The Best of 2013 ~ Recap
January ~ We started the New Year off with The Band Perry and Rascal Flatts concert in Moline. The hubs and I both love country music, so this was a fun trip to see Mom and Dad as well as enjoy some good music. The pups were still learning to get along at this point. January marked month number 2 of having 2 dogs running around the house! January also held plenty of DIY projects, snow, the kick-off of our "honeymoon clean eating plan," plenty of dog shaming, and date nights.
February ~ Near the beginning of the month, we went to Brad's boss' work party at a UNI basketball game. That was first for both of us and we enjoyed seeing the UNI traditions. This month also gave us some awesome dog shaming as well as our 3rd Annual Super Bowl Party. I/We love to throw a party and being new to town did not stop us this year. February also held the "infamous" Allen Jackson concert where we made some hilarious memories and inside jokes with friends we love dearly. February is the biggest birthday month including: my mom, Brad's mom, Beth, and Brad, cousin Amy, and cousin Justin. Whew! We drove down to Fairfield for the Bishop Family Birthday Weekend at the end of the month and then the hubs and I celebrated his birthday later that week on the 27th! Lucky man, he got a brand spankin' new snow blower and a DeWalt stand for his new miter saw.
March ~ March flew by, but we welcomed it with visiting my friend Krista's new baby girl, Kamryn - precious! We also hosted a St. Patrick's Day party, I flew to Charleston for my bff's Bachelorette weekend, and we celebrated our friend Ryan's birthday at the end of the month with a huge group of friends. Never a dull moment!
April ~ April was definitely one of our favorite months of the year. April started out with a visit from my Mom and Dad. It was so nice to have them here so that 1) I could see them! and 2) so that they could see our house and our new town. April also held our friend Tami's birthday celebration...like I said, never a dull moment with that group! Our favorite part of April? our Honeymoon to HAWAII!! Amazing! We were able to see 3 different islands, pretty much do everything on our bucket list for Hawaii, and attend my bff's wedding in Maui. Best. trip. ever.
May ~ After being in Hawaii, it's a little hard to come back to Iowa and watch it SNOW on May 5th. Yes, snow. It still blows my mind. Have no fear, this was again a busy month! I started out being interviewed and photographed at school by the Courier for the ESL program. A few days later, Beth and Gene came up to CF to run in the Furry 5K with us and all 4 pups! May also held Mother's Day, Prom (from our Dance Classes), my friend Tami and I ran a Mud Run, and at the end of the month we took a trip to Nashville with our friends Kate and Ryan! Now that was an awesome trip! Last but not least, we celebrated Matt's birthday at the end of May. My sister's birthday is also in May, but unfortunately I had to tell her Happy Birthday over the phone. Such is life.
June ~ June slowed down, just a smidge. I worked (for the first time in about 4 years) during the summer at the Grassley Group with my sis-in-law. This actually turned out okay because Beth and I ended up talking (chatting) non-stop just about all day every day from February when I started until my last day in July. Good thing I love my sis-in-law so much! June also brought us some more classic dog shaming - thanks pups, as well as our 3 day trip to Country Fest with our friends Kate & Ryan and Jeff & Tami. It's been decided that this needs to be a yearly trip. So. much. fun!
July ~ We started out July by hosting another party, July 4th! Like I said, I'll use any excuse to host a party! Especially a themed party. Love it. We had a bunch of friends over to grill out, eat goodies, play bags, and have a few cold ones. The next weekend, the hubs and I took a weekend trip down to Des Moines to see the city and so that I could run in the Color Run with some friends! July also held plenty of hot date nights for us, as well as a weekend trip down to the Quad Cities to hang out with the Rents, and then the next weekend to run in the Bix-7 with Beth & Gene! I loved that race and I think I will try to run it next year as well. Baby D will be about 2 1/2 months old, so I should be good to go by then...maybe?!
