2013: A Year in Review

Seriously, what happened? How is it the last day of the year??

2013 was quite the year! I had a baby (while getting cut in half), quit my job, had an identity crisis (or twelve) and finally started acting like a grown up (just kidding).

Some awesome things that happened this year:

• We introduced Juliana to all four of her great grandmas! 
• Jules and I took a week long trip to Utah sans Steve. This was where she met Great Grandma Call, and we also got to see Jalenna graduate. Not only was it a great trip, but it gave me a lot of confidence in my mothering skills. If I can make it through the airport with a two month old, what can't I do?
• I started working in the nursery at church. At first, I hated it, but again, it helped me realize that I can do hard things. I'm moving up to teach a class of five year olds in January, and I'm actually going to miss it! Mostly because the older kids don't get snacks...
• I learned how to make a pumpkin roll. If you don't think this is awesome, then you've never tasted one!
• We had Amanda come visit for six weeks before she left to Brazil. It was so much fun, but it also made me miss her that much more!

So how did I do on my resolutions? Let's see...

1. Have a baby. Nailed it! I don't want to brag, but I have the smartest, cutest, sweetest, funniest, best behaved baby ever. And I am only slightly biased. But seriously, she rocks. I can't really take credit for it. Thank goodness she acts like Steve and not me!!!
2. Plant a garden. Ummm... not so much. I have a mental block for some reason. I think I'm afraid to fail! But I did take a gardening class, and I pinned a bunch of stuff to my Gardening board on Pinterest, so there's that...
3. Start running again. I tried, I really did. But after my third knee injury, I had to give it a rest. The doctor said it could be my shoes, or could be that my ligaments haven't completely gone back into place after pregnancy. So maybe I'll be ready to try again this year. But maybe not. We'll see. 

My resolutions for 2014 aren't earth shattering, but I like them:

1. Make meals more of an event. I get stuck in the rut of throwing things on the table at the last minute, and eating the same old things over and over. This year I want to try new foods, and actually use a serving dish once in a while! I also want to make breakfast and lunch better. Most of the time I don't plan anything, since I'm just feeding myself and I end up eating a slice of bread, 15 Hershey kisses and 3 grapes for lunch. And then I wonder why I'm grumpy by dinner...
2. Start a garden. No seriously. This is the year.
3. Work on my housekeeping skills. And I don't just mean keeping the house clean, although that's part of it. I want to actually keep a house, to make it a home. I want to create a place where people feel welcome. So really, this is a personality enhancement as much as a habit!