best of 2014

Not being a diary or journal keeper, I always appreciate at the end of a year how having a blog has gotten me to record all sorts of memories and happenings from the past 12 months that I wouldn't otherwise have the chance to look back on. And while I wouldn't want to pretend that there weren't any disappointments, frustrations, and anxieties along the way, it's just kind of nice to look back and see all wonderful things - stuff we did, places we went, meals we ate. I can't help but think - what a year!

Here are some highlights that I wrote about and Instagrammed along the way (funny to see how many of this year's favorites mirror last year's - I guess I'm a girl who knows what she likes!)

Best trip:

• Florida: this was a year with much less travel than the preceding ones, but we made the most of baby's first vacation by spending two whole weeks in Florida in March - one with just the three of us, and one with a whole bunch of my family. It was a great escape from the Ohio cold

Best books:

• The Good Luck of Right Now and The Storied Life of AJ Fikry are the two books I gave 5 stars on Goodreads and they've stuck with me all year. Recommend to all!

• I also couldn't stop thinking about The Secret Place, What Alice Forgot, and All the Light We Cannot See after finishing them - all books that will suck you deep into their world.

Best restaurant meal:

• Boca dinner for our anniversary and 30th birthday celebration (this time at the new location, which is an even better experience than when it topped our 2013 meal list). Other highlights of new-to-us places: Bouquet and Bakersfield.

Best recipe:

• Fish taco bowls: in 2013 I tackled learning to make fish tacos, but in 2014 we discovered the deconstructed bowl version, and it's become one of our go-to recipes that I can whip up really quickly for a super yummy and satisfying dinner (pro tip: stir in plenty of guacamole!) 

• But for sweet things, definitely this cookie pie, discovered for Hendrik's birthday and made (and eaten) many a time since. 

Best Pinterest project:

• Fireplace bench: it doesn't get better than a great combination of form and function - it just looks so cute (I still can't get over how great this fabric is), and it's been amazingly useful as a bumper to protect Hendrik from hitting his head on the bricks - not to mention as a climbing surface for him and a bench for extra seating when we have people over.

• Runners up: tassel garland and painted beads - both were really fun to do, added some nice festiveness to my life, and got lots of use!

Best outfit:

I blogged way more outfits this year than in the past, plus I really felt like I started nailing my personal style, so it was too hard to choose a top outfit from all my favorites. Thus, one (or two) per season:

• Spring: white jeans + graphic tee + utility jacket and floral dress + denim jacket + sneakers

• Summer: striped dress + denim jacket, not groundbreaking by any means, but my most worn combination of the year - so simple, but it worked for all kinds of occasions and I felt great in it!

• Fall: distressed jeans + graphic sweater + blazer and sweatshirt dress + denim jacket + ankle boots

• Winter: plaid scarf two ways

Big achievements

• Finished my third half marathon with a PR of 1:34:59 (and then was injured a lot, boo)

• Created and successfully remixed the heck out of a fall capsule wardrobe.

• Planned and made it through a master bathroom renovation.

• Read 44 books.

• For Hendrik: learned to... sleep through the night, roll over, sit up, crawl, say his first words, eat solid foods, pull up, drink from a sippy cup, stack blocks, and so much more. A baby's first year is busy (all his monthly updates with favorites, firsts, and adorable photos are here)

Big events/happenings
In 2014, we:

• Entered the last year of residency, and our final year in Cincinnati, and completed almost half of a list of 30 things to do before leaving on June 30. 

• Turned 30! And celebrated with a cupcake pairing party and lots of other fun stuff.

• Celebrated Hendrik's first birthday with a cutie pie party

• Celebrated our 8th anniversary with another Boca dinner.

• Got a blog makeover!

The cliche "the days are long, but the years are short" has always felt true while Peter's been in residency (those workdays really are long), but with a child in the picture?! In 2014 somehow all of a sudden I went from having an infant I still had to get up to nurse during the night, to a toddler who eats more lasagna in one sitting than I do.

Despite all the 5pm whiny hours that will drag on, I'm sure I'll be back here at the end of 2015 saying the same thing... so here's to spending some time this year heeding the advice of that other cliche everyone pulls out when you have a kid: "enjoy it, because it goes so fast!"