Reflecting on 2018

“So be truly glad.  There is wonderful joy ahead! 1 Peter 1:6

How is it going to be 2019?!  I suppose it was a busy year for us, with lots of life changes but it also felt like it went by faster than others.  I get all these weird feelings when I realize that another year has gone by.  Looking back at all of my pictures from this past year, I honestly can’t believe another year is already coming to an end.  I mean look at this picture of Carter one year ago… and he’s so big now!  I’ve been so emotional about him growing up lately.  I think I’ve been reading too many Facebook articles…

I sit here and look at our healthy little boy, and just want to hold him forever. How is he going to be two years old in just four months?  I sit here and look at our cabin and think what a blessing it is that we had a home to come to when everything changed with football.  I sit here and look at Jeff, and feel so proud to be his wife.  We have been through so much together just this year alone, and I’m SO thankful for him.  I sit here and think of Carter’s grandparents and how special they are to us, especially the fact that both sets of them live so close.  I sit here in silence and just reflect on what this past year has brought.

This past year brought so many joyful and uplifting moments.  Jeff and I did a little traveling together just the two of us, which was a blast.  One trip involved seeing the Backstreet Boys in concert!  That was definitely on my top 10 favorite moments this year!

We watched our baby boy turn one, surrounded by so many wonderful people in our lives.

We watched our close friends get married, met so many amazing people, and most importantly we spent more family time together than we’ve had in a very long time.

We also had our moments where we felt sad or that we were struggling with emotions.  We had to move away from a place that felt like home, and leave our friends.  We went through my miscarriage and still think about our precious baby each day.  Jeff was also released from his job in late August, and we had so many “what ifs” going through our minds.  But no matter the experiences that life gave us this past year, we are very certain of one thing. God was and is always with us.  He truly gave us a new path each time life threw us a curveball.  Our faith grew stronger this year.  We owe so much to our Lord and know he has a wonderful plan for us in 2019.  We just can’t wait to see what it is!

I think 2018 brought us many transitions and decisions.  Transitions that all seemed to happen so fast, and decisions that were made rather quickly.  Many of them truly tested our faith.  There were most definitely tears and many prayers, but there were even more smiles and laughs.  I’m still cracking up thinking of some of the situations that happened to us where really all you could do was just laugh and move on.  One moment in particular was when we were moving out of our house in Ohio.  Jeff and I decided to move everything just the two of us to save on money, and because we had done it a few times already together.  We worked HARD to clear out that big house and luckily had some help from Megan and Collin on one weekend!  It took about three trips with two trailers packed full to get everything out.  But anyways!  I remember we had just arrived back to the house and we were going to start packing again.  Jeff asked if I could help him with Carter’s dresser, (we literally just walked in the door from a five hour drive, so in my mind I’m like, “uhhhh can I get a minute?!”).  But I headed in the living room to help him.  I walked up to grab one side and I look up at Jeff; he’s got the cheesiest smile on his face and sarcastically says, “Isn’t this fun?! I love moving!”  We both started cracking up until our stomachs hurt.  Yes, moving is not fun and I still don’t know how we did it ourselves.  But gosh, it also brought us even more close than we already were.  We laughed, we cried, (well.. I cried, Jeff didn’t), and we had so many memories that were unforgettable.  Jeff is always one to make light of any situation and I love that about him.

I think about my friendships, and how many I have gained and realized who my most true friends are.  I will totally admit that sometimes I feel like I’m a bad friend and don’t stay as updated as I should with some of my besties.  I get so locked into Carter that I often forget to text or call back.  But it’s the friends that have understood how busy motherhood can be, and those who always check in again and ask for more Snapchats of Carter LOL.  I don’t know what I would do without my friends and their support.  We may live in separate parts of the state but we always make time together.  My most favorite memory together this year was taking a girls trip to Disney World!  I highly recommend heading there for an adults only trip.

I mean I plan on taking Carter one day, but heading there for a girls trip was SO much fun. I don’t know how we are going to top this one gals, we better start planning our trip back!

One of my biggest accomplishments this year was starting this blog.  I never thought that writing would be so inspiring.  I have loved sharing real feelings from our life, and connecting with so many awesome people.  I have met other mom bloggers, women of faith, small business owners, and so many more.  I always knew I loved to write, but I have a whole new appreciation for it now.  I am beyond excited to see where this blog takes me and our family in 2019.  I cannot thank each one of you enough who has read and followed my blog since the very beginning!  

Jeff and I were chatting just the other night about New Year’s resolutions, and what we could do a little bit better.  We definitely want to eat healthy and stay active.  One of my Christmas presents was the book, “Against All Grains” by Danielle Walker.  This book in particular is full of simple meals that are grain and dairy free.  She has grocery lists and weekly meal preps that can help you transfer to this type of eating.  We’ve always tried to eat as healthy as we could, but we figured we would try something even more healthy and different.  We’re hoping to stick to it the best we can!  I also plan to start reading more.  We have so many wonderful books on our shelf and when I look at them I’ve maybe read three?  I’d like to dedicate more time for reading, and especially doing my daily devotionals.  

Thinking about 2019, I am reminded by how long yet how short one year actually is.  365 days to live life to the fullest, and cherish every single moment.  I hope that you have been able to reflect on 2018 as well, and are just as ready to bring on a brand new year.  Stay strong in your faith, and always believe something amazing is about to happen.  Thank you so much again for reading and supporting my blog, it means the world to me!  Check back in 2019 for the Next Play!

Happy New Year!

Lots of love and God Bless,

Alyssa