2014
I'm not a resolution person. I don't do diets, I dislike changes for the most part and normally spend the first day in January pretending like school really won't be starting soon. Fads are not really my thing either unless they involve comfort. The leggings and big sweater trend or as I like to call it " pajama like pants and my husband's old shirt trend" has been something I have enjoyed exploring. :) So as 2014 was getting ready to close I was deeply considering closing this blog as well. See late this past summer my husband got a second job writing for a website he loves. However this takes up hours of his time and computer time. So when he closes the computer for the night I just want to soak up the time with him. Then school got crazy, I started clay projects with the kids and stayed late after school to load the kiln and what not. All of a sudden its New Years and I haven't posted in a while.
However right before I set it adrift in the sea of half-assed blogs, I found something that changed my mind. In a purge of an old closet I found a journal from before I was married. I used to love these things, writing, doodling sometimes sticking pictures and movie stubs in the pages. Siting there in the sunlight filled window sill reading what life was like right before I left for college, met my dream guy and settled down was so fascinating. The past is interesting but so is the here and now. I had to think about a funny conversation I just had with a girlfriend about how we are at the time in our lives where we love to take naps and we completely have the time to do so...we are in the best time of our lives! Ha!
Lets be serious though, right now so many things are changing. This year alone we did a huge kitchen remodel, Trev got a second job, we went on some fun trips, made unbelievably fun memories with friends and fell more in love with our house and each other. So why would I want to stop recording that? So this is not a resolution, this is a second attempt at creating a space to document this beautiful life I have been given. Check back soon for fun updates and new posts, I have a handful of blog posts from the past year sitting in my drafts just waiting to be published, I'll start with those soon. For now some highlights of a wonderful year. CHEERS! POP! FIZZ! CLINK!
January and February:
- We started the year off at the lake with Nate and Lindsey. We had a crab boil and set lanterns off at midnight.
- The polar vertex proved to be more fun than we thought. We missed lots of school, hung out with the Potucks, and went to the lake.
- The lake froze so thick we could walk to the island in the middle. We created a packed snow slide out of our steps going down to the lake and had fun sledding down it very fast. Even Hickory got in on the chilly fun.
- Trev stayed busy with basketball and I became bff's with my sewing machine.
March and April:
- The snow tried to melt.
- We went on a "spring break" day trip with Michael and Margaret to Sawyer, MI for the purpose of eating as much good food as possible. Mission accomplished.
- We also repainted our guest room, good bye old gold, hello pastel purple grey.
May and June:
- The weather started to feel warmer and we go excited for summer at the lake, by kicking it off with family and friends on Memorial day.
- Nate got a smoker and we enjoyed many a good bbq all summer long.
- Trevor celebrated his 26th birthday at the lake on a warm day in June. His family, even his grandparents, came up to help celebrate.
- Trev and I taught summer school for the month of June to fund the next house project, some love in the kitchen.
- We made a trip to Ikea in Bolingbrook to get some "supplies" for this project and ate at an old restaurant called Dell Rhea's Chicken that we highly recommend.
- June brought fun visits from my younger brother Jacob, my best childhood friend Kim, and a wedding for my cousin Jessica.
July:
- This was a month of highs and lows for sure
- A big storm hit before the fourth and knocked down lots of trees in our yard and on houses around ours. It was scary for sure but with the help of friends we got it cleared. Nate was an awesome big brother and came out to rebuild our fence in one evening.
- Trev helped coach at his family's basketball camp and I taught two weeks of art camp.
- We celebrated four years of marriage the best way we know how, authentic wood fire pizza, and kept the food love coming by going to the fair with friends.
- As the month came to a close we began a Michigan west coast tour braking for farmers markets, art museums and anything with cheese.
- On one of the last days in July we watched the sun sink into Lake Michigan sitting by Big Red (Holland's lighthouse) literally shivering at how cold it was as the fog rolled in. Turns out that it was 48 degrees, the coldest temp in the continental 48 that night. We found it quite comical and I bought a necklace in town the next day that makes me remember that foggy, beautiful night.
- This was also the month that Trev started working for the website 9to5Toys.com, words cannot express how great this experience has been for him.
August:
- We continued our west coast is the best coast tour into August. We meet my parents in Grand Rapids where they surprised us with a picnic lunch outside the GRAM complete with lemon pie.
- From there we went to Little Eden in Onekama and literally stayed till hours before school started. Trev surprised me by brining tacos to the family open house night to keep me company.
- Even though the weeks started to fill up with school activities we still found time for friends and the lake making the most of summer.
- The routine of work brought peace after a face pace summer of projects and traveling; Trev got into the grove of school and writting for 9to5 and I got excited to be wearing my apron every day.
September
- As school got crazier we started to say good bye to the sunny weekend at the lake.
- Trev got excited about his job with Toys getting busier and new iPhones of both of us.
- We traveled to Ohio for a baby shower for Lindsey.
- The same day we went to Muncie for a surprise party for Trev's parents 40th anniversary.
- Cooler weather meant for date nights to Mishawakwa and hot cider with donuts.
- Our garden started filling up with potatoes, tomatoes and other harvest goodies.
- We tried a new drive-in with friends and had a fun night hanging out eating burgers and root beer floats.
October
- This month was a month of celebration.
- I celebrated my 26th birthday with a weekend at the lake with my family, a party at school with some of the 5th graders, and of course lots of friend time.
- We celebrated my mom's birthday and had a shower for the future Mrs. Lange.
- We saw family and friends for the GC alumni game.
- Our small group from church carved pumpkins and had a friendsgiving party that we hosted. It was the biggest party we have hosted so far in our house.
- We enjoyed our fall break by going to the apple orchard and doing projects around the house.
- The last week of the month we got the welcome our newest nephew Hudson Thomas.
November
- This was a month full of great family moments starting with Jacob and Reagan's wedding on the 8th.
- Hudson made his first trip to Goshen to visit us and he brought his parents and grandparents with him.
- We traveled to Muncie for Thanksgiving and spent time with Trev's family.
- The same weekend we had a reception for Jacob and Reagan in Ohio.
December
- A whirl wind of events made up our last month of the year.
- We took a weekend trip to Chicago to enjoy the Christmas lights and time with friends.
- My dad come to visit me on the last day of school before break started.
- We spend time traveling to see both of our families.
- Trevor continued our journey for the perfect cup of coffee by buying a coffee syphon.
