Wednesday, January 1, 2014

2013: Year in Review

I have decided to give this blog a kick start and start blogging again.  Instagram and Facebook are so much easier but I am seriously contemplating deleting my Facebook.  I feel like all it does is bring me down yet it is like a train wreck- it keeps sucking me in.  I love Instagram and am actually going to attempt something that a blogger named Shay did- I want to take a photograph everyday and document it.  I want to do this for a number of reasons but mostly because I can look back and remind myself how lucky I am to be living the life I am living.  So many times, I get all down on myself- "woah is me" attitude- and I need to step back and reflect and thank God for what I do have.

Another reason I want to do a photo a day is so that I can look back on New Year's Eve 2014 and relive all the things that happened in 2014.  For now, I am going to have to rely on my Facebook posts.  So, here you go- my 2013 in review:

January:
We got snow and ice!  The power went out so the kids and I camped out in the living room by the fire.  Chad was out of town.  There is a reoccurrence around here that something always happens when Chad is out of town; however, when I was at girls weekend, the washer went out on Chad and he and the kids bought another one.  I, surprisingly, was satisfied with what they picked out in my absence.  That washer gets a lot of work around here!





February:
Stacey and I ran half marathon number 3 in Myrtle Beach.  It was a huge 8 minute PR for me.  We left the sunny but chilly weather in Myrtle Beach and drove through snow to Charlotte and spent two days at IKEA.  I think I heard angels sing when I pulled up!  I love that store!  That was such a memorable weekend!  I always enjoy time with my Stacey, running, eating, and shopping!  Carson started practicing with the travel baseball team , the Rebels, in February.  Much more talk on that in a minute!





March:
Baseball season started in March for Carson.  This team he played on was a travel team so we had ballgame after ballgame after ballgame but I loved it.  He wore (and will continue to wear) #15 in honor of his friend Sam.  At our house, there is no other number!  Also in March, I celebrated my one year anniversary of being unemployed.  I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that I don't have a job outside the home to go to everyday.





April:
We celebrated Spring Break in Nashville and Knoxville, at baseball tournaments, and at a college baseball game.  At some point during April, Carson's baseball team won their first tournament (thanks to some rain).  He also got to play catcher for the first time and loved it.    It was also in April that the Boston Marathon Bombing occurred.  Absolutely surreal experience to see those images on TV knowing that I was standing right there two years prior.
Caylee and Flat Caylee had a blast in Nashville! 




May:
Oh the month of May....  It is already crazy busy with end of year activities, baseball, and dance activities but we didn't have enough excitement in our lives and sent both of the kids to the ER within forty eight hours of one another.  Carson fell off the trampoline and received six stitches in the back of his head.  Two days later, while taking batting practice outside, Carson slings the baseball bat and hits Caylee in the forehead and she had to be glued together.  This happened on her recital day of all days!  Also in May, Carson and Chad went to Pigeon Forge for Carson's baseball tourney and us girls joined them after recital.  A couple of days later, we were beach bound with Nana and Papaw.








June:
We celebrated Carson all month long!  A highlight this month was taking Carson to Knoxville for a weeklong baseball camp at UT.  We were there for four days and I think I consumed about eight icees from Weigel's!  HA!  We also kept playing baseball and Chad ran in a three day stage race in Chattanooga.  Oh, I almost forgot- we traded in the Tahoe and got a Jeep Grand Cherokee this month too.  I love my new ride!
 My boys jumped on the icee bandwagon too!






Oh, I forgot- Caylee played tee ball!  How could I forget that?  I was on the baseball field EVERY DAY for thirty five straight days.  I think inhaling the dust must have affected my brain cells! 

July:
July was all about Caylee Rose, Fun Fest, swimming, and the Fourth of July that didn't happen!  Caylee turned six and had a pool party with friends.  I love her little set of friends!  We drove down to Georgia to hang with the Hamptons but all the activities were cancelled due to rain.  We still had a blast though.  The kids swam in the rain, we went to the movies, cooked out, and even had an ice cream sundae designing contest.  I love my Georgia family!






Oh look, another icee!
August:
It's back to school this month!  Caylee got Carson's teacher and we, of course, were thrilled.  Third grade has been a challenge for Carson but he has accepted the challenge and is doing great.  We are in  common core standards now and the third grade year is big anyway and coupled with new standards does make for some nights with tears.  Through it all, he has only made one B on his report card and everything else is As!  Also in August, we bid farewell to the Rebels baseball team and started playing for the Indians.  Finally- right colors AND right number on Carson's back!






September:
We wrapped up fall baseball this month and began Nutcracker rehearsals.  I don't think I have had a Saturday free since before school started until Christmas break (and when I was free, I ended up getting the stomach bug).  Carson also did his water boy gig again and we enjoyed watching Sam play on Friday nights at J Fred (and even took in a couple of away games!).
 Carson got his first black eye playing baseball!  Aaron Quillen was so proud!  Picture day was five days later!
Carson and Sammy!  This kid has carved a special place in my heart!
October:
October...  oh my, what a month....  I went to see LUKE BRYAN and was close enough to touch him. This was definitely the highlight of my year.  Everything else about that month was a blur but I think it involved Nutcracker rehearsals and more DB football!


November:
November brought more Nutcracker rehearsals.  It was really a busy month but I don't have many pictures to document it.  We celebrated Thanksgiving and I went shopping Black Friday.

December;
Stacey and I were en route to Memphis to run the St. Jude half marathon but stopped in Nashville due to potential ice storms in Memphis and we ended up staying and having fun in Nashville.  They cancelled the race so we shopped, ate, and shopped some more.  We walked around Opryland Hotel and it was glorious!  Chad, Caylee, and I also danced in the Nutcracker in the party scene.  Sam graciously stepped up and danced with us for half of the shows because Chad had to work and had to go out of town for a race.  The final night of Nutcracker, Caylee got the flu, I got the stomach bug the weekend before Christmas but all was well by Christmas Eve.  We rang in the New Year at Speedway in Lights and Mellow Mushroom and was in bed by 10PM.









Whew- I did it!  I recapped all twelve months!  I HOPE to do a photo a day over on Instagram.  You can find me and follow me there- I am tinatnvol.

Here's to 2014!

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