2013 Year in Review

So much happens in the course of a year.  I love to throw together a list of some of the major events that occurred so I can look back and remember them.  It feels like a REALLY long time ago that I ran in the Charleston Half Marathon and it was still less than a year ago.  Of course, we did lots of other stuff in 2013, but here are some of the highlights.....

January 2013
Made some resolutions... more on how things went in a later post
Completed the Charleston Half Marathon with a personal best time!
Spent lots of time visiting my niece in the NICU

February 2013
Hosted a Supper Club Super Bowl Party!
Celebrated my niece coming home from the NICU
Celebrated Ryan's 29th Birthday
Got together with friends to start Nooks & Grannies book club
Found some lovely fabric for re-decorating our den

March 2013
Ran in my first 10K - Get To the Green St. Patty's Day Run
Discovered Thursday night jazz at Hunter Gatherer

April 2013
Spent a long weekend at the beach!
Trained & ran in the Heart & Sole 5-miler
"Ran for Boston"
Celebrated my sister & niece at a belated baby shower
Helped with my JWC's Annual Yard Sale
Played Ultimate Frisbee for the first time (my team was awesome!)

May 2013
Served as a guest speaker for a group of nurses state convention
Spent Memorial Day Weekend at the Beach!

June 2013  
Quit Monthly Menu Planning
Began serving as the President for JWC of Lake Murray
Attended Brandon & Mary Kathryn's wedding!
Went Kayaking with friends... got inspired & bought our own kayaks!
It started raining... and it rained and it rained and it rained.  Longest streak of rainy days in history.

July 2013
Celebrated my nephew's 3rd birthday & my niece's Baptism
Ryan started a new job... I went on vacation to the beach
I completed my PHI Pilates Instructor Certification
Hosted Nooks & Grannies book club at my house!

August 2013
Went on a weekend trip to Greenville
Started training for Georgetown Half Marathon
Taught my first Pilates class
Talked about and decided to put our house up for-sale-by-owner....
Were completely shocked when it was under contract in a quick 2 weeks
Packed liked crazy & searched for a new home

September 2013
Quit training for Georgetown Half (too busy moving!)
CLOSED on the Sale of our first home
Shopped and shopped and shopped for a new home
Moved in with my parents
Put a contract on our new home!

October 2013
Completed lots of inspections & paperwork for our new house
CLOSED on the purchase of our new home
Helped to host a baby shower for my college roommate Elizabeth
Attended Heather & Jeff's Wedding

November 2013
Ryan started another new job... a much better fit!
Moved into our new home!
Celebrated 10 years together (we started dating in November 2003)
Made a big long list of things "to-do" for our house & got started working

December 2013
Volunteered at our JWC 2nd Annual Tour of Homes
Celebrated our 4th Anniversary
Celebrated Christmas & New Years with family & friends
Celebrated my 29th Birthday

June 1 Weekly Menu

Summer is one of those busy seasons that we barely know what's happening tomorrow, much less for the month ahead, so I'm forgoing the monthly menu for a bit and going back with weekly menus until things settle down a bit.  We have had a busy last few weeks, including a long-weekend trip to the beach (see our new picture up there?  Courtesy of the wonderful photography skills of my sister... need your picture or your kids pictures taken?  I can get you in touch with her!)

This guy (and his short haircut) really enjoyed the beach too.... the not so great iPhone photography skills are mine :)

Now, for the menu....
6.1.13 - Brandon & MaryKathryn's Wedding!  Our only wedding this summer, seems we're growing up and there aren't too many to attend anymore!

6.2.13 - Thai Chicken Bites w/ Rice

6.3.13 - JWCMeeting/Girls Night with Leigh!! 

6.4.13 - BBQ Peach Pulled Pork 

6.5.13 - Leftovers

6.6.13 - Roast Beef Panini's w/ Carmelized Onions

6.7.13 - Date Night Out!

2012 in Review

The year 2012 has been an interesting one to say the least, but we made it through, and here are some highlights!

January

Made some resolutions..... check back later this week to see how I did! 

