I’ve done this simple little question/answer style year in review post for years now. 🙂 It’s become a welcome friend at the end of a year, as I look back on the year that was and look forward to the year that will be.
The Year that Was – 2014
1. What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before? took a road trip to FL with three small children. Ran a 10K. Homeschooled a kindergartner. Became an aunt!!
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I made goals again, not resolutions and accomplished some! I am very helped by making goals and making them achievable.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? yes! Three of my sisters-in-law. I finally became an auntie to two adorable nieces and one very handsome nephew. 
4. Did anyone close to you die? A friend of our family. We miss Paul a lot already.
5. What countries did you visit? 2014 will go down in history as the least traveled year of my adult life. We were a leeeetle busy raising three kids and stuck close to home this past year. But that’s all about to CHANGE in 2015. Big plans!
6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014? our yet unknown, but very loved already, child home from Haiti. More patience and time (use what I have more wisely).
7. What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June 21 – Kyle’s first marathon (Grandma’s) and September 13 – my first 10K run in Duluth. It was a fun, beautiful, chilly day and I really enjoyed myself.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? running a 10k. Big, hairy deal because A. I didn’t think I’d like running AT ALL, but I fell in love with certain aspects of it. B. How did I find time to train for that?!
9. What was your biggest failure? self-control (like wasting time on Facebook and eating junk food) and not reading more books!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? much less than last year! (attributing that to the support of Young Living essential oils – woot!) There was the major sleep deprivation factor. 😛
11. What was the best thing you bought? hmm. Kyle gave me some awesome Keen boots that I’ve been wanting for three years – he bought them though. It was pretty fun to buy plane tickets to Denver…a little kid-free getaway with some girlfriends in a couple weeks.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? This one goes again to KYLE. He encourages me, plays with and loves our kids, is a kick-butt deputy/sergeant, loves Jesus and His people well, serves others, makes the important things a priority and is just a really awesome guy. I love him.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? those who took the lives of innocents.There were so many heartbreaking attacks on innocent people this year. 2014 seemed like a year of tragedy and sorrow the likes of which I’ve not seen in my lifetime. It was a very heavy year for many, many people.
14. Where did most of your money go? housing, food, church/missions and gasoline.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Two concerts in a month! The Art of Celebration concert with Rend Collective and the Neon Steeple tour of David Crowder. We REALLY enjoyed them both.
16. What song will always remind you of 2014? Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” (kinda embarrasing to admit, lol!, Rend Collective’s whole “Art of Celebration” album, Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Glorious Unfolding” and Andy Grammer’s “Back Home”.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder? sadder. Like I mentioned above, this has been a sad, heavy year for people we love and people we know and us. I feel like in the past six months, the fabric of America has started weakening at the seams and the right tension will start the ripping of it. The struggles that have erupted in Ferguson, NYC and personal tragedies of losing friends and wondering, more than ever before, if my husband will come home safely at the end of his shift…it’s all weighed heavily on my heart.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Praying. Reading. Writing. Playing with my kids.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating. Spending my time in worthless ways.
20. How did you spend Christmas? we opened gifts at our house on Christmas Eve, then went to Kyle’s parent’s on Christmas Day, celebrated together and then hit the ROAD for our Epic Road Trip Adventure to Florida in the evening. We had a really nice time, but Christmas itself felt a little rushed, so I was glad we’d focused on Jesus’ birth so much during Advent.
21. How will you spend New Years? We SPENT New Year’s in Florida. On NYE, Kyle and I sat on the steps of the beach pagoda near our beach house and talked while the waves crashed on the shore, and I went to bed at the early hour of 9pm and woke up almost rested on January 1, 2015. The crazy, glamorous life of a mom of three kids under five. It rocks.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Parenthood, White Collar, Gilmore Girls, and Suits.
23. What was the best book you read? “Death by Living” (N.D. Wilson). It was amazing. Also fabulous: “How People Change” (Lane and Tripp) and “Glimpses of Grace” (Furman). Enjoyed “Cody Name Verity” (Wein) and the 2014 installment of the Flavia deLuce series by Alan Bradley.
24. What was your greatest musical discovery? New music by Rend Collective and SCC’s new album is really great.
25. What did you want and got? Keen boots. A road trip.
27. What was your favorite film of this year? I honestly can’t remember if I even set foot in a movie theater this year. I rented Chef not too long ago and enjoyed it, but I think that may be the only Redbox movie that was a kid’s movie that I watched this year. ?? My “to watch” list is about 15 movies long…
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 32 and had a really nice day being spoiled by Kyle. I slept in, walked to breakfast (best coffee in NB/caramel roll/breakfast sandwich), had a quiet morning in the sunshine/reading, afternoon at THE SPA (massage, foot scrub/massage, & hand treatment), Cherry Berry fro yo and Starbucks birthday drink. All while the kids spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa. 🙂
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? the adoption process being over and a child home in our arms. NO MORE PAPERWORK, for the love.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014? Leggings and tunics/dresses. It’s become my go-to uniform. Still working on getting back into my “skinny” clothes – hopefully by summer time those things will fit again!
31. What kept you sane? my husband, my friends, coffee, and the Word.
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Jen Hatmaker isn’t a celebrity, per se, but she is kind of a “well-know” Christian and I’ve loved following her humor, her heart for adoption and her love for Jesus and people.
33. What political issue stirred you the most? The Michael Brown shooting and Ferguson and the issues on both “sides” of the struggle. I’ve really sought to understand and to love…it’s been intense. Still praying for justice and mercy to find each other among Americans, starting with me.
34. Who did you miss? my best friends that live far away. and my Grandma Alice.
35. Who was the best new person you met? my nieces, Zoe and Kennedy, and my nephew Connor. They are precious!
36. Tell us some valuable life lessons you learned in 2014:
Life with three kids is insanity. I developed a deep love for SILENCE this year. 🙂
The journey of adoption rarely goes the way you anticipate. And the road is long…
I love throwing parties and I’m good at it.
My heart language is music and drama and performance. If I don’t sing, I die.
And here comes 2015 – or rather, the first month of it is already half spent. Welcome to a new year – I am excited to see what miracles and beauty you hold and what challenges you bring our way, all under the mighty hand of God.
jomegs: a little slice of my life 