Audrey Holidays & Celebrations!, Life

Bring on the New Year – 2021 Recap

Let’s walk 2021 to the door and maybe lock it once they’re gone… It wasn’t the worst houseguest we’ve ever had- we didn’t kick them out- but I’d be content if they never came back. Ya know?

Honestly, this year was more difficult for me than the dreaded 2020. Events were held, but it was a risk to attend. I felt itchy and wanted to take M to explore… but things aren’t quite right yet. We had a pretty slow and quiet year. (2020 was wonderful with an infant/baby… so much alone time and bonding and no where to be. Social distancing with a toddler is… rough.) We tried to do a family vacation but our vehicle broke down. Then I had not one, but TWO canceled trips later in the year. Sigh. It wasn’t my year to travel. M was sick quite a bit, too, but none of us caught the big C19, so I’m grateful. (Hand foot and mouth wasn’t a walk in the park for any of us, though. SHEESH.)

Anyway… there were good moments, too. We added kitties to the (office) family. We added a car to the garage (& now we need a bigger garage). K and M both had necessary and beneficial surgeries. My two best friends got married (to other people, lol). And we went on some great camping trips. We are healthy and comfortable and all together. I can’t complain much.

I’m looking forward to 2022, though. I’m putting it out there in the universe. Lord, give us a good one 🖤

On to the photo collages…

New Year’s Day | M can walk! | 🖤 | K’s surgery | Bristol is 2 | A trip to FL to love on Aub | Snow Day | Valentine’s Day | Joining A&M’s wedding party!
A visit from Aub | Kayla’s bachelorette party | Kayla’s bridal shower | bed head | K’s bday | St. Patrick’s Day | camping at Bristol | dirt racing at Bristol | Easter
Mowing with Dad | new scooter | visiting Dad at work | 8th wedding anniversary | Fridays with Andria | sick baby | rehearsal dinner | Kayla’s getting married! | Kayla’s wedding
camping with friends | Memorial Day | Mid Ohio racing | welcome Mac & Cheese! | splash pad with F&C | Father’s Day | bike rides | 4th of July Indy Cars | ear tube surgery for M
farm visits | K behind the drums | Frankenmuth | Boyne Falls, MI | family | spa weekend with Aub | 🖤 | DCI in Indy | science center with friends
Labor Day | rehearsal dinner | Aub’s getting married! | Aubrey’s wedding | county fair | fall festival | my bday camping | pumpkin patch | new car!
gender reveal for Kayla | Halloween | PASIC in Indy | Christmas trees | Thanksgiving | Moo turns Two!| Kayla’s baby shower | Christmas | lounging before the new year

Looking back through my pictures to make this post is such a happy experience for me. Now that M is in the picture, it’s wild to see her growth over 12 months. But to be honest, K and I grow significantly every year, too.

What were your favorite moments of 2021?

-Aud

Audrey Holidays & Celebrations!, Life

Goodbye 2020!

I know we’re supposed to hate 2020, but if I’m being honest it was a relatively ok (dare I say good?) year for me… Compared to 2019, I would do 2020 again in a heartbeat. 2019 chewed us up and spit us out. Then stepped on us and lit us on fire.

I know that 2020 was an awful year for many many people, though. I don’t discredit that and if you’re someone who suffered terribly these past 12 months please know I’m thinking about you and praying for you. I, too, am looking forward to hopefully never having another year like that again.

But as I said, 2020 wasn’t the worst year I’ve had. We got to spend SO much time with Moo. We got to hog her for holidays and witness so many milestones. We had a forced slow down with work (through which we tried so hard to maintain and take care of employees) and we didn’t travel one single place after March. After years of professional go-go-going, it was weird. And it was eye opening. And it’s helped us to prioritize a little more going forward.

We are lucky that our family has been mostly healthy and safe. A few of us have had COVID, but we haven’t had any loss in our family and I am so grateful for this. My heart breaks for those who’ve had a year marked by death.

I still haven’t convinced K to get me a kitten. We bought a camper. We cancelled countless trips. We fought over whose mask was whose. We survived sleep regressions and teething. We had groceries delivered and quiet holidays. We had a slow year that I very ironically wished for at the end of 2019.

