2014: Year In Review

I don't know about all of you, but New Year's Eve sure snuck up on us this time! When I first set out to create our 2014 year in review I thought to myself "man, this year was boring!" But after brainstorming with Adam, we were able to come up with quite a few things to throw in. 

I was a bridesmaid in my best friends wedding...

Adam came in first place in a golf outing....

and Lucy attended her first baseball game, Bark in the Park Night at Dow Diamond.

 We ran our first 10K together after training for what felt like forever...

And went to a home football game cheering on our Central Michigan Chippewas!

We finally got to ride a tandem bicycle around Mackinaw Island, something I've wanted to do for years...

And we spent Labor Day walking the Mackinaw Bridge!

To say this year was boring would be a lie. While we may not have had any big life changing events in 2014, we have done some pretty awesome things. It's been a year full of wonderful memories, and I can't wait to see what 2015 will bring (let's hope it involves me finally graduating)!!

Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Want to see reviews from previous years?

      

Scenes From Our Christmas Celebration

Once again, Christmas has come and gone in the blink of an eye. It was a very low key one for us this year, since Adam's work schedule made it almost impossible for us to travel. I can't really complain though, because we've always wanted to just stay home anyways. 

Since we opted out of traveling, we spent the holidays with my family. When Adam got out of work on Christmas Eve, we headed to church and then back to our house for dinner. My parents, brother, and sister joined us. We all drank too many Grinch drinks and played Qwirkle til late.

Although there are no kids in the family yet (everyone is waiting on me), my 23 year old sister still manages to wake us all up early Christmas morning for 7:30am gift opening. This year, we opened gifts at my parent's house, and since we slept at our own house, we got a 7am wake up call with Christmas music blaring into the phone. The rule is that everyone still must arrive in their pajamas. We arrived shortly after 7:30 for gift opening and a delicious Christmas brunch. We returned home to nap and get read for the day before heading back to my parent's for dinner. Once it got late, we went driving around looking at Christmas lights and then called it a night. 

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and was able to spend time with those they love over the holidays. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. And lucky for us, we get to celebrate with the Muszynski family all over again in a few days :)

Officially a Runner!

I think it is finally safe to say, I am officially a runner! 

Almost all my life, I have tried very, very hard to like running. I joined the high school track team my junior year and have struggled with running ever since. I joined for multiple reasons: first of all, it was one of the only high school sports teams I could join without having to try out (I was never very athletic), to get out of gym class (once again... I was never very athletic), to get some new sweats and t-shirts, and the best reason of all, all my friends were doing it. My days on the track team were very unsuccessful, and I can honestly say I never did actually RUN in a track meet. Because I wasn't used to running, my whole body ached. I limped around school for the entire season. I could hardly walk, let alone run. Needless to say, my experience on the track team (or lack thereof) pretty much scarred me for life. 

UNTIL, my junior year of college when I had a roommate that was crazy about running. She would hop on the treadmill at the gym and go 7-8 miles no problem. Her enthusiasm for running got me thinking that I could do it, too. But once again, running was such a struggle for me. I would run two miles and feel like death afterward. I would be sore for days. I tried sooo hard, but just never got the hang of it. Since then, I have been running on and off. I get really into it for about a month, and then I just... QUIT. 

My motto has kind of always been "I try really hard to be a runner."

Well, today I can finally admit that I AM A RUNNER!
For months now, I have been running my little heart out. I found two running plans that I thought would be easy enough to follow: 6 Weeks to Your First 5K and when I finished that, Spark Your Way to a 10K. Honestly, I am shocked that I have kept up with running for so long. I found that having a specific plan to follow has really helped to keep me motivated. Of course it was a struggle at first, but lots of ice in the beginning really helped me get past that 2 mile mark. I can now run 6 MILES... without stopping. 1 mile was alright, 2 miles was hard, 3 miles was even harder, but 4 miles, 5 miles, and 6 miles were not too bad to progress to.

Now if I don't get my scheduled run in, I miss it. But let's not get crazy, I still have those days where I just really don't.want.to.do.it. I focus on how good it will feel at the end, and that's what keeps me going.

Are you a runner, or do you try to be a runner?
What keeps you motivated to complete your workouts?

P.S. Since I am almost done with this running program, I plan to continue running 3-4 days per week. BUT, I am also looking for other workouts to do on the days I don't run. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

32 Things That Make Me Happy

1. Lazy days at home with my husband and puppy.

2. Lucy kisses... and snuggles, and her soft furry ears.

3. Wine

4. Candles- I just bought 5 new ones from B&BW, on top of the collection I have in the closet.

5. Mexican food- any and all of it. Give me some guacamole, chips and salsa, enchiladas, tacos, beans, mexican rice, and best of all... MARGARITAS!

