It's been a LOOONG time since I popped in on the little ol' blog. Like, almost 6 months. Whoops.
If anyone out there is still reading, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you spent the evening with those you love. The husband and I went to my parents' house, realized we can't party like those crazy cats, and were home in sweatpants on the couch by 11:30. It was a lovely little evening.
Selfishly, I wanted to pop in here and write a little "2014 year in review" post so I can look back on it in years to come. 2014 was probably the busiest, most stressful, most life-changing, but also the BEST year of my life thus far.
So, month by month, here's a quick recap:
January, February, March: It was COLD. And it SNOWED. A LOT. That's basically all I have to say about last winter. 9 degrees? No thanks.
In late March, my brother left for a 6-month deployment. My family, fiance and I all went to see him before he left:
April was the start of baseball season! Sean & I and my parents split a Baltimore Orioles season ticket plan, so we had many fun O's games at Camden Yards throughout the spring and summer:
In June, 2 awesome events happened:
1. My birthday! I turned 26, and Sean took me on a nice little weekend getaway at a bed & breakfast in Pennsylvania. We stopped at my almer mater, Susquehanna University, on the way there. How has it been almost 5 years already since I graduated?!
2. June was also my best friend's baby shower!!! It was a lovely celebration of her bundle of joy:
July was a nice relaxing month--the calm before the storm! We enjoyed our last month in our apartment by soaking up some local hiking:
July also brought the birth of my best friend's son, Liam. Part of the joy of 2014 was watching him grow:
August was a crazy month. On August 8, we settled on our new house!!! It was an amazing, but exhausting, day. I'll have to do a house update soon, because we have done a TON of work on the place since then, but for now, here are a few photos from that happy afternoon in our first home together:
Then, the very next day, August 9, my bridesmaids threw me a surprise bridal shower! It was definitely not the best timing (I was SO SO tired), but it ended up being the perfect day. So many people from Sean's family, my family, and our friends, came to celebrate me. My maid of honor came up with a Coco Chanel French tea party theme, and it was gorgeous:
September was all about house projects, last-minute wedding craziness, and my Bachelorette party! My bridesmaids and a few other friends took me to a nice hotel in Annapolis, MD. We went to brunch, a beer festival, a nice dinner, then out dancing! It was a really great reminder of how lucky I am to have such wonderful women in my life. It was awesome, and the shenanigans weren't too crazy ;)
Then, October arrived. After being engaged almost a year and a half, I still can't believe how quickly the engagement flew by. Soon enough, it was time for our rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and then the wedding day! I will do a separate post (or series of posts) for a full wedding recap, but for now, here are a few (ok, maybe more than a few...) of my favorite photos from October 4, 2014, the best day of my life:
It was a joyful evening filled with love and laughter.
A few days later, my husband and I took our first trip as newlyweds -- our honeymoon! We went for 9 days to Maui, Hawaii, with a stop in Seattle en route. It was the most amazing trip I have ever taken. We actually spent most of the time exploring. We were up before sunrise and in bed by 9 every day, and we hiked our booties off! It was way more active than I thought I would be, but it felt amazing to just explore the island. We of course took some time to relax at the resort, go out to nice meals, etc. Even 3 months later, I find myself dreaming of Maui...
November rolled around, and it was back to reality--busy at work, getting ready for the holidays, and recovering after a storm of a Fall season. Main events in November were a relaxing Thanksgiving with family, putting up the tree, and hanging out with the cutest little bear around:
December started out with Sean's 29th birthday. We went to a new restaurant we've been wanting to try, and it did not disappoint. Then, on Sunday, we had friends and family over for football, chili, and cake. It was a nice, low-key birthday weekend. Christmas came quickly this year! I couldn't believe how fast it came and went. We didn't travel at all this year, which was so, so nice. We spent Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with Sean's. New Year's Eve was spent with friends & family, before coming back to bring in 2015 in our sweatpants on the couch, before passing out at 1am. I know, I know--we are WILD.
Cheers to a great 2014, and here's to hoping 2015 is even better!
Happy New Year!
