2022 In Review

 Happy Friday, the last one of 2022!  Today I am going to share a highlight or two from each month of the year.  I have posts with these highlights on my blog.

Thanks for being a reader and blog friend this year and wishing you a Happy New Year!

JANUARY

I got to see a dear friend I hadn't seen in over 10 years.

FEBRUARY

Seeing her art work at a local museum!

We took a quick weekend trip to Florence, Alabama.

Celebrating Isabella's 21st birthday!

MARCH

We celebrated my sister's 55th birthday.

And enjoyed a snowfall :)

We went to the NC mountains to see some of our dearest friends over spring break.

We recreated this picture of the kids...the top one was taken in 2014 and the bottom one in 2022.

APRIL

I got dressed up for a work event.

Easter Sunday

Brook's senior art show

MAY

We hosted a family graduation party for Brook.

Graduation Day!

So proud of my senior!

Senior pictures

Holding this new baby great niece of mine (who was born in April)

We took a family cruise for Brook's senior trip.

Some of the highlights were climbing Dunn's Rivers Falls, snorkeling and paddleboarding.

JUNE

My mom turned 80 in May, but we had a family celebration in June. Here I am with my older brother, sister and parents.

JULY

We went to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game on July 4th.

We also visited the Ark Encounters in Kentucky & also went to the Creation Museum.

AUGUST

My work hosts a big 5K every August as one of our fundraisers.

We love spending time with my greats! (& my daughter too)

SEPTEMBER

We moved my youngest to college

My husband turned 50

I had a work weekend and was able to see my oldest

Loved watching this cutie play T-ball

OCTOBER

We went to Virginia to the Overland Expo

We also traveled to visit Brook.

NOVEMBER

We met up with our friend from San Antonio in Dallas for a weekend.

I visited McKinney and also turned 52 this month.

Thanksgiving with my girls!

DECEMBER

I had a great few days with my girls in NYC.

Seeing Hugh Jackman is definitely a highlight of my year!

Christmas Eve sweetness with these girls!

I need this recap to help me see all the good things of the year. I'm so thankful for my girls, my greats and the ability to travel.  

I'll be back in 2023 next week to recap Christmas!

Monthly Musings ~ December 2022

Good morning.  I am linking up with Holly and Patty for Monthly Musings talking about our New Year's Goals for 2023.

1.  Resolutions or goals

I usually don't have a long list of resolutions.  That being said, I feel like I am always waking up with a goal to do life better than the day before.

2.  Exercise goals

I would like to exercise more consistently and reign in on my snacking now that the holidays are behind me.  I'm hoping I can get back on track in January before we have a family birthday in February and Valentine's Day.

3. Personal/Professional goals

I want to continue counseling for a personal goal to help process emotions and reactions.  Professionally, I hope to work more hours as I increase some responsibilities at work.  I am hoping to get a little more organized as well with my monthly duties.

4. Planner

I do like a paper planner, but as much as I have tried to use paper, I just add everything to my calendar on my phone.  I don't use any calendar app, just the calendar that comes with the phone.  I have found that it the easiest system for me.

5. Word

I don't usually do this, but I am declaring this year my word is listen.  Just listen.  I need to listen to my people.  I need to listen to myself.  I need to listen to the Lord speak to me. 

6. Ring in New Year

I have no plans, but I usually watch some of the NYC countdown and stay up until midnight.

7. New Year's Day

New Year's Day will be probably more of the same of this week....cleaning, organizing, watching tv, and cooking.  I will probably cook ham, black eyed peas and cornbread.

8. Travel plans

So far, my plans are minimal so far for 2023, outside of visiting family.  I will go visit my in-laws in January and my oldest daughter in February.  

9. Looking forward to

My oldest will graduate from college this year.  I honestly don't have any other big things, but I am glad to see a new year come. 

10. Bowl games

I'm sure there will be some bowl games on the tv & will watch some of the games. 

This is such a fun post and I hope to do a 2022 recap tomorrow.

 

What's Up Wednesday ~ December 2022

 Hi blog friends.  I know some blogging is hit or miss this week, but I still wanted to do this post to see a recap of December.  

