Hello, hello!
I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas. I sure did. I celebrated the holiday with my extended family on Christmas Eve, which was fun and enjoyable. Then, Christmas Day was spent with my nuclear family. My mom and I opened presents in the morning (I was totally spoiled with a new pair of TOMs, a set of essential oils, a new Vera Bradley purse, a pair of flats, and Google Chromecast), and then my brother and his family came over in the afternoon to open more presents and have dinner together. I ended my day with Chinese takeout and watching a movie with my boyfriend so, all in all, pretty splendid day.
This week, I’m going to be looking back on 2014 with a few “best of…” posts. I do this every year, and it’s one of my favorite things to do. Today, I wanted to talk about the ten best moments from 2014.
One. Taking my sixth cruise.
In May, I went on my sixth cruise (and my fifth one with my mom!) We sailed on the Carnival Liberty, stopping in Key West and two islands in the Bahamas. It was a much more low-key cruise for us than normal. We did a pub crawl in Key West (highly recommend!) and then just relaxed by the beach while in the Bahamas. It was a fun vacation and I think it’s time I start thinking about where I’ll be cruising for my seventh cruise. 🙂
Two. Meeting some of my favorite bloggers.
This year, I was able to meet three bloggers-turned-friends: Lisa, Jessica, and Nora. Lisa and I met up for a quick coffee date as she passed through Tampa on her way to a work conference, Jessica and I met up for drinks while she was in Tampa for her work conference, and then I traveled to Orlando to spend an afternoon with Nora (and her husband!) while she was in the area for a vacation. It was so nice to see all three of them, especially after reading their blogs for such a long time! They are gems, and I wish I lived closer to each of them.
Three. Traveling to Savannah
At the end of November, my mom and I took a road trip to Savannah for my birthday weekend. And it was such an amazing trip. I loved everything about Savannah: the history, the beauty, the food, the people. I would go back in a heartbeat. It’s such a gorgeous city and there is so much to do and see. I highly recommend visiting!
Four. Developing stronger relationships with my coworkers.
This year saw an explosion of growth for my company, so much so that we had to increase our office space. When I started the job in August of 2013, I was the only girl in my part of the office. Thankfully, the boys I was seated near were awesome and fun to be around, but I wanted some girl coworkers! And my wish was granted, as I’m now seated in a new part of the office and I am surrounded by females. We chit-chat throughout the day, and one of my coworkers has even become a super close friend to me (and she pushes me to get out more and do things, which I so need!) I loved my job before, but I love it even more now that I consider many of my coworkers’ good friends.
Five. Going to my first Miami Dolphins game.
In August, my mom and I were graciously gifted free tickets to one of the Bucs’ preseason home games, and they played none other than my beloved Miami Dolphins. I’ve never been to a Dolphins game before, so it was special and fun and exciting. We had amazing seats (near the 50-yard line!), the Dolphins won, and it was so neat to see my boys in person. Now to get myself to a Dolphins home game!
Six. Participating in Run or Dye 5K
My mom corralled me into this race, even though I didn’t really want to do it. This race happened in March, and I hadn’t been running much (or at all), so I wasn’t looking forward to it. I was hoping it would be fun, but I put way too much pressure on myself so I spent the entire days leading up to the race worrying about my performance. Thankfully, it was super fun! The race was filled with people of all ages, and I loved getting dye thrown on me as I ran through the different stations. I’d gladly do this race again!
Seven. Finding out I’m going to be an aunt again!
In July, my brother and sister-in-law revealed that she was pregnant, which was the most pleasant of surprises to find out! I honestly did not think she would have another child because they seemed so satisfied with their family of three. Then, in October, we found out she was having another boy! A second nephew! I can’t wait to welcome this little bundle of joy in early 2015.
Eight. Taking a photo every day.
On January 1, I started Project 365, taking a photo every day in 2014. It’s been a long journey and is not as easy as it may seem. Probably because, sometimes, my life is just boring. I wake up, go to work, come home, make dinner, watch TV, and go to bed. And there’s nothing very interesting to document. (Which is when I resort to pictures of Dutch. Because why not?) But I’m happy I saw this project through to the end. And I’ll be very happy to just take a photo when I feel like it in 2015.
Nine. Paying off my credit cards.
In early 2014, I paid off my credit cards and it was such an intensely awesome experience. It feels so good to not have those credit card bills looming over my head. I ended up using my credit cards throughout the year, but would always pay off the balance in full the next month. Next up: tackling those darn school loans.
Ten. Meeting Alex.
