One More Post

I wasn't sure what to call this post because I have so many thoughts running through my head. My posts were few and far between this year, but the ones I wrote counted. I poured everything into those posts and I feel like they're part of me. I can't wait to go back and read them as I contemplate the year ahead.

I usually write a super long post on December 31st, a sort of retrospective of the entire year. I won't do that this year. For one, it's New Year's Eve and my family is waiting for me to get the cheese fondue in the pot so we can dip bread and apples in it and play board games. Also, I've already written about the important things. I can't say much more about them.

This has probably been one of the best years of my life in a long time.

I did the unthinkable and ran a full marathon (and lived to tell the tale!). I was so seduced by the euphoria of completing this task that I'm already signed up for another. This is a journey that has just begun. I can't wait to see where it goes. I'm grateful for a healthy body that allows me to do something so completely insane.

We took the trip of a lifetime when we piled our family into a rented RV and set off for the Grand Canyon. This trip was actually supposed to take place in 2016, but in January I was hit by the realization that time was ticking, nothing was guaranteed and our kids were growing older by the second. I told John we had to do it NOW. The family RV trip had been a dream of his for years, one I'm sure he sometimes thought would never happen. I'm grateful for the bonds that our family formed during the trip and the incredible memories we will have forever.

Our kids are growing. They are healthy. Jack is taller than me now, voted captain of his hockey team, adored by his many cousins and handling the transition to high school well. Ella is just as beautiful as ever, inside and out, plays soccer and does incredible cartwheels and flips on the trampoline. She is still my little girl and holds my hand in public. I'm grateful for the two of them every single day.

I bit the bullet and tried my sister's nutrition program in February. I did it to make her happy, but in the end I became healthier, more energetic and developed a more positive outlook. Something that started as a way to satisfy someone else became a vehicle to change not only myself but others as well. I'm grateful for the chance I've been given to help others and to build my own self confidence and positive mindset.

A few weeks ago I finished putting together a video of our RV trip. In the video some things are seen over and over again, like Jack and Ella always sitting in their same spots in the RV and John and I riding up front, taking turns driving and honking the horn as we crossed state lines. I like to think of that as a microcosm of our lives together: the four of us in a tiny box, moving forward, laughing, bickering, making fun of each other, having the time of our lives. I'm grateful for the life we are living together.

2016 is almost here. I'm more excited about this year than any other. I'm not sure what lies ahead, but I can visualize it and it looks incredible. I'll see you there.