’t handle that thought right now.

Blog Inspiration: Really Good Advice from Joy the Baker

I read a lot of blogs.

I read a lot of two kinds of blogs: blogs that deal with cooking (sometimes even healthy cooking), and blogs that deal with making things pretty.

Sometimes, during football season, I read sports blogs too.

Most of the time when I have a blog-posting hiatus here, it’s because I’ve been thoroughly distracted by other bloggers’ more interesting stories, better photos and superior writing.

Today, if I was going to post twenty-something advice, Joy the Baker would have said it one million times better than I ever could have.

Joy the Baker blogs about — surprise — baking. But check out her advice to a girl turning 21 today. It is pretty much spot on. It was hard to choose, but here are some of my favorites:

Six:  Make lists on Post-It notes and knock em out, cross em off, get things done.

Seven:  Look people in the eye and listen when they speak.  It’s a nice touch.  It’s the opposite of Facebook.

Eight:  Is your resting face… the expression that you have when you’re just hanging out watching Real Housewives of Orange County… is that face bitchy?  Change that.  Try not to look bitchy when you’re just hanging out.

Ten:  Don’t be one of those girls that carries one of those long, giant cocktail cups around the streets of Las Vegas.  It really gives the wrong impression.  You’ll also have to pee a lot.

Eleven:  If a guy is a jerk, he’s dead to you.  You don’t need that bologna.  Eat an ice cream cone and move the heck on.

Thirteen:  What’s important?  Make a list.  Honor it.

TwentyOne:  Work hard at the thing that you love.  Like… really hard.  Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s dumb.  If they do tell you it’s dumb… work harder and prove them wrong.  But don’t rub it in their face- just be gracious, and wear expensive lipstick, and smile, and keep working.

Such wise, wise words to live by.