2013—like every year—had its fair share of ups and downs. Despite being challenging for me while I navigated my “third-life crisis” and last full year as a twenty-something, 2013 was full of some pretty amazing experiences, too.
I’d originally written (and planned to publish) a more contemplative post for today—one full of self-reflection and goals for the next 365 days. But since I’m not a big fan of making specific resolutions (a majority of them are forgotten and broken within weeks) and want to live this next year and the many that (hopefully) follow with one simple concept—gratitude—in mind, I thought I’d share some highlights of the previous year before we bid it farewell.
After recovering from the flu over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, January didn’t begin on the healthiest of notes. I did, however, set some real fitness goals by jumping—literally!—back into my gymnastics class and training for a 5K. Even though the gymnastics class fizzled out after a few months and I haven’t been on any serious runs since early summer, I have maintained that healthy mindset by exercising regularly. We also officially entered another favorite part of the year: Carnival season.
February was easily one of my favorite months since we celebrated my 29th birthday with a trip to New Orleans for Endymion, Clearwater to visit Mark’s grandma and uncle, and Orlando to meet our good friends at Disney World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Since I’ve only been to Disney one other time when I was just 3 years old, it was like visiting for the first time. We had an absolute blast—and I can’t wait to go back one day!
I officially became a runner in March when I ran my first race at the Azalea Trail Run—even if it was just an untimed 2K for fun. I also devoted more time to the blog by posting quite a few recipes and trying to improve my photography skills.
In April, Mark and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary by exchanging homemade gifts and dining out at NoJa. Time flies when you’re having fun. 🙂 We celebrated a beautiful Easter with my in-laws, and Mark and I (mostly) ran our first 5K—Color Me Rad. With a trip to French Quarter Fest and The Music of Queen symphony, April was quite the “month of culture.”
I made one of the best decisions of the year in May: signing up for Bikram yoga classes! I’m not even sure what led me to purchase the 30-day intro package, but I’m glad I took the plunge. We also enjoyed a relaxing Memorial Day in Biloxi.
June was a pretty sleepy summer month. We did visit my in-laws in their new abode and celebrate Iggy’s 5th birthday (please allow me this unreasonable devotion to my dog since we don’t have children!).
In July we celebrated the 4th in Mississippi with Mark’s parents, and I made a new toothy friend who kept me entertained much of the summer. 😉 We also enjoyed a weekend trip to New Orleans, where I ate one of the best meals of my life at Clancy’s.
In August, I reached my 1-year blog-iversary, celebrated Mark’s 29th birthday, and enjoyed Beer Fest. I also made a life-changing (just kidding) decision by getting my first (and probably only) tattoo! (Dear parents—sorry to disappoint you, but if you haven’t noticed it by now, you’re blind!)
September began with a lovely Labor Day trip to the beach and ended with a New Orleans trip to visit Abita Brewery and meet Baby Lleyton, Mark’s godson and first child of our two good friends. (Go figure, it was the first time I actually held an infant—and I didn’t accidentally squish him!)
We entered October prepping for Tropical Storm Karen (which turned out to be the lamest “storm” ever) and ended the month on an awesome note with our weekend extravaganza in New Orleans to see Book of Mormon at the newly-opened and renovated Saenger Theatre, visit some friends at Oktoberfest, and watch the Saints clobber the Bills in the Superdome. It couldn’t have been a more perfect weekend!
In November, things were pretty quiet, but I did join some freelance websites in an effort to start writing—and hopefully selling—articles. We also celebrated a quiet and lovely Thanksgiving with my parents and my in-laws.
And here we are at the end of December. With a broken car and computer, we tried to make the best of the season (because it’s all about people rather than things!) by enjoying holiday concerts, parades, parties, and one of our favorite traditions, the lights at Bellingrath Gardens. Thankfully, we avoided any illness this Christmas and had a beautiful few days with family before heading back to work.
I always find the New Year to be bittersweet, but I’m anxious to see and experience the great things 2014 has in store. I wish you all a safe and happy evening—and I’ll see you next year! 🙂
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