My Favorite Moments of 2015
I've always loved the idea of sending out Christmas cards that include family updates from the previous year. I don't know how to do it without feeling like a humble bragger because, seriously, who lists anything but the highlights? Still, I love to receive them so I thought I'd share some of our family's favorite moments from 2015 on the blog today. And what an amazing year it has been!
January:
Pierce moved up with his middle school boys from Transit to Inside Out, the high school ministry at our church, and I started leading again, too. It will be a year next month since I met our wonderful girls and, man, what a blessing they are to us! This photo is of my co-leader, CC, and I with two other leaders, Lucy and Meredith, at MyLife 2015. #thatvanlife
February:
February was pretty quiet, but Pierce and I took Lucy to Shake Shack for the first time on Valentine's Day and that was pretty fun. I also started Whole30 and it completely changed the way I look at food and health. One of the best decisions I've ever made!
March:
I completed my Whole30! And I traveled with my friend, Mindy, to visit Mary Beth in Washington D.C. Such a fun weekend! I can't wait to go back.
April:
Lucy and I spent a week in Daytona Beach with my mom, my sister, Kati, and Kati's friends for their last spring break. Lucy proved what a great traveler she is and we had lots of time playing in the sun. During the week, I found out Lucy isn't a fan of dry sand, which came in quite handy because it meant I could put a blanket down and she wouldn't go running away. I call that a win. I also debuted the cover of my novel while we were on vacation! I don't think I stopped looking at it for days.
May:
Kati graduated from high school! All of my siblings and I graduated from the same school and it was a bittersweet moment for us knowing she would be the last one to walk on that field. I somehow managed not to cry.
May also brought with it the most beautiful box of books I've ever laid eyes on. Behold:
June:
Oh, June, you were a lovely month! My debut novel, The Best Kept Secret, was released on June 2nd and I had my first book signing a few weeks later. Pierce and I also went to Panama City for a week on a church trip called The Walk with our high school students. That was a BLAST! I love getting to serve with him, even if we barely see each other on those trips because there are so many people around and we're busy with our own groups. But just knowing he's there, and that we're together, is a sweet comfort when I start to feel homesick. I can't wait to go back this June!
July:
This was a big year for me in terms of travel. Thanks to my mom, Lucy and I were able to go with her and Kati to visit my older sister, Beth, in Hawaii. We enjoyed the most incredible beaches, visited Pearl Harbor, watched fireworks on base, ate tons of food, and completely exhausted ourselves. It was glorious. And, once again, I marveled over how well my toddler handles traveling. Give her five hours of Daniel Tiger and plenty of snacks, and she'll breeze through a trans-Pacific flight. (Although I can safely say I won't ever travel that far without Pierce again. The ride home was a little more stressful.)
August:
I turned 30! I also got sick and started having terrible trouble with my skin right around this time, so it didn't start out exactly as I'd hoped. But it got better and, so far, thirty has been pretty sweet.
September:
Pierce turned 30 three weeks after me and we celebrated in our usual low-key way. Coffee was included. I'm so glad I get to spend my life with him!
Halfway through the month, I visited my alma mater with my dear friend, Lauren, and the bookstore hosted me for a book signing! It was so surreal to be back at Georgia Southern - where I learned how to be a writer - actually signing my own novel.
October:
October is always pretty wonderful, amiright? What's not to love? We spent it enjoying football and time with friends. Also, PUMPKIN EVERYTHING. We even took Lucy to Boo at the Zoo on Halloween where she dressed up like a sheriff. Everything is more fun with a toddler, you guys.
I also officiated my best friend's wedding in October! Bucket list item, for sure. It was the perfect day and Lauren looked gorgeous.
Oh, and let's not forget: T-SWIZZLE.
November:
Pierce and I celebrated seven years of marriage on the first! I can't believe it's been that long. I love being married to Pierce. He's the best person I've ever known.
Later that month, my small group went to our friend Lindsay's cabin on Lake Oconee for a much-needed girl's weekend. A week later, we celebrated Lucy's second birthday! Sometimes I go back through old blog posts from when I was pregnant and it seems like all I did was blink and here we are. What can I say about being Lucy's mom that I haven't already? It's truly the best gift I've ever received.
The Nunnery clan welcomed a new niece in November, too! Little Jessa was born just a few hours shy of sharing her birthday with Lucy.
December:
So far, December has been full of family get-togethers, hanging out with friends near and far, and reveling in the Christmas season. We've been celebrating Advent this year by letting Lucy open a new Christmas book each day in anticipation of learning about Jesus' birth. And just a few days ago, the Nunnery clan welcomed yet another sweet addition to the family! Our nephew, Alban, was born over the weekend and we can't wait to meet all these adorable little babies!
