2015

I know it's been 2016 for 3 days now, but I've been sick so I'm a little behind on things (my Christmas cards are going in the mail tomorrow...). So 2015... what happened?

• It was a fairly big year for our little man - some highlights include:
• Turning 2 and moving into a big boy bed (January)
• Potty training (off and on for several months - probably worth a whole separate post)
• First overnight train trip to visit Nana & Papa in August (also first LONG separation from us)
• Preschool (began in September)
• We also kept a pretty busy schedule as a family:
• My trip to NOLA with my BFF in March
• Family trip to Wisconsin in July
• Adults-only trip to Maui in August (hence N's trip to Nana & Papa's house)
• 2 out-of-town weddings (Virginia and Iowa) in September
• My work trip to DC (October)
• Trip to NYC for my dad's surprise birthday weekend (November)
• Aside from travels, we tackled some pretty big projects at home:
• Gutted the full bathroom and master half-bath to create one large spa-bath complete with jetted tub, stall shower, heated floors, dual vanities, and partitioned toilet/sink area. 
• Updated the master bedroom, including new wood floor, new built-in wardrobe-style his-and-hers closets, light fixture, and paint.
• And last but not least, I finally finished my long-awaited Master's degree. The commencement ceremonies aren't until June, but technically I graduated at the end of the fall quarter (December 18, 2015). I'm done!!!

Overall, it was a pretty great year. Busy? Yes. Stressful? Sometimes. Okay fine, a lot of the time! But it feels good to have come out the other end in one piece. Where there challenges? Absolutely.

Finances were a big issue this past year. Some of the expenses were planned (trip to Hawaii), while others happened sooner than anticipated. The bathroom remodel, for example, wasn't supposed to have taken place so soon after our kitchen remodel from 2014. Unfortunately, a mold situation demanded prompt attention. Consequently, the master bedroom had to be redone as well since so much of the dust and dirt from the bathroom wound up in the bedroom carpet (gross). Money and budgets and overall financial health are all things that I would like to focus on in 2016, but I'll save the rest of my goal-setting for another post :) We also officially climbed back on the baby-making train. After a month or so of testing and whatnot, FET #1 happened in October and was unsuccessful, sadly. It upset me more than I realized it would, and so we ended up taking the rest of the year off to regroup.

So in reflecting on 2015, I would say that I'm appreciative of the progress we made in various ways, and even more thankful for the happy memories that were made. At the same time, I'm ready to close the door. Farewell 2015. It's time for a new year, a fresh start. My prayer is that we will feel God's peace and presence in our lives as we move through whatever experiences await us in 2016.