What we're eating this week........

Monday - sirloin steak bites, leftover sides

Tuesday - salmon, leftover sides

Wednesday - hamburgers

Thursday - soup

And praying for inspiration for the next few days after that!

What I'm reminsicing about..........

My girls and I went to New York City a few weeks ago and it was great.  It was a short trip, but we hit the highlights we wanted to do. We went during the week, flying home on a Saturday, so we the crowds were still manageable.  I have been reading about how crowded the city is at Christmastime.

What I'm loving...........

I loved having both girls home for a week.  My oldest has gone back since she has New Years plans.  

What we've been up to.............

We have spent time playing cards, watching basketball & movies, slowly working a puzzle and eating!

What I'm dreading...........

My youngest will go back to college soon and oh those so longs again won't be fun. 

What I'm working on................

I am working on putting away most of Christmas decor and transitioning to more winter.  There are a lot of my Christmas decorations that I keep out until February.  Since I don't put it all up at one time, I can do this fairly quickly.  This was the year that most of my lights went out on my tree and also outside lights as well.  We have an artificial tree, but bought it without lights.  I strung lights on it 4 years ago and removed them all yesterday.  Half of the lights were out and I will buy new lights for next year and start fresh then.

What I'm excited about.............

I am hoping to get some stacks of papers in my guest room organized to clear some paper clutter.  I feel like it will help to start my new year with less clutter of any kind!

What I'm watching/reading............

I just finished watching 1883 and now will start 1923.  I still have Christmas movies I recorded, but not sure if I will spend January watching them slowly or not. I saw an older movie, The Family Man (from 2000) and also watched The Glass Onion on Netflix, which is the sequel to Knives Out.

What I'm listening to.............

I am listening to a few podcast and hope to be caught up before they all start back up next week.  

What I'm wearing.........

All the leggings and sweatshirts due to all the food and cold weather.

What I'm doing this weekend.............

I am going to a birthday party for my great nephew turning 1 year old.  Other than that, I will keep doing some of the same things of my week....cleaning and organizing!

What I'm looking forward to next month...........

I will be able to spend time next week with one my best friends who lives out of town.  We will sit and probably talk for hours!

What else is new............

Like the rest of the country, we had a cold Christmas and some snow.  I do like it when Christmas is cold, but not the frigid temperatures where we are on guard about pipes bursting 24/7.  I do love seeing snow fall, even if it is just a little

Wishing you all a low key, good day!

O Christmas Tree!

I am wrapping up this Christmas week with a look at our tree.  When I went back to work 4 years ago, we bought an artificial tree for the first time in our marriage, with the exception of a borrowed tree we used while living in South America.  I realized while working, I couldn't keep up with another thing, so we bought this tree and I haven't looked back.  I bought it without lights and have strung my own lights.  We have a place in our house to store our tree upright, so I keep it there with the lights on it.  A few lights did go out this year, so this is the first year I will need to replacde a strand.  

Our Herrod's ornament from London

The elephant ornament was a gift from a friend in Thailand

Our bear from Glacier National Park

This wooden bear is one from my childhood.  Below that is one from the Pioneer Woman's Mercantile.

Below is another London ornament and an Elvis ornament.

A shiny Eiffel Tower!

I have several NYC ornaments, but this is my newest one I bought during my most recent trip.

I drink Diet Cokes or Coke Zeros whenever I drink a soda and Isabella bought this for me this year. It is sparkly and fun!

Brook knows my love of Buc-ees and she bought me this one below.  Above that is the ornament from my first year married in 1998.

I recently like to buy the girls an ornament each year.  For Isabella, I bought her one with a wine and cheese board since she turned 21 this year.  She has that with her, so I don't have a picture of it.  However, this is the ornament I got for Brook since she graduated from high school.

I have this small tree on my kitchen counter which has ornaments from Colombia and Peru.

In my dining room window, I have this small tree with some colorful ornaments.

May your home be filled with rejoicing whether you are feeling weary or strong this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas friends!

"A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices"