2014: A Year in Review

When I sat down to do this I found it hard to pick one pic for each month.  But I wanted to pick something that really had meaning for each month.  A lot of times I sit back and think we don't do enough.  Then I see pictures for each month and we really have done a lot!

January

A fun visit to French Lick Splash Park

February

Vacation and Valentines Day in Cincinnati

March

St. Patrick's Day Shenanigans

April

Happy Easter!

May

Vacation in Colorado and Jessie's Graduation

June

Summer Fun, especially at Holiday World

July

Happy 4th of July!  and Seal Family Reunion

August

Strassenfest

September

Mike rode the Tail of the Dragon in Deal's Gap

October

Happy Halloween!

November

Cadence turned 2!!!

December

Merry Christmas!!

Cheers to 2014, Welcome 2015!!!!!!

Christmas Whirlwind

As per usual the season has went out as fast as it came in!  It was really fun this year since Cadence somewhat understood things.  We have one last party this weekend and then it will be onto the New Year!!

My house is already back to normal.  Christmas stuff is put away and winter cleaning has begun.  Don't judge ;)

Hope ya'll had a great holiday season!

Note to self:  work on Cadence meltdowns in the New Year.  (she is screaming at me as I type) Hello terrible two's!!! (please tell me it doesn't last long).  And learn to take pictures with indoor lighting.  Yuck yellow/red haze.  :(  

Christmas Party Number One

We started Christmas off with My mom's side of the family Christmas last night.  It always seems to go so fast and before you know it everyone is saying goodbye.  It's so sad!  Why can't time slow down just a little bit this time of year?  Maybe that is what I will ask Santa for next year ;)

Good food, Good fun, and of course Good family...

Turning 30 (it's getting deep in here)

If you don't like sentimental posts you might want to skip this day ;)

Turning 30 was hard.  Like really hard.  Like mid-life crisis hard.  Lots of crying and laughing at my crazy self hard.

Doesn't everyone hit an age where they think holy crap, how in the world did I get here already?!?!?  It's hard to really put my finger on what exactly happened but over time I started to get this "who am I really" feeling.  I started to think about my life and especially the last 10 years.  A certain thought kept crossing my mind,  what am I missing out on and why?  Don't get me wrong I count my many special blessings but something was missing... ME!

Over the years I have given pieces of me to everyone.  I slowly have lost my identity without even knowing it happened.  I was trying to explain to a dear friend that you never realize what you are doing to yourself until you hit a point you look around and don't recognize yourself.

I have never really had confidence.  I don't mean the conceited I rock confidence but the quiet confidence to be happy with oneself.  Isn't that what matters?  How you feel about yourself? Being nice to yourself is the most important!!  Trust me.

You have to love yourself before anyone else can love you.  I know that weight and looks shouldn't matter.  But it does.  There is no way around it.  I wish it didn't matter but it does.  I want to teach Cadence that quiet self confidence.  I don't want her walking around upset about how she feels about herself.  The only way that I can help that was to fix me.

There is more to turning 30 that I discovered.  Not just the weight issue.  I realized I do have a voice.  No more wishy washy, passive aggressive.  Make choices and be confident in them.  Admit when you are wrong, apologize and move forward.  Don't dwell on things you can't change and if you can change them, well work your ass off to do that.

I can't show pictures of my soul but I can show pictures of my outside transformation.  I have a ways to go but I am proud of what I have done so far and I think that is what keeps me going!

50 lbs down, over 15 inches lost overall and from a size 22 down to a size 12.

Yikes!!  May 2014

October 2014

Before

AFTER

One thing I am most proud of is that I have runners legs again!

And just last night before bed.  Feeling healthy and happy.  

Things I want to remember most.

There are just certain moments that you want to hold onto.  Just squeeze every second out of it.  A picture is not enough.  You want the memory burned into your head.  This is it.  So nonconventional but I don't care.  Sitting indian style around the table my Dad and I made together years ago with my daughter and mother.  Just a normal meal of pizza and apple juice.  But it meant so much more.  Tonight my heart was really full! And my belly too!#findingextraordinaryintheordinary #cadencelynn 

Little Beautician

And This my friends is why I love having a girl!!  We can play girly things and she can do my hair.  Everything is "cuuuuute" and "cooooool"!  I swear we have fun she just likes to mean mug the camera!

Glow

I love the glow of Christmas lights.  Especially when it highlights my 2 favorite presents!

2015 Erin Condren Planner

It's here!!   I get so stoked every year when my crisp clean new planner comes in!  I may or may not have already filled out important dates, my work schedules and future appointments.  Don't judge!

I am a sucker for super cute branding and Erin Condren is where it's at!

Getting in the spirit

We are gearing up around here for a fabulous Christmas!  10 days! really 10 days!  I seriously feel like it was just Halloween!  This year has been really fun because Cadence get's the idea of some of the things.  We do the 4 Christmas Present Idea that is floating around Pinterest.  It will be our 3rd year and it is nice not to focus on "gifts".  Holiday movies on repeat fo sho!

And a trip to see Santa proved that Cady wasn't a fan!  Couldn't even get her off my leg to at least get an epic screaming picture!  Maybe next year.

It really is The Most Wondeful Time of the Year!!