August ~ August is by far my favorite month of 2013. We started out in Connecticut visiting my mom's side of the family. I love them. August also brought the start of a new school year. I started out my first year in second grade at my new school in CF and I have loved every minute of it. August 18th was our One Year Anniversary and just so happened to be the weekend that we found out that we were pregnant!! See? Best month of all. We found out we were pregnant on a Friday, left for our Anniversary weekend on Saturday, and spent the rest of the month thanking God for His wonderful gift. August is my birthday month, so that's pretty fun too! Although the news of our Baby was the best news we got, it was also really scary there for a while. My Dr. said I would be high risk for a while because I lacked body fat and hormones. So no working out and I had to take extra hormones to keep the pregnancy. Talk about worry, fear, and leaning on God as much as I could each day.
September ~ September started slowing down a bit, but not before my cousin Jeremiah, his wife Amy, and their 2 year old son Griffin came to visit us! It was so much fun to have them here and we actually spilled the beans about out news while they were here! September also held the Rominger Family reunion, which we ended up not staying at for very long, seeing as how I was so sick I could hardly stand or sit or pretend I felt okay. September also brought Oktoberfest in CF, which we went to and I very carefully hid the fact that I was prego. Whew! September was also the month that we had our 8 week appointment and got to see our Lil' Bit for the first time!! He was so itty bitty back then. Sweet Baby. Things looked good, but we weren't out of the scary part yet. 4 weeks to go.
October ~ October was a good month for several reasons. We took our Baby Announcement photos with Stricker Photography at the beginning of the month and I absolutely love them! We also booked her immediately for her full Newborn photos package. Love! The hubs built me some awesome shoe shelves in our closet, we went to Galena with the Fam to enjoy the Craft Fair there, and we actually went to an Iowa football game (weird, I know!). October was especially fabulous because we had our 12 week appointment, were told that everything looked great, had another ultrasound with sonogram pictures, and were able to announce to our family that weekend!! Finally, our news was out!
November ~ November flew by even though we weren't as busy. This was the month my morning sickness finally went away (at 14 weeks). I was able to fully start enjoying every part of being pregnant! I had Parent/Teacher Conferences, took a photo with all 7 of us pregos at school, and we traveled down to South Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with my Family. The best part? We found out at our 16 week appointment that we were having a Baby BOY!! *squeal*!! We had to keep it a secret that we found out early so that we could surprise my Family in person. Finally! Something that we got to share with my Family in person. Made my heart so happy.
December ~ Last, but not least, this month has been the busiest of all. Brad went hunting and shot 2 deer, we got our Christmas photos from our awesome photographer sister-in-law Karen, we celebrated our 3 year dating and 2 year engagement anniversary on the 10th, hosted a Christmas party for Brad's employees, celebrated our nephew Jackson's One Year Birthday party in the Quad Cities, and hosted our Gender Reveal party (bets party of the year!). The end of the month started out with the Bishop Family Christmas - now that was an exciting and fun day! Later that week, we were off to Fairfield to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas Day. And lastly, the day after Christmas the hubs and I headed to Chicago for our first mini Babymoon! What a month!!
What. A. Year. Although this year, like every year, had it's ups and downs I wouldn't change a second if it. Our year was busy and wonderful, but was by no means perfect. We struggle with the same things that all people struggle with - married life, finances, job stress, stupid drama, etc. Worst of all, we experienced having trouble getting pregnant. At least our struggle only lasted about 6 months, but it was not easy. See...we definitely don't have a perfect life and I would never pretend that we do. However, we could not have made it through those months and our first trimester without the grace and strength of God. We give all the glory to God and thank Him every day for the blessings He has given us throughout the whole year. God is God. and God is always good. Always.
So, I have to thank our Lord and Savior for the year we've had. It's been perfect in my eyes and I have learned to trust God more than ever. I love my husband more and more each day and I can't wait for the busy and exciting events that 2014 promises!!
Happy New Year y'all! and may 2014 be filled with many more beautiful memories!
