Well, since we are saying goodbye to 2019 and we are already two days into the new year (I'm a slacker, sorry), I figured it was time for a recap of all the fun/interesting/crazy moments of the previous year.
Side note: I had every intention of putting up this blog post yesterday, but I spent the majority of my day taking down the Christmas decor. Oh yes, and eating black eyed peas with cabbage at my mom's house and you know what? I didn't hate it as much as I did as a kid! I'm not a bean or pea person at all, but this was a delicious one!
Ok, now on with the year...
I know I say this all the time, but I'm so very grateful (and it's true). There may have been a few rough patches in 2019, but it overall turned out to be a great year!
Health
Most recently, I am grateful for the status of clear lungs. I shared in one of my vlogidays videos this year about having a possible diagnosis of asthma. Thankfully, after a full PFT and Methacholine testing (along with blood work), it was determined that I do not have asthma! Yay! I have had issues with breathing for several years now, so we just have to figure out the culprit. (Getting my heart checked again is next.)
In the same category comes my hamstring. Y'all, this thing is a doozy. It feels fine one day then doesn't the next. I'm so nervous about overdoing it or tweaking it in the wrong way. I know for certain that dead lifts right now are absolutely out of the question as are running on inclines at Orangetheory. It's a funny feeling when you're halfway between an injury and an improvement. You notice every little stitch and movement. I spent several months this year with physical therapy and have had VAST improvements since July. Hopefully things will just keep looking up from here.
I'm also insanely grateful for a healthy child. Twenty nineteen brought so many new experiences, words, knowledge, and growth for Brayden. I also realized that I never posted a three and a half year update so I'll do that very soon. (I know, I'm a slacker!) Also, how is my child already three and a half?!
Travel
This year, we were so blessed to be able to take several trips and we loved each and every one of the experiences we shared!
In February, we visited Disney World with my parents and had our very first Vacation Club stay! We checked into Boulder Ridge and loved it! This trip also doubled as the Princess Half Marathon Weekend where I ran both the 10K and the Half and Jason completed the 10K. We all had a great time!
In June, we traveled to Alaska with Jason's family for a 7 night cruise out of Vancouver. This was Brayden's first cruise and I'm not kidding when I tell you that he's just as hooked as we are on cruising. For this trip, we decided to take different experiences than ones we'd taken on a previous cruise, so we went whale watching and dog sledding. By far, dog sledding was my favorite excursion of them all! Brayden loved it, too! At the end of our trip, we even had a chance to visit the Alaska Zoo which was super neat to see as the animals there aren't your typical "lower 48 zoo animals". Also, a lot of the animals they've come to take care of were either abandoned or in a hazardous situation and were rescued. I thought it was a very neat experience.
In August, my little family took a super quick 3 day trip to Walt Disney World. We already had AP's, extra DVC points, and we found super cheap flights! (Score!) We stayed at Old Key West and had a blast! I also ran the Beignet Dash and although I was in the middle of my hamstring injury, I still enjoyed the fun run!
Last but not least, in November we visited Walt Disney World again but this time with our friends. We ran the Wine & Dine Half Marathon/Two Course Challenge, rode the Skyliner a billion times per Brayden's request, took a cruise on the Disney Dream (a first for most in our party), and we took part in the first Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party of the year! It was a fabulous trip and one I didn't want to see come to an end.
Racing
This year was a interesting one as far as running goes - with several highs and several lows. After the Princess Half Marathon Weekend, I knew I wanted a better shot at higher corrals for Wine & Dine. So, I trained hard in the spring and somehow managed to PR in both the 5K and the 10K distances in the same weekend!
After all that hard work though, came an injury. Sad times. Thankfully as I mentioned before, things are now looking up!
Something good that came out of it, though? I managed to land in corral A for the Wine & Dine 10K and corral B for the Wine & Dine Half! Woohooo!
Getting Good
There's a new single by Lauren Alaina that really hits home for me every time I hear it and it brings me to tears. It's called "Getting Good" and if you haven't heard it, you need to go listen to it. Trust me on this one.
This song is an excellent reminder for me that even though things may not be just as I want them to be, my life is as it SHOULD be right now. I'm learning to live in the moment and enjoy it instead of worrying about what the future holds or even the inevitable.
This is one of the reasons that my blog has sadly fallen to the side a little this year. I love love love to blog and share with you guys, but I only have Brayden as a three year old once and I don't want to miss out on time with him. Although I love my job, working as a full time mom takes a lot of that time away from him. I also love spending time with my family, so I'm doing that as much as possible, too. Working as an oncology nurse has taught me a lot of things, but one of the most important is that time is precious and oh so short. Enjoy your loved ones as much as you can while you can.
So, my goals for this year are just a few and can be taken from the lyrics of this song:
- Learn to grow where I'm planted
- Soak up every moment
I hope that 2020 is a year of fresh starts, new adventures, health, and amazing opportunities for all of you! Happy New Year!
"Once I learn to soak up every moment, I'll realize my life's already good."