So here’s the normal pic recap…

New Years! | Finished nursery | Baby Moo | Fender Bender | Fly to TX | Moo at the Alamo | K drumming | Swiss relative visit | Pandemic yoga w/ best friends
Lots of family walks | Baby Moo | Easter | First taste of cereal | Green beans fail | Hike w/ Bristol | Anniversary pic | Kayla’s Matron of Honor! | Off to buy a new truck
Aub engaged! | Cousin graduates | Family cookout | First Moo swim | M actually likes food | K takes up cooking | Moo 6 months! | Lots of front porch time | K’s 1st Father’s Day
Bike trailer for M | Zoo | 4th of July | 1st camping trip | Bought a camper | Family front porch time | 1st time in our camper | Family fun | F&C buy a house
Purple hair | Fall | Kayla’s dress!| Social Distance get-together | Baby Cooper | Bday hike | Halloween | COVID | Corvette pics
Big girl! | Friday’s with AJ | Outdoor hangs | Thanksgiving | 12 month pics | Moo’s 1st Bday! | Xmas tree | Merry Christmas! | Christmas morning

It was a weird year, but looking back it seems we made the most of it. Here’s to 2021 being better than its predecessor. Honestly… it shouldn’t be tough.

Hopefully you find some bright spots when looking back on your year, too!

Audrey Holidays & Celebrations!

Happy New Year! 2019 Recap

The past 365 days have had wonderful moments and terrible moments. I don’t like summing up an entire year as good or bad… but dammit I’m glad 2019 is over.

I would say this was our toughest year. We had a ton of work stress, we (especially K) traveled way too often, and we lost our first fur baby to a freak infection. There were some serious lows this year and I hate to reflect on them, but it’s true.

That said, we got pregnant and met our girl Madelyn! Best moment ever ♥

Physically, I had a pretty easy pregnancy but mentally/emotionally, I struggled. The ppd has been a doozy, too. Everything has been worth it & we know we are blessed to have a perfect daughter, but dang…. 2019 can see itself out. Lol

Here are a few other highlights- both good and not so good:

fmea | puppy snuggles | HP in concert | girls’ weekend | negative temps | omea | E & T’s bdays | tmea | PI move

new office | father-in-law’s bday retreat | Enzo’s hives | girls’ night in Cle | Arizona vaca | purple hair | PREGNANT! | telling the family

Bristol | wgi | Easter | 6th anniversary | public baby announcement | Rascal passes | Baby! | wedding | gender reveal

2nd at car show | family winery tour | midohio race | halfway! | dci | Bristol night race | car show | nola | Indians game

tampa vaca | Lylee passes | two hospitalizations | Bristol adoption | HONDA visit | baby shower | maternity pics | Halloween party | 1 month to go!

nursery prep | pasic | Thanksgiving | due date! | Madelyn is born! | newborn pics | PI company party | Xmas Eve | Christmas

I won’t write off an entire year as “bad”- just stressful and insane and overwhelming. We felt like we were tied to a freight train- sometimes running behind it, sometimes running in front of it, often times being dragged by it, and once in a while being run over by it. We got to actually ride it once or twice maybe.

I know it’s a lofty wish with a newborn and business and life and whatever, but if 2020 wanted to bring some tranquility and slowness and boringness to our life I wouldn’t object.

Tell me about your 2019! What were your favorite moments? Are you looking forward to anything big or small in 2020?? And HAPPY NEW YEAR, my friends ♥

Audrey Holidays & Celebrations!

Happy New Year!

Every year I try to reflect on major moments and special memories. I do it a little differently each year. Usually there are pictures and paragraphs involved. I’m a creature of habit so…

one year down at PI | E&T’s birthday | OMEA | off to TMEA | CLE with friends | winter party | Easter | WGI | 5 yr anniversary pic

Gettysburg anniversary trip | Cinco de Mayo in CLE | F’s bday & Mother’s Day in C-bus | nephew’s hs graduation | grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary | landscaping | PRIDE in C-bus | Kenny Chesney | Queso!

Indians game | boating | Jimmy Eat World | DCI in Texas | DCI in Indy | NASCAR H.O.F. | Darlington Raceway | E & Q | Ben Rector

a wedding | a sunset | a dog & a book | Kayla’s bday | new deck | fall decor | my bday | water taxi to Daufuskie | Daufuskie

Halloween | mother-in-law’s surprise party | hike with E & my sis-in-law | party in Indy | PASIC | Williamsburg | Thanksgiving | Xmas tree | work mtg

Looking back, this year was predominately good for us. We were so busy with trips and parties and home improvements. We went to Texas, Indianapolis, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, & Tennessee. (I think that’s it- although we drove one of the Texas trips so… everything in between, too.) I read lots of books, K swapped his truck for a Jeep (and another truck for the business), and the pups got a new deck to sun themselves on.

We painted the house and hosted Easter. I went to an Indians game, went boating, and went to my first PRIDE event. We went to lots of concerts. I was sick twice this year- both times affecting trips. (I had to skip one completely.) I had pleurisy at one point. In the middle of the summer I played on a softball league and had a garage sale and cheered as my in-laws got their wine company off the ground.

It was a busy busy busy year, but a good one. And I’m grateful that I feel that way.

If your 2018 was rough or turbulent, I hope you 2019 is spectacular. And if you had a good ’18, I hope your ’19 is even better! ❤︎

Happy New Year!