I did this last year and loved being able to go through an entire year of memories and write them down. So here goes again! But I’m also going to add a monthly goal to each month so when I reference this post, it’ll inspire me.
January: Started the new year in Chicago, and almost got snowed in! I started a new job on January 2nd after taking a month and half off of work. I intended to finish a story I’d started during those weeks off in January/February, but it didn’t happen. I also recommitted to healthier living and took off almost 15 unwelcome pounds by February. Goal: Return to the land of good food, good financial decisions and good friends. How every year should start! Oh, and begin half marathon training. Yikes.
February: February was a bit of a blur and I can’t remember much about the month. Getting back into the groove at work was likely my priority. One great memory was spending a weekend in Vail with a friend of ours from San Francisco..but that might have been in March. Can’t remember! Goal: Plan an international vacation with my husband for our honeymoon. Maybe I should plan our post-wedding party first… Learn something new (knitting is on my list).
March: March was my favorite month of the year! Leo and I got married after planning for around two weeks, and it was absolute perfection. We also celebrated Leo’s birthday, and prepared for him to leave for Mexico City for work (which didn’t happen until later in the year). Goal: Celebrate our love! Hoping to do a weekend in the mountains here in Colorado or up in Wyoming. But the entire month, I’d like to focus on love.
April: Beyond going for a hike at Table Top Mountain in Golden… I can’t remember much about April! Post-wedding glow I think blurred everything for me. And I loved it! We did have a great weekend up in Vail to cap off the month. Goal: Write memories. Write stories. Read books. Get outside!
May: I spent a long weekend in Georgia with my family which was so therapeutic and refreshing. We hiked, we kayaked, I ran a lot, we ate great food. All the things I love about Georgia. The start of warmer summer months is always welcome, but last May was extra fun because we had a snowstorm here in Colorado the first week of May! And then it got warm and summer really started. Oh, and I went blonde after being brunette for the past 10 years. Goal: Spend time with family, even if it is just FaceTime. Finish a half marathon (notice I didn’t say run?!).
June: While I’m sure I did stuff in June, I only took two pictures on my phone the whole month, so I can’t recall anything. Goal: Even if the pics aren’t perfect, snap photos of notable things that I want to remember.
July: We spent our second Fourth of July in a row visiting good friends in Indiana at Lake Wawasee. It was so great to catch up with people that Leo and I have known since before we were even dating, and relax at a beautiful lake house. We celebrated my birthday later in the month with dinner at my favorite restaurant, and another dinner with some great girlfriends. Leo left for Mexico in July, which we knew was going to be a trying situation, but we got through it by communicating, being compassionate and understanding and a whole lot of patience. And Skype. Goal: Celebrate summer. Begin a Fourth of July decoration collection, host a BBQ in our new backyard, hike a 14er, get a sun burn, try something new outside.
August: Another blur of a month! I spend a weekend in Nashville for a bachelorette party and fell in love with another city in this fine country of ours. Live music. Incredible food (City House was a favorite). Great company. Midway through the month, two of my closest girlfriends came in from Chicago and we hiked Pike’s Peak. One of the most mentally and physically challenging experiences of my life (we got lost on our way up..a story for another day). Goals: Hike 2 fourteeners (mountains with peaks above 14K ft. It’s a thing here in Colorado). Experience live country music. Dance more!
September: Two major things from last September? I started a new job with Sports Authority in their marketing department! And Leo and I spent a wonderful weekend in Aspen. Absolute perfection in every sense of the word personally and professionally. We spend a long weekend with friends in from Chicago for an STS9 show, and we found a new house! I also conquered a major fear of guns by going out and shooting them with some guys I grew up with. Surprise – I loved it and found it to be incredibly relaxing! Goal: Reset career and personal goals. The start of school for kiddos are the country is a great reminder to reset adult life. And buy new pens. Can’t start the school season without new pens.
October: This was the first full month without seeing Leo, and it was tough! I reverted to every bad habit known to me during my college years. Mac and cheese for dinner (although nowadays it is homemade!), more eggs than anyone should eat, leaving dishes in the sink for more than a day, laundry never getting done, etc. etc. It was rough – I don’t do well without my best friend at home, apparently. But it was also an awesome month where I connected with good friends on a hike to St. Mary’s glacier, continued to love my new job, and spent a good chunk of the month preparing for a visit to Leo in Mexico City. Goal: Get ahead of holiday shopping with a firm budget and planned purchases. Explore Colorado with hikes, drives, camping. Plan holiday travel. Pickup an old hobby that made me smile (wheel throwing, I think).
November: Whirlwind months are the norm this time of year, right? I started November in Mexico City with Leo – an incredibly beautiful place, the best food I’ve had in ages, and a serious dance with the stomach flu. No, I didn’t drink the water. It was the flu. The next weekend, I spent celebrating the wedding of a great friend with great friends in Chicago, then spent the next weekend at another wedding in Austin. Possibly the best thing happened mid-month – Leo came home and we learned he won’t have to be in Mexico City 50% of the time! Just one-off trips. Amazing. One weekend home, and I was off again to Chicago for Thanksgiving and my brother’s wedding. I finally have a sister and it is awesome! I really should write some of these memories down with all my pictures… Goal: Write more! Play in the snow. Slow down and savor each memory instead of jumping into making another one.
December: Oh December! The lovely month of holiday joy! We traveled non-stop this December and while it was great to see family and friends, it was exhausting. I’m grateful for the time and ability we have to run around the country, and even just drive to family here, but it really took my energy out of me. We had great weekends in Kansas City, Pueblo and Denver with tons of laughing, drinking, eating, celebrating. Just like December should be! We rounded out the month with a full house of guests for New Years celebrations, which could not have been more perfect. Goal: Cut back on holiday sweets – I went nuts this year! Read an adventure book (did that this year, and it got me so inspired for the year ahead). Send Christmas cards. I’m 28. I can do that for the first ever in 2015.
It is January 11th. You just read a super long year in review. Without any pictures. Thank you. Onto 2015 which should be just as incredible if that is even possible. Life is good. Love is good. Family is good. Health is good. What more could I have asked for in 2014?
Eliza Grey in Love 