2013 has been a whirlwind of a year.
3 days before the start of the year, The Pilot and I packed up and moved to our little apartment in DC.
I love it. I've never been happy living anywhere else. It's true that DC is a transitory city...I've had 3 friends take off and move out of the city just since I moved here...but I have no plans to leave any time soon. In fact, I'm looking to make the move a little bit more permanent and The Pilot and I are saving up to buy property in the District.
Looking back on this year, with all of its ups and downs, I can honestly say that I have never been happier in my life.
I've been at my new job for a month and I work for a wonderful team of incredibly bright people who make coming to work every day tremendously enjoyable.
I have an incredible group of friends, who are always up for doing something interesting...whether it's miniature golfing at a museum, donning hats for the Kentucky Derby party or picnicking on the waterfront.
This year has had its moments...both good and bad, but those are the moments that test us, make us stronger and make us human. Let's take a look back, shall we?
In January, my baby sister turned 16. Just 5 days after moving to DC, The Pilot and I took off to Texas for her Sweet 16.
In March, I ran the DC Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon with Ally and the Marine Corps 17.75k...one of the most challenging races I've run, but one of my proudest finishes.
April brought on the tough parts of this year. I unexpectedly lost my godfather and took it pretty hard. I had never even been to a funeral before then and it was really hard. The weekend after his funeral, I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, dedicating the race to him. A few weeks later, I headed to Denver for the world's longest business trip...which brought on the profound realization that I needed to leave my job.
In May, my little brother got married. The Pilot and I headed to Texas for not only the wedding, but for a giant family reunion, in which my six siblings and I all got together for the first time in 13 years.
June brought the start of a 30 Day Yoga Challenge...and my first running injury. 19 days into the challenge, I headed out for a run home from work and had to stop half way through it because of knee pain. Whether I was doing too much with running and yoga or the three marathons I ran in 2012 were finally catching up with me, my first running injury had come and has yet to go.
In July, my mom and I took a trip out west for a wedding. Two weeks later, The Pilot and I went for an evening stroll around the monuments and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.
September was a loaded month. The Pilot and I made our way to Texas for the third time this year for an engagement party hosted by my dad. While The Pilot and I got busy planning our wedding, I made the tough decisions to drop out of the Marine Corps Marathon and quit my job. At the end of the month, my grandfather, who had long been struggling with Alzheimer's, took a turn for the worst and in October we lost him.
In November, The Pilot and I dove head first into wedding planning and I was offered my new job. I started just before Thanksgiving and dove head first into the organization's busiest time of the year.
This December has brought some adjusting, getting back into the routine of having a full time job, the start of physical therapy and looking forward to the New Year. This time last year, I was gearing up for my big move to DC and I'm happy to say that I've settled in quite comfortably.
This wasn't the year I hoped it would be in terms of racing and losing two family members was tremendously difficult, but if this year has shown me anything, it's shown me true love. When The Pilot and I announced our engagement, I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love shown to us by our family and friends. Through two funerals, I was again overwhelmed by love from family and friends. Reuniting with my siblings this year was an unbelievably special moment and I can't wait to do it again at my own wedding next year.
2013 wasn't easy, but I will say this. I grew up a lot this year. I have a saying that I'm getting younger every day, and I'll say that as long as I live, but this year, I learned a lot about life. I grew up a lot. I felt 26 and while I still have a lot of living and learning to do, I'm going to continue to do it with the getting-younger-every-day approach, because of everything I've learned this year, the most important thing is just how precious life is.
How did your year turn out? What lessons did you learn and what are you looking forward to for 2014?
3 days before the start of the year, The Pilot and I packed up and moved to our little apartment in DC.
I love it. I've never been happy living anywhere else. It's true that DC is a transitory city...I've had 3 friends take off and move out of the city just since I moved here...but I have no plans to leave any time soon. In fact, I'm looking to make the move a little bit more permanent and The Pilot and I are saving up to buy property in the District.
Looking back on this year, with all of its ups and downs, I can honestly say that I have never been happier in my life.
I've been at my new job for a month and I work for a wonderful team of incredibly bright people who make coming to work every day tremendously enjoyable.
I have an incredible group of friends, who are always up for doing something interesting...whether it's miniature golfing at a museum, donning hats for the Kentucky Derby party or picnicking on the waterfront.
This year has had its moments...both good and bad, but those are the moments that test us, make us stronger and make us human. Let's take a look back, shall we?
In January, my baby sister turned 16. Just 5 days after moving to DC, The Pilot and I took off to Texas for her Sweet 16.
In March, I ran the DC Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon with Ally and the Marine Corps 17.75k...one of the most challenging races I've run, but one of my proudest finishes.
April brought on the tough parts of this year. I unexpectedly lost my godfather and took it pretty hard. I had never even been to a funeral before then and it was really hard. The weekend after his funeral, I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, dedicating the race to him. A few weeks later, I headed to Denver for the world's longest business trip...which brought on the profound realization that I needed to leave my job.
In May, my little brother got married. The Pilot and I headed to Texas for not only the wedding, but for a giant family reunion, in which my six siblings and I all got together for the first time in 13 years.
June brought the start of a 30 Day Yoga Challenge...and my first running injury. 19 days into the challenge, I headed out for a run home from work and had to stop half way through it because of knee pain. Whether I was doing too much with running and yoga or the three marathons I ran in 2012 were finally catching up with me, my first running injury had come and has yet to go.
In July, my mom and I took a trip out west for a wedding. Two weeks later, The Pilot and I went for an evening stroll around the monuments and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.
 |
| As you know, I said Yes. |
In November, The Pilot and I dove head first into wedding planning and I was offered my new job. I started just before Thanksgiving and dove head first into the organization's busiest time of the year.
This December has brought some adjusting, getting back into the routine of having a full time job, the start of physical therapy and looking forward to the New Year. This time last year, I was gearing up for my big move to DC and I'm happy to say that I've settled in quite comfortably.
This wasn't the year I hoped it would be in terms of racing and losing two family members was tremendously difficult, but if this year has shown me anything, it's shown me true love. When The Pilot and I announced our engagement, I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love shown to us by our family and friends. Through two funerals, I was again overwhelmed by love from family and friends. Reuniting with my siblings this year was an unbelievably special moment and I can't wait to do it again at my own wedding next year.
2013 wasn't easy, but I will say this. I grew up a lot this year. I have a saying that I'm getting younger every day, and I'll say that as long as I live, but this year, I learned a lot about life. I grew up a lot. I felt 26 and while I still have a lot of living and learning to do, I'm going to continue to do it with the getting-younger-every-day approach, because of everything I've learned this year, the most important thing is just how precious life is.
How did your year turn out? What lessons did you learn and what are you looking forward to for 2014?
I love your positivity about your year, even though not everything went exactly as you expected (or hoped). I'm working on a "Dear 2013" post for a link-up next week, and I just hope I can do this year justice! It definitely was full of a lot of big events.
ReplyDeleteLove this post. 2013 was hard, awesome, exciting, and frustrating for me too. And maybe soon I'll get on a post.
ReplyDeleteCheers to 2014. <3