2019: A Year in Review

It’s hard to believe that it is now 2020! 2019 was a great year with lots of highs and some lows. Let’s take this time to look back, a year in review.

January

My daughter got her acceptance letter into her dream school! She was so excited and we were so proud. Senior year was tough, I had already had some emotional days, but seeing her so excited, tears coming down her face, it put it all in perspective. What a day!

February

In February, I decided to sell my small business. My family and I made this very hard decision together. I felt for a while God was pulling at my heart, telling me He had something else in store for me. As I listened to Him, and of course trying to ignore it, I knew it was time. This small business was hard to let go, I grew it up from nothing, but looking back I’m glad we made the decision. I have spent more time with my family, I’m able to be present more and not stressed or working all the time. It has aloud me to work more on this blog and I’m happy for that!

March

God opened the door right in my face! In March I was able to take the Youth Director job at my current church. This is my dream job! I was able to spend a weekend away with the youth group right after I took the job and it made me so peaceful and perfect. I look back now and I’m so glad I didn’t push His commands away but listened to Him this time!

In March I also wrote one of my most popular blog posts to date! I poured my heart out in a blog post to my daughter as she began her senior season playing soccer. If you haven’t read it and would like to you can read it here.

April

Oh April was so fun!! We spent our last Spring Break as a family of 5 in New Orleans! It was a trip we had been planning for months, one everyone was excited about. We all had places we wanted to see, foods we wanted to eat and activities we wanted to experience. It was an amazing trip that we all will never forget and continue to talk about to this day!

We also celebrated our baby’s 9th birthday! In New Orleans! We got to watch my daughter’s college win the NCAA National Championship Game, which got her even more excited about going to college! Talking about college, I took my daughter to her future campus for her Days on the Lawn, two days for her to experience college. She loved it!

I stepped out of my comfort zone yet again and did a dramatic Good Friday drama at church. It was an experience I’m glad I did, but may never do again! We celebrated Easter where my daughter gave the sermon at our Sunrise Service, definitely a proud mommy moment!

May

Oh May, you had lots of photos on my Instagram! My daughter and her best friend went together to both their proms and had a blast! We started with the senior graduation parties, had a couple of senior dinners and scholarship nights. And with all this, I definitely had an emotional month. I completed senior announcements and mailed them out, with tears in my eyes of course. I leaned more on my mommy friends, especially those who were going through the same thing I was. It was all coming to an end so quickly!

As if having a senior wasn’t emotional enough, I dropped my youngest daughter off at her future high school to begin volleyball conditioning. What?!? How can I stop time?

June

If you thought I was emotional hot mess before June 2019, well then you are in for a surprise. My oldest graduated valedictorian of her high school class of 2019! I threw her an amazing graduation party, listened to her give one of the most amazing speeches, and watched her walk across the stage and recieve her diploma. It was a time I didn’t want to ever come, but one I was so proud of. Too many emotions to try and deal with!

We also got to spend a week at the beach with my side of the family. I haven’t vacationed with them in 18 years! It was the most amazing week watching my kids get even closer with their cousins, making memories for a lifetime and connections that will never leave them.

July

Summer was so fun! I spent time with my high school youth at our summer retreat we love to go to every summer. It was one I won’t forget since my senior daughter and all her friends were able to attend as well. I organized and executed my first middle school mission retreat for my middle schoolers at our church. It was a ton of work, but so very successful and they are asking for it again this summer!

I took my daughter to her orientation for college and watch her get even more excited about her college experience.

My son fell in love even more with baseball. Two camps a week apart, and countless nights watching our local AAA team play.

August

Our family attended our 6th mission trip to Red Bird Mission Camp in Beverly, Kentucky. It’s an experience we all look forward to each summer and one we won’t give up easily! It’s a transformation each summer, one we enjoy!

We made lots of memories! A whole week of fun and experiences my oldest put together before she left. We got matching tattoos, we went to the movies as a family, went to the water park and amusement park and spent countless hours together.

I moved my oldest into college! A day full of too many emotions, from happy to proud to sad to devastated! Wow, August was a crazy month!

September

I have an 8th grader and a 4th grader. My youngest two started school and we were learning how to have a new normal with one of us missing! My youngest daugher played JV volleyball for our local high school and fell in love with the sport. My son went back to playing soccer instead of baseball (even after all those camps!). Later he told me it was because his oldest sister played soccer and when he played he thought of her! Oh so sweet!

October

Birthdays galore in our house! My husband, my oldest daughters, and mine! My college student came home for fall break and she was so happy! We got to spend my birthday weekend with her on campus for family weekend and it was so fun!

Our weekends were filled with college football, tailgates and memory making. Our weeks were filled with soccer practices and volleyball games. We stayed busy!

And how can I ever forget, my youngest daughter got her braces off!!!

November

I planned and executed as Youth Director our first weekend retreat away. It was stressful and of course had more hiccups then should of but I got through it, had an amazing time and now know that I can handle anything!

Thanksgiving was a busy week, but we got to see my brother, SIL and niece for the holiday and made new traditions. My oldest was able to spend more time with us then we could of planned and loved having her home.

My youngest daughter finished her first volleyball season and loved every minute of it! We were so proud of her!

We finished up the college football season after an amazing UVA season. It was one for the books and we experienced every home game. It was great!

December

She made it through her first college semester!

We traveled one last weekend with our best friends to the ACC championship game and had so much fun! College football is fun, but even better with friends!

We had an amazing holiday. Each year is different as the kids get older but our traditions always stay the same. And thanks to technology they get to share the traditions with their cousins who aren’t close by!

My youngest daughter turned 14! Oh I really do need time to slow down!

Moving into 2020

2019 was amazing. So many changes, so many memories. There were good days and bad days. I had emotional days and stressful days. I grew as a personal, grew as a mom and found my strength through different means.

I’m looking forward to 2020 and all that it will bring myself and my family. Changes are scary, but can be so amazing.

Take time to look back over your last year and reflect. Look where you grew, reminisce over the memories and then look forward to 2020.