2018; Or, the one with all the animals

I know this may find many of you in the haze of the morning after the revelry of New Year's Eve. In whatever state you're finding this, I'm glad to have you. Before moving on to all the possibilities ahead of us in 2019, I wanted to take a look back at some of my favorite moments from 2018. I tried to narrow the list, but there were a lot of good moments in the last 12 months.

The first week of 2018, Ryan and I committed to a lifetime of loving each other, oh, and making faces at one another in public. Our honeymoon in Rome, Italy was amazing. We couldn't have asked for a better way to start the year or our life together than exploring such a beautiful, historic city. While exploring the city one day we stumbled across an advertisement for a day-trip to Pompeii, the city that was swallowed by volcanic ash and brilliantly preserved. That was one of my favorite days spent across the pond because I've always been fascinated by the story of this city. What we weren't prepared for was seeing this amazing piece of history in a steady drizzle of rain without an umbrella or rain jacket.

Working at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as an intern was one of the most rewarding experiences. For the first several months of my internship I lived in a state of shock that I worked, even briefly, at the premiere hospital for research on childhood cancers and catastrophic diseases. Plus, it was just really neat to tell people I worked there. I worked primarily with the volunteers who keep the place running and keep smiles on the faces of all the children who find themselves here. It was amazing to work so closely with the people who take time out of their lives to provide for the needs of patients and families. Not only did I get to work with the most amazing co-workers, bosses, and volunteers, I also got to witness some of the magic firsthand.

Shortly after beginning at St. Jude, Ryan and I began toying with the idea of adopting a cat, which meant from the moment the idea was spoken between us Ryan started searching for our cat. We wanted to find a kitten that needed a home. Instead, we found two, slightly older kittens at 9 months old. Meet Custard and Pumpkin.

The only times they're still enough to take a good photo are when they're asleep. They're both very sweet cats, and we're so glad we adopted them into the family. It was great, until we saw the bill from their first visit to the vet.

One evening after I left work at St. Jude, I noticed my car pulled a little as I drove. The next thing I knew, I heard a loud noise and my car was moving all over the place on a busy interstate, at night, in the rain. Thankfully, there were no cars directly around me. As soon as I got the car pulled over to the shoulder I called Ryan to tell him what happened. Without hesitation he pulled on shoes, asked where I was parked, and came to put on my spare on the dark shoulder of the interstate. It scared me to death driving home on a donut, but we did make it home in one piece. This photo is after the excitement ended and we both got home safely.

In 2018, February, I think, I decided to commit to and finish an 80 day fitness challenge, that tested my perseverance, as well as my muscles, who have never had such a test. In May, I took a leap out of my comfort zone and created this blog, which has been a wonderful outlet for me. I had the immense pleasure of seeing my younger brother graduate from high school and begin his first semester of college. He was the last one to graduate, which, I'll admit is hard to believe. His growing up just means my older brother and I are getting old.

We planted our garden full of seeds we hoped would sprout under our unpracticed hands, and found that a surprise was waiting for us buried not so deep under the surface. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just go read my blog post Gardening, or Digging up Daisies. It was great fun seeing our internet cable cut right in front of us and getting a new one laid in the wrong place in the yard. Nice job, Comcast.

My mother spent an afternoon with me in my kitchen walking me through how to make her homemade biscuits. The recipe is one her mother used for them as kids and is the one my mother used for us. They're actually very easy to make, but if I told you the secret ingredient.... I'd have to kill you. So, if you'd like a taste of these amazing little things I'd be happy to whip up a batch.

In June, Ryan and I took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina where we fell in love with the mountains and low humidity. I'm not joking. We asked a local if the weather was normal for that time of year and they told us the humidity was a little higher than normal. It was 35. It felt amazing. We could literally walk out the door without a drop of sweat appearing anywhere on our body. After such an incredible trip, we seriously considered packing up and moving there, but God had other plans for us.

We spent a good amount of time in their downtown area, which is surprisingly smaller than I would have thought. Strolling down the sidewalks, peering through the windows of stores, and of course, stopping in a chocolate shop, we allowed ourselves to dream of what it would be like to live in a place where the highest humidity they experience is 35. I'm still dreaming about that, reader. I'll be dreaming about that humidity until the day I die.

As if seeing the vet bill for our two cats wasn't high enough, Ryan and I took it one step further and adopted a Pit Mix puppy, who we named Oreo. He has one big black spot right on his behind and smaller, faded black spots running up his back and on his ears. He actually looks like he's wearing eyeliner if you look closely at one eye! He is such a sweetheart, and as you can see from some of these photos of him, he thinks he can sit on us just like a cat.

Ryan and I are so thankful for the year we've had together, with family and friends, and with our beloved kitties and puppy. We are delighted to have watched some of our favorite people become parents only a couple of days ago, and to see our niece celebrate her first birthday. I'm thankful for the courage God has given me over this year to pursue some lofty goals. Friends, I'm also thankful for you. Thank you for spending your valuable time reading my blogs and for spreading the word. Hear's to a great year!