Looking Back and Looking Forward-->>2019

2019.

Joyous.

Difficult.

Freeing.

Restorative.

A lot can be said about each of those four words, but in an effort to make this post as concise as possible, I will just play out the highlights of my year in four separate categories (because I like things organized).

Travel

Compared to other years, we laid low and didn't travel too much. One, because we are trying to be smart with our finances, and two, now that Andrew is working a full-time job, time off is sacred and not as abundant as it once was.

With all that being said, we did travel out west to visit friends, attend a wedding, and spend some time with Andrew's parents. (: So much fun!

I got to see the Oregon coast for the first time and it did not disappoint!

While in Oregon, we also did a fair bit of hiking. I'm not used to elevation (midwest girl here!), so some of the hikes were a bit of a workout. But the views were well worth the effort!

We traveled down to to California and spent some time exploring various areas around where Andrew's parents live. We went outside almost every day and it was spectacular. One day, we went to the coast to see the Red Woods, which I had never seen in person! OH MY WORD. AMAZING.

On another of our hikes on a different day, we saw two bald eagles!

I'd never seen one, let alone two, in the wild.

In July, we traveled to Michigan for a wedding. We stayed in a lake house that the groom's parents let us stay in for free (thank you so much!). I spent every morning by the water before people got up for the day. Such a perfect way to start your day.

And that was it for the year!

Fun Stuff

Andrew accepted his first full-time position at the church we attend! We went out to our favorite breakfast spot to celebrate.

In April, I had my very first Piano Studio recital! I did a joint one with my mom and her piano studio. It was awesome! All the kids did such a great job. I made these arrangements for the reception afterward. (:

In August, we celebrated our two year wedding anniversary! We started the day going to our favorite breakfast spot, then went to the Indianapolis Zoo, and then went out to a nice restaurant for dinner. Perfect day in my opinion.

In September, I celebrated my 24th birthday. The older I get, the more I appreciate another year of being alive and surrounded by my awesome friends and family! Andrew took me out to a Mediterranean restaurant called Tzakis. We went to one over our honeymoon and was disappointed that Indy didn't have one when we got back--well...now they have one! It was so good!

My mom also made me the bestest birthday cake ever. Peanut butter chocolate chip cake with dark chocolate ganache. YUM.

At the end of October, Andrew and I found out that we are expecting our first child in June 2020. It was such a surprise and we feel so incredibly blessed. I have gone through a majority of emotions--scared, excited, overjoyed, and sad. Scared because it's a baby and we get to take care of him or her. Excited because it's a baby and we get to take care of him or her. Overjoyed because being a mom has been on my heart for as long as I can remember. Sad because I realize this is not a reality for everyone and we have so many friends struggling with becoming parents. If you are one of those friends, please know I am thinking of you and announcing our pregnancy caused me some sadness because it isn't fair that we are able to experience what we are experiencing while others are playing the waiting game. We love you.

Image by Jenifer Krampitz Photo

CHRISTMAS.

Seriously my favorite holiday. Andrew and I spent the day with my family and subsequently almost every day during our winter break--which was great.

Food

Alright. Here are pictures of the best food I ate or made this year. Enjoy.

Orange glazed turkey.

Coconut crusted shrimp with a sweet thai sauce at Bonefish Grill. Probably could have just had two platters of this for dinner.

Homemade pizza. One side antelope (super yummy) and one side chicken.

Nature

Here are some pretty shots from nature. Most are from the flower farm I work at!

(: All of these make me happy.

Some other events that didn't fit into any of these categories that happened this year were the loss of my kitty, Diamond, starting to play keys at our church, beginning to volunteer in the kids' ministry at our church, growing my piano studio, and seeing my sister graduate from High School.

Losing Diamond was sad, as I picked her out the day she was born. I got to watch her have her only litter of kittens and grew to love her quirks and weird mannerisms (she hated when I sang, so there's that). She was 16 and had lived longer than I had expected, so I am very grateful for the time I got to spend with her. <3

Volunteering at church in the music and kids' ministries has been so fun! I missed being able to be a part of a team of people who were using their gifts and abilities to love others well and glorify God at the same time. Super neat.

I currently have a little less than 20 students and am hoping to make it to 20 this year!

My sister graduating. I am so proud of her! She is an amazing woman and I can't wait to see where she goes with God leading the way.

Lastly, my word for this year is JOY. More of it. All of it. In everything I say I do.

Do you have a word for the year?

What memories from 2019 will you treasure forever?