We're looking forward to Christmas with family and New Year's with friends, and we're excited to see what 2016 holds for us. Here's hoping your year has been as wonderful as ours and that the next 12 months are full of blessings for you!
Merry Christmas!
January:
Pierce moved up with his middle school boys from Transit to Inside Out, the high school ministry at our church, and I started leading again, too. It will be a year next month since I met our wonderful girls and, man, what a blessing they are to us! This photo is of my co-leader, CC, and I with two other leaders, Lucy and Meredith, at MyLife 2015. #thatvanlife
February:
February was pretty quiet, but Pierce and I took Lucy to Shake Shack for the first time on Valentine's Day and that was pretty fun. I also started Whole30 and it completely changed the way I look at food and health. One of the best decisions I've ever made!
March:
I completed my Whole30! And I traveled with my friend, Mindy, to visit Mary Beth in Washington D.C. Such a fun weekend! I can't wait to go back.
April:
Lucy and I spent a week in Daytona Beach with my mom, my sister, Kati, and Kati's friends for their last spring break. Lucy proved what a great traveler she is and we had lots of time playing in the sun. During the week, I found out Lucy isn't a fan of dry sand, which came in quite handy because it meant I could put a blanket down and she wouldn't go running away. I call that a win. I also debuted the cover of my novel while we were on vacation! I don't think I stopped looking at it for days.
May:
Kati graduated from high school! All of my siblings and I graduated from the same school and it was a bittersweet moment for us knowing she would be the last one to walk on that field. I somehow managed not to cry.
May also brought with it the most beautiful box of books I've ever laid eyes on. Behold:
June:
Oh, June, you were a lovely month! My debut novel, The Best Kept Secret, was released on June 2nd and I had my first book signing a few weeks later. Pierce and I also went to Panama City for a week on a church trip called The Walk with our high school students. That was a BLAST! I love getting to serve with him, even if we barely see each other on those trips because there are so many people around and we're busy with our own groups. But just knowing he's there, and that we're together, is a sweet comfort when I start to feel homesick. I can't wait to go back this June!
July:
This was a big year for me in terms of travel. Thanks to my mom, Lucy and I were able to go with her and Kati to visit my older sister, Beth, in Hawaii. We enjoyed the most incredible beaches, visited Pearl Harbor, watched fireworks on base, ate tons of food, and completely exhausted ourselves. It was glorious. And, once again, I marveled over how well my toddler handles traveling. Give her five hours of Daniel Tiger and plenty of snacks, and she'll breeze through a trans-Pacific flight. (Although I can safely say I won't ever travel that far without Pierce again. The ride home was a little more stressful.)
August:
I turned 30! I also got sick and started having terrible trouble with my skin right around this time, so it didn't start out exactly as I'd hoped. But it got better and, so far, thirty has been pretty sweet.
September:
Pierce turned 30 three weeks after me and we celebrated in our usual low-key way. Coffee was included. I'm so glad I get to spend my life with him!
Halfway through the month, I visited my alma mater with my dear friend, Lauren, and the bookstore hosted me for a book signing! It was so surreal to be back at Georgia Southern - where I learned how to be a writer - actually signing my own novel.
October:
October is always pretty wonderful, amiright? What's not to love? We spent it enjoying football and time with friends. Also, PUMPKIN EVERYTHING. We even took Lucy to Boo at the Zoo on Halloween where she dressed up like a sheriff. Everything is more fun with a toddler, you guys.
I also officiated my best friend's wedding in October! Bucket list item, for sure. It was the perfect day and Lauren looked gorgeous.
Oh, and let's not forget: T-SWIZZLE.
November:
Pierce and I celebrated seven years of marriage on the first! I can't believe it's been that long. I love being married to Pierce. He's the best person I've ever known.
Later that month, my small group went to our friend Lindsay's cabin on Lake Oconee for a much-needed girl's weekend. A week later, we celebrated Lucy's second birthday! Sometimes I go back through old blog posts from when I was pregnant and it seems like all I did was blink and here we are. What can I say about being Lucy's mom that I haven't already? It's truly the best gift I've ever received.
The Nunnery clan welcomed a new niece in November, too! Little Jessa was born just a few hours shy of sharing her birthday with Lucy.
December:
So far, December has been full of family get-togethers, hanging out with friends near and far, and reveling in the Christmas season. We've been celebrating Advent this year by letting Lucy open a new Christmas book each day in anticipation of learning about Jesus' birth. And just a few days ago, the Nunnery clan welcomed yet another sweet addition to the family! Our nephew, Alban, was born over the weekend and we can't wait to meet all these adorable little babies!
We're looking forward to Christmas with family and New Year's with friends, and we're excited to see what 2016 holds for us. Here's hoping your year has been as wonderful as ours and that the next 12 months are full of blessings for you!
Merry Christmas!