Highlights from 2013

January. The only thing I thought about in January was the marathon. Training for it, praying for it, running it, and then recovering from it. We also hosted friends for New Years at our apartment, had a great trip in Charleston, and celebrated my father in-law’s 60th birthday.

February. J and I went to see Seinfeld at the DPAC, and I spent a day in Charlotte with my mom and sisters. I met Deb from the Smitten Kitchen, finished reading the bible in its entirety, and gave my first Influence Network presentation.

March. My sisters and brother in-law came into town and we had a great time celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. We went to Greensboro to celebrate the many family birthdays, spent Easter with J’s family, and said farewell to some friends who moved to Germany.

April. We took a day off of work (as is our tradition) to celebrate our second anniversary. I went to the Wine and Food Festival in Cary with some friends, and decluttered our apartment.

May. We went to Asheville for a weekend getaway where we ate delicious food and toured the Biltmore. We also went strawberry picking and celebrated Mother’s Day in Greensboro. We went to St. Augustine for a wedding over Memorial Day weekend and enjoyed the gorgeous warm weather with friends/family.

June. We celebrate J’s 28th birthday in Boone with old friends who moved back from Austin, TX. We spent lots of time at the pool and went to Greensboro for a family staycation.

July. We found our house this month! We hosted a July 4th party for some friends and my sister Lucy who was in town. We volunteered for ServeRDU, went to a Durham Bulls game, saved like crazy, and enjoyed small summertime pleasures.

August. We bought our house! We spent the month packing, painting the walls and cabinets, and moving. For labor day weekend we went to DC for a friend’s wedding and went back to some of my old favorite places.

September. We finished painting and moved everything into the house. We bought a washer, dryer, rug, couch and ottoman. Our two families went to the beach together, where I celebrated my 28th birthday. We met our neighbors and I went to Greensboro for a wedding shower for my cousin.

October. I had two girl’s weekends — one in Asheville and one in Charlotte with old friends — and J hosted his old college buddy for one of those weekends. I painted abstract art over the mantle. My mother in-law celebrated her 60th birthday and we surprised her with a few fun events, including the first party at our house. We also saw lots of family at my cousin’s wedding in High Point.

November. My sister and brother in-law came to stay with us and we cheered Andrew on as he ran a half marathon. We went to Boone for a lovely autumn weekend with friends, and hosted a Friendsgiving. We celebrated Thanksgiving at my in-laws and did a lot of Black Friday shopping.

December. We decorated our house for Christmas, attended a few parties, went to see Handel’s Messiah, the Nutcracker, and hosted a surprise party for my friend’s 30th birthday. We had Christmas early with my in-laws and spent the real Christmas with my family. We went to Charlotte for New Year’s and toasted the new year with my sister, brother in-law and good friends.

Here’s a look back at my 2013 Goals:

• Run a marathon. Done! Thank goodness this one is behind me. :)
• Tour my city. I made a bigger effort to do more local things in the area, but feel that there is a lot more to discover.
• Make more time for reading. Done! More on this one later….
• Take better pictures. Eh, I wouldn’t say this is accomplished. I did get better, but I am hoping this year to be more comfortable with my DLSR.
• Host more parties. Done! We’ve hosted lots of events and get togethers at our new house.
• Buy a house! Done and done! I really didn’t think this one was going to be possible this year, but I am so thankful for the ways it all came into place.

Man, what a great year! I am so thankful for so many great experiences and time with family. See monthly highlights for more detail on each month.