Ryan started taking a Statistics class at our local tech school 

February

Spent a long weekend in NYC with my girlfriends from work

Celebrated Ryan's 28th Birthday

March

Spent lots of time with my girlfriends Leigh & Leigh since they would both be moving soon!

Celebrated my first-day-of-college friend Taylor's Bachelorette Weekend with my first-ever trip to St. Patty's in 5pts

April

Tour-de-food around Columbia before our best friends moved away! 

Celebrated Taylor & Peter's Wedding Weekend in St. Simon's Island, GA

May

Celebrated Mary Elizabeth & Gabe's Wedding Reception after their return from their wedding in Jamaica!

Celebrated my little brother's graduation from Clemson

Celebrated Elizabeth & Billy's Wedding in Charleston

Convinced Ryan's parents to adopt a goldendoodle half-brother of Beaufort's  

June

Spent a few days at our family beach house in North Litchfield, SC

Celebrated my nephew Cooper's 2nd Birthday

July

Spent a little more time at the beach

Visited our friends and my uncle in D.C.  

FINALLY decided to run in my 2nd Half Marathon  

August

Spent a week at Folly Beach and went to the PGA Championship Golf Tournament in Kiawah Island

Celebrated Hilary & Kyle's Wedding (the same day we missed Jessica & Mark's wedding)

Ryan started taking some more classes at USC

Fall 2012 Football Season began with another Thursday season opener for the Gamecocks!

September

Lots of football watching going on!

Continued training for my half-marathon, hitting a few bad runs 

October

Ran my second half-marathon in Georgetown, SC and met my goal of running under 2.5 hours, setting a new PR at 2:26:17

Hosted a pumpkin carving party!  

November

Helped throw a SURPRISE party for my sister's 30th b-day

Visited the local corn maze with some friends from our Sunday School Class

December

My niece Elliott was born December 1st 

Celebrated our 3rd anniversary

Hosted a Favorite Things Christmas Exchange 

Celebrated Christmas and my 28th birthday with family and friends

Ended the year with a few extremely relaxing days at the beach!

One morning really early

It's not news to anyone that I'm an early riser. This week, despite being our vacation was no different. There were lots of early morning walks, but this was one of my favorites. Definitely up WAY earlier than normal, but totally worth it for the views. And an awesome reminder of God's beautiful creation.  The pictures don't do it justice, but it was a BEAUTIFUL sunrise to the east while a thunderstorm raged just to the west of the beach.

"You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you." -Nehemiah 9:6

Menu Plan Monday (Year 2, Week 32)

Our toes are either in the sand or walking the course for the PGA Championship this week.  We also have lots of relaxing to do, including some frozen meals made last week at home and several dinners out.  Vacation style menu plan means as little work as possible!  See y'all next week :)

Menu Plan Monday - Menu Planning Week #26

Well, we made it!  Halfway through 2011 and we're still menu planning!  This week we are getting ready for next week's vacation, so we're trying to save some money and clean out the fridge.  Also, this is the first time I've ordered "Dream Dinners" (DD), which are pre-made frozen meals that you pick up at Piggly Wiggly and all you have to do is throw them in the pan or the oven, no prep required.  I'm trying them out because they give 30% back to my fundraising for TNT, plus, you it is a pretty good deal to get an entire meal that feeds 3 for $10.  (And, there are only 2 of us).  I only ordered a few this time because I wanted to check them out, but if they are a success, then I might be trying even more next month!

6.27.11 - Leftovers & Carolina Baseball in CWS Finals!
6.28.11 - Diablo Chicken & Rice (DD) and homemade guacamole, Carolina Baseball in CWS Finals!
6.29.11 - Creamy Bacon Tortellini (DD) and another baseball game if it goes to 3.
6.30.11 - Girls Night for me, Softball for Ryan
7.1.11 - Meal TBA...but, it's my nephew's FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! (And the first anniversary of Gamecock National Championship Day)
7.2.11 - Cooper's Birthday Party in the afternoon, then it's off to the BEACH!
7.3.11 - BEACH!!

Have a great week y'all!