Hello everyone!
Happy 2017! One of my many resolutions for this new year is starting a blog (and actually keeping up with it). I'm not sure if anyone will care enough about my life to actually follow along, I don't even know what all I want to talk about just yet, but if you've made it as far as clicking on the link, bear with me!
For my first post, I thought I'd review the year that we just left behind and all the amazing things that happened. I know that for many 2016 was a crappy year, but a lot of wonderful things happened in my life and I'd love to share them with all of you!
January
I welcomed 2016 in Spain. I didn't get to spend it with Brennan, but I was glad to share it with with my family. Living across the world makes me cherish the short time I get to spend at home!
When I got back to Ohio, my friend Sara surprised me by asking me to be her bridesmaid!! She was a bridesmaid at my own wedding, and I can not wait to stand by her side at her own wedding in just a few short months.
February
I started two new jobs, one as a medical interpreter and the other as a spanish teacher. February was a blur of cold and snow that neither Bailey nor I enjoyed. On Valentine's day, Brennan and I decided it would be a good idea to venture out in the middle of a snow storm, and that day I learned two things:
1. My car is s**** in the snow.
2. Unless you have a death wish, it is best to stay indoors during a snow storm.
March
March brought in warmer days, and some of my favorite days of the year. On March 7th, I turned 25 (phew, a quarter of a century already...). I decided to commit myself to going to the gym 3-4 a week and losing 10 pounds, and actually went through with both of those resolutions.
On March 18th, Brennan and I celebrated our 6 years anniversary. Seems crazy to me to think we have been together for that long, but at the same time I barely remember what it was like to not share my life with him. <3
April
Not much happened in April, we just enjoyed life as a family of three and went with the motions of our day to day life. Brennan started a new job as a publicist for a firm based out of Indianapolis, so he worked from home. I was also working from home a lot so it was fun spending our days together.
We really got into walking and hiking as a family, and tried to go out several times a week. To this day it is still one of my favorite things we do together and look forward to it every single week!
We also spent Easter with the Horine Clan! and let me tell you something, Bailey's Easter basket was the biggest out of the three baskets because *priorities*. And also we have a spoiled dog.
May
On May 12th, our sweet Bailey turned one! The joy she brings into our lives can't be describe in words, and we made sure her day was super special! From puppy cupcakes and lots of presents to a sleepover with her best dog friend, I think she had a pretty eventful day and both Brennan and I enjoyed celebrating her.
In May we also continued with one of our favorite things to do, visiting the Krowiaks in Indianapolis! Family matters the most to me, and I'm glad I get to enjoy Brennan's extended family, whom I have learned to love like my own. While in Ohio, I always looked forward to our weekends with them.
One more thing Brennan and I did during the spring was babysit the Lyons. We first took the job as an extra source of income that we could share, but taking care of these three kids became my all time favorite job. I hope they learned as much from us as we did from them!
June
June was probably my favorite month of the whole year. For as long as I have been with Brennan, I have dreamed of the moment his family would come to Spain, and my dream finally came true! We got to show them the city and they witnessed all the reasons why Barcelona is my favorite place on Earth.
Obviously, there was a reason for the trip, and that was our wedding in Spain. We are extremely lucky to have had the chance of celebrating our love twice. This wedding was amazing for so many reasons. I got to see friends and family I hadn't seen her in years. I laughed, I cried, and I danced all night. June 4th, 2106 will probably remain forever on the top 10 best days of my life.
After the wedding, the remainder of our trip was spent with my family and snorkelling in the Mediterranean. Not so bad if you ask me!
Once we got back to Ohio, we participated in Slide the City and it was as much fun as we had anticipated! If you've never done it, I 100% recommend it.
Also, one of my favorite moments of June (seriously, so many awesome moments), was the gender reveal party of my best friend Meghan! I was so excited when I found out that she was pregnant, but I was even more excited when she asked me to be the keeper of the secret and I got to prepare the balloon for her party. I hoped for a girl, and I got my wish!
July
July was calm, we worked a lot but also spent lots of days laying in the pool at Coney Island. I miss the days where summer meant vacation time! On July 31st, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child came out, and I got to geek out a bit, although I didn't really enjoy the book, it felt like a poorly made fan fiction.
August
On August 15th Brennan and I celebrated our first year as a married couple. That first year went by really quick, and during it we grew as a couple even more. Although it comes with many challenges, I love married life.
We also decided to get some professional family pictures so I could fill our house with even more pictures of our little family!
But perhaps, the most important thing we did in August was leave our first home. Many memories were made in that tiny apartment. It's the place where we finally got to live together after many years of long distance, the place we became a family of three when we welcomed Bailey. We were sad to leave, but also excited about the new things that we about to come!
September
In September, I took an impromptu trip to Spain. I spent some quality time with my family and loved every single of second of it. It is hard for me being away from my sisters, they are my best friends, but whenever we are together it feels like I never left.
We finally climbed to the top of a mountain as a family and buried the ashes of our childhood dog, something we had been waiting to do for a year. I miss Fox so much, but we found the perfect laying spot for him and that moment brought me closure.
October
In October, we decided to quit our jobs and move to Orlando. It was a dream we had had for almost a year, and we realized it was then or never. We knew we were taking a big risk, but it felt right to us, so we packed our things and embarked on a trip down south.
Upon our arrival, we experienced our first hurricane. It was definitely a new experience, but one we are glad we got to share with Wandie!! We spent those days eating (way too much) candy, making puzzles and watching Bates Motel.
Both Brennan and I got jobs as attractions attendants at Universal, and we both got placed at Harry Potter rides. My inner nerd rejoiced, and I have loved getting to be a Hogwarts student every day at work. I always tell Brennan this will be the job I tell my kids about when I'm older! I've also met a ton of amazing people working there. We don't plan on staying long as attractions attendants, we are both searching for something related to our majors, but we are thankful for the opportunity and look forward to whatever comes next!
November
As we settled into our new life in Orlando, we explored the area and found really awesome places. We became regulars at the farmers market, and took Bailey to see the ocean for the first time *which she deeply hated*. Also, Brennan turned 24!
In the middle of November, I attended IAAPA, an expo for Themed Entertainment in which I got to volunteer for the Themed Entertainment Association and met a lot of amazing people.
We spent our Thanksgiving working, but still managed to find time in the day to have a quick holiday meal and spend some time together as a family.
December
The holidays were around the corner, and we soaked up all of the Christmas Spirit! Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I try to do as many Christmassy things as possible every year! We attended parades and visited the Grinch at Universal.
For the Holidays, we flew back to Ohio to spend it with Brennan's family. It was Bailey's first time flying and we were both sick, so it was a pretty eventful trip. Oh, did I mention that our flight was also 3 hours delayed?
I finally got to meet Meghan's baby, Dawson, who was born in November. I instantly fell in love with her and I'm already counting the days until I can see her again!
Christmas with the Horines was awesome, and after some much needed family time, we flew back to Orlando into the jaws of what peak season at Universal is.
So there you have it! That was 2016. That ended up being way longer than I anticipated, but a year is kind of a long time to sum up in one post! If you are still reading, thank you for staying with me. I promise future post will be way shorter than this.
I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of 2017 and sticking up to your new year resolutions. I wrote mine on the last hour of 2016, perhaps I'll share them with you on another post (although I'm not ready to admit how miserably I'm going to fail at most of them haha).
Happy New Year!
Love,
Grace