Meeting Alex has been the most wonderful way to end this year. It’s been a whirlwind, and he just makes me so ridiculously happy. I feel comfortable with him, and it’s not easy for me to feel comfortable with people. It takes me a long time to warm up to people, but it’s been so different with him. It’s just easy. He makes me feel good, and I’m just so excited for the future with him.
What were some of the best moments of your 2014?
You really had a fun filled and exciting year! It seems like you really have learned to put yourself out there a bit more this year. I know that having a coworker who pushes you can be a big help!! Without most of my friends (who have taken a long time to build up) I would probably stay at home and read most of the time! It’s nice to be able to find a balance.
My best 2014 moments were probably: getting a new (and great) job, therefore meeting some great new people (coworkers), really improving my ultra running skills (and distances) and meeting some new running friends as well and traveling to several different places.
YAY! I loved this post already and then I was even more excited to see our picture up there! Meeting you was such a highlight of my year too. It’s so fun to see blog relationships turn into real friendships, especially in our case.
I’m also so happy to see you had such an amazing year. Between traveling, growing at work and meeting Alex, there were so many high points and accomplishments for you.
I can’t wait to see what 2015 brings!
xox
The best moment for me, of course, was finding out that I’m pregnant. Yay! And I’m going to be SO glad to finish my Project 365 as well. Thank goodness for my kid and dogs, because I’d probably struggle a lot more just like you!
I’m so glad you had such a stellar year! I live vicariously through other bloggers, and you certainly had a lot of fun! Your posts are always so great to read – I can’t wait to see what 2015 brings for you! 😀
You had such an awesome year and I am so thrilled for you! So many amazing things happened and I’m sure 2015 will be even better. I seriously cannot wait to cruise again ever since our honeymoon. I am always envious of my grandma who lives in Florida since a lot of cruises depart frof there. I don’t have any near me so we will have to fly to Florida every time… which isn’t a bad thing except for the ticket prices! Can’t wait to hear where you will go on your next cruise!
So happy you met a nice guy that you’re comfortable around. That’s the most important thing.
And yay for paying off credit cards! That’s always a huge relief. I just started paying back my student loans too. Totally sucks but I feel good about making progress, even if it is small. I’m doing the income based plan which is 25 years… one year down, 24 to go. 😉
So happy for you Steph! You had such a wonderful year, and ending it with a new, exciting relationship is pretty amazing. Good for you 🙂 Wishing you nothing the best going into 2015 <3
Wow, Stephanie! You’ve had such an amazing year! And it sounds like your year had a pretty great ending, too. So happy for you! <3
Gosh, it’s been forever since I left a comment on your blog and what a great way to ease back into commenting by reading your recap! Your sound very content and happy and you can be very proud of yourself for all that you have accomplished in the last year. The last paragraph makes me insanely happy for you, especially since I didn’t know there was somebody else in your life! 🙂
The best moments for me in 2014 were meeting up with my husband in Afghanistan, which was mid-deployment for him and the beginning of my deployment for me, and ending 2014 knowing that I will be home in 1.5 months!
You did so many wonderful things this year! And did you just drop the “b” word? I had no idea that you were seeing someone – how exciting!
Big congrats on paying off your credit cards. I know just how good that feels and I’m glad you get to experience the joy of having that weight off your shoulders.
Wow, this really was an amazing year for you! I am glad that it held so many highs for you – especially that last one! I know you’ve been waiting to meet someone that you click with for so long so I am so happy that you are so happy! Reading this also reminds me that I need to add paying off my grad school loans to the list of highlights from 2014!
LOVE this recap! And what a great year of travels for you!
I think some of my best moments include little silly moments with Ben, FINALLY moving out of a one-bedroom apartment, and seeing this baby boy growing right along!
I love the way you’ve documented 2014 with ten fun moments. I might have to do the same as I don’t want to do a month-by-month recap style post as I do that around my birthday every year. Overall it sure sounds like 2014 was an amazing year for you!!
So many fantastic things in 2014! I really think this has been a year of growth and positivity and GOOD THINGS for you and that makes me incredibly happy! You’ve really stepped out of your comfort zone and tried new things and look at how many wonderful memories you have as a result! Proud of you, lady 🙂
I’d say some of my best 2014 moments had to do with pushing myself to do things I never thought possible. Running so many long distance races wasn’t my plan at the beginning of the year but I surpassed my goal of 2 half marathons and ran 4 half marathons, 1 20k and 1 full marathon. I still can’t believe it was actually me that ran all those races, ha!
This recap of yours is my favorite year end post of yours and I’ve read a FEW NOW. HELLO WE’VE BEEN READING EACH OTHER FOR YEARS NOW.
That was such a fun post to read, Stephany! I am so happy about your year… so many things to be thankful for and happy about!
I especially like number 10…. such a good ending to 2014! 😉