2017: A Year in Review

Oh, 2017.  A year of transition and change.  A year of uncertainties and even more prayer.  We went through two huge job changes (one for me, one for Justin - and both stories about how we got our current jobs are emotional roller coasters in and of themselves!).  Our extension plans for our house were put on a hiatus.  Xavier proved to all of us that he needed to go to Kindergarten instead of part-time pre-K like I had originally intended.  And my mom beat cancer not just once, but twice in the span of four months.  Talk about a whirlwind of a year!

But, in the end, even with all of the above transitions and changes, we've come out on top.  Something that I attribute highly to faith and prayer.  Justin and I are both mostly happy at our jobs, and that's definitely made home life easier.  Our plans for our home extension are back in the picture again.  Xavier is thriving in Kindergarten, and I know that we made the right decision in putting him there.  Lissie is pleased as punch that Xavier and I are both at her school now, and she's doing awesomely in her own right.  Mom's outlook on life has never been better.  If it were me in her shoes, I don't think I could've handled waiting on different diagnoses and recovering from two surgeries in three months with such grace.  She is definitely a beacon of strength in my eyes.  

Now that we've survived 2017, it's time to look ahead.  Looking forward to 2018, my ultimate goal is defined as one word: balance.  Between family, work, "me" time, kid activities, adult responsibilities, and just living a healthy life, that's a lot of balls to keep up in the air!  And, to help with that balance, I'm also adding a secondary resolution: 500 miles run by the year's end.  In the past, when I've tracked my miles, I've done 700-900.  It'll be trickier now that I'm working full-time and family-ing full-time, but it's all about maintaining that balance..... A healthy mom is a happy mom - isn't that the saying? 

So, thanks for the memories 2017.  Let's bring it on, 2018 - I hear a Disney cruise calling my name!  Happy New Year, indeed!

Side note: January 1st, 2018 is going down as a chill day.  After realizing today wasn't a Holy Day of Obligation, we started off at the Y (got my first 4.86 miles of the new year!) and then negated the workout with homemade Loveless biscuits with our brunch.  The rest of the day is being spent playing games with the family and lounging at home before creating a seafood feast for our first dinner of the New Year.  

Justin had gotten a Loveless Cafe biscuit mix from Santa
that we made in our cast iron skillet!