6. Netflix marathons, my current addictions are Gossip Girl and Revolution

7. Getting lost in a good book

8. Boat rides

9. Walking the beach

10. Fabric- all different colors and patterns.

11. Nail polish- specifically bright colors

12. Hobby Lobby- I could spend hours in that store

13. Freshly washed sheets

14. $1 new releases- Family Video has a special going, $1 for five nights.

15. Thunderstorms

16. Sunshine

17. Running- I'm no good at it, but that feeling you get when you are finished... totally worth it.

18. Flowers blooming

19. Organization- I have been cleaning out closets and it feels so good.

20. Weddings

21. The first snowfall of the year

22. Evening walks with my husband and dog

23. Spray paint- it is amazing how quickly it can transform just about anything.

24. Holidays, specifically Christmas and Fourth of July

25. Yoga pants

26. Taco Bell

27. Getting mail

28. Phone calls from far away friends

29. Popcorn on the stove

30. Taking pictures

31. The thought of having a baby- someday, as in a few years from now

32. Blogging- writing posts, making new friends, and gaining new followers

My Best Friend Got Hitched!

A week ago today, my best friend, Jenna, married the man of her dreams!
We made the 8 hour hike from Michigan to Iowa for a fun-filled weekend including the Bachelorette Party, Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner, some pampering, and best of all the WEDDING DAY!

I am preparing some posts next week in honor of her wedding, including bachelorette party planning, a wedding morning playlist, and the beautiful place cards I helped her mom make.

It's been a while since I got married, so I am excited to share some of the details of her big day since I got my start  blogging about my wedding day.

photo credit: Artsmith Photography

Isn't my best friend beautiful!? Isn't her new husband the luckiest man on earth?!

The answer is YES! to both those questions.

I can't believe how far we've come since we became friends in the 5th grade.

My Wedding Day: August 2012

Jenna's Wedding Day: March 2014

I am so happy for Jenna and am so glad I was able to be there for her on her special day. I know for a fact that she will make the best wife and mother around. 

Crochet Love

I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but I learned to crochet over my month long Christmas break. I kept seeing adorable patterns on Pinterest and was determined to learn. I came across a crochet along from Maybe Matilda. While I was a few years late, the material was so easy to understand. If you are interested in learning how to crochet, I highly suggest you check out her blog.

My first project was the beautiful cowl from that crochet along and it is by far one of my favorite winter accessories. 

cowl pattern

My next projects were a headband with a bow and a tweed looking scarf.

bow headband tutorial

hounds tooth scarf pattern

Do you like my scarf model? haha.

Once I mastered the patterns that required me to only crochet straight lines, I decided to move on to something new. I had been admiring some baby hats since before I knew how to crochet, so I decided  to give them a go.

puppy hat

penguin hat

And my most recent project... Coffee Cozy's! You may have seen it in my post last Friday, but if not here it is again.

heart coffee cozy's

I never really thought I'd be any good at crocheting, but I am so glad I got the hang of it. It is so much fun. I am hoping that next year, I can make more hats, headbands, and coffee sleeves to put in my Etsy shop. I am so excited about my new hobby, it is so relaxing and simple enough to do while watching TV. 

Next I think I might try making a big blanket. Go big or go home, right?

Happy Hump Day!

A Photo an Hour

I was so excited when Stephanie from The Southern Mess Blog announced that she would be doing a Photo an Hour Link-Up this past Thursday. Well, silly me, I completely forgot about it. Thursday has come and gone, but better late than never, right?

Sometimes I feel like I don't share enough about my life with you guys on here, I just post craft project after craft project. I'm hoping this will give you a little more insight into my home life, whether you want it or not. Either way, I think this is a great way to show you.

I LOVE taking pictures... of anything really. Instagram is my absolute favorite app and form of social media, so this Photo an Hour is right up my alley! Just like the title says, you simply take one photo every hour for an entire day. Not that I think my life is super entertaining or anything, but I loved getting creative and finding fun ways to document the events of my day (or lack of). Let's get started shall we?

{getting some studying done before Adam wakes up, the only benefit to waking up early on a Saturday}

{Adam rolled out of bed and made blueberry muffins for breakfast}

{time for a workout}

{getting ready for the day, although I'm sure it will be spent at home}

{We are getting hit with a bunch of snow. Lucy doesn't mind one bit, and I actually don't either}

{gourmet grilled cheese for lunch}

{trying to stay warm with a broken furnace}

{saturday is almost always craft day, today I made some paper heart garland}

 {we finally got around to hanging the gallery wall for my new home office}

 {headed to home depot to try to fix he furnace and raided the paint samples. why do i feel guilty taking like 10 of one color? They are free, after all!}

 {Margarita time!}

{my family came over to visit. Dad and Adam worked on the furnace while the ladies played a round of Qwirkle}

Well there you have it, my day in hourly pictures! I hope it didn't completely bore you!
I am thinking of making this a monthly thing on the first of every month,  maybe even make it a monthly link-up. I've never done one of those before. Would anyone be interested?

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