Is it really the last day of 2018? I know I sound like a broken record, but I can’t believe the year is about over. It’s been so crazy in our lives (I wonder why!) and it’s unreal how fast this year went. We’ve been working, raising our baby boy, and honestly jut keeping our heads above water this year. But despite that, it’s been an incredible year. I feel so lucky that our family grew by one and that our hearts grew exponentially.  I’m so excited to see what 2019 has in store for us. I know things will just keep getting better and better!

I want to share two things in this blog post – as a way to remember all of the things that 2018 brought that made me grateful and as a way to see how I and our family can make 2019 even better. I challenge you to do the same! It’s amazing how good it feels to be grateful and set a few goals!

Obviously the most exciting thing about 2018 happened at 11:31pm on January 19^th, when our sweet baby boy was born. David, you are, without a doubt, the best thing about this year for us.  Here’s a few other wonderful things that happened this year:

• I left my day job at Fort Belvoir as a research assistant to work full-time on my business. Although I miss the Service Members I worked with EVERY SINGLE DAY, I don’t miss the way my job was making me feel emotionally.
• My business turned THREE this winter and the past 9 months have been crazy but being my own boss is truly incredible.
• I performed in the pits for one of my dream shows, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” with rehearsals starting just 3 weeks after David was born. The show ran for 9 weeks and I performed roughly half of the shows. I still missing hearing the bells of Notre Dame 5 times a week.
• We traveled to Ohio, Charlotte, Williamsburg, the Outer Banks, and Georgia with our son. He’s turning into a great little traveler!
• Ryan is halfway done with his fourth year at Rippon and has been working hard in his leadership positions at school.
• David and I have made it 11 months in our breastfeeding journey together and learned how to handle his food allergies and intolerances gracefully (for the most part).
• We worked to start reducing clutter – both mentally and physically.
• I started taking my health back and working on being more fit. It’s hard but I’m trying to make sure my physical and mental health is a priority.

It may not have been the most exciting year in some people’s eyes but watching our son grow – learn to walk, “read” his books, sing and paly with us has been the greatest adventure. We are so thankful for the joys 2018 has brought us.

2019 is going to be an amazing year. We will be celebrating David’s first birthday in just a few weeks and taking a wonderful family vacation in the summer. We’ve got great plans and are working hard every day to make our dreams a reality. Personally and professionally, I’ve got a few goals for 2019!

• Be more intentional with my time as a working mom. Learn to set better boundaries about time off and office hours so I can focus on work when I work and being a mom when David is with me as much as possible.
• Continue to put my health first and make it a priority to workout 5 of 7 days a week, as well as making my food healthier.
• Making more time for family days – day trips, family nights, movies and pizza at home. Spending the time with those who matter most should be one of my highest priorities.
• Taking the time to invest in my self-care a few times each month. I may be a working mom, but I have to remember to take care of myself too.
• Developing an education side of my business.
• Work on our home’s finances and be committed to saving more money and working towards becoming debt-free.
• Baking each pie in my “Sugar, Flour, Butter” Waitress recipe book.
• Blogging consistently again.

2019 will be a year of growth for our family. New journeys, more time together, watching David become a little young man. I feel so lucky to have our amazing family and friends with us for the ride and look forward to creating so many memories with all of you too!

Here’s to 2019! May your year be filled with joy, happiness, and lots of love.

Photos thanks to Stephanie Tignor Photography!

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