2015 Year in Review

2015, what a whirlwind year!

2015 truly flew by so fast that I blinked and it was a new year. Time, please just slow down a little bit so we can enjoy it…

Like most years, we saw some pretty amazing things happen and some things that we would rather not have seen at all.

I feel like I knocked out quite a few of my goals for the year and am pretty happy with my accomplishments. Of course, there is always room for improvement!

Self-improvement doesn’t mean you don’t like where you are, it just means you like where your going even more.

2015 was a landmark year for my family and me.

I know I am far from my 20’s and have been married for a while but I have always rented. I was just afraid of being the one who is responsible for every repair, I still am. But this year we decided to go for it and look for our dream home.

We wanted a home that would be our sanctuary and a place we would love to grow old in. So, I am happy to say, we accomplished that goal! Well, I will admit that the number of leaves we had to pick up in our backyard this Fall did make us rethink our decision a few times but seeing it decorated for Christmas took all those thoughts away.

My husband and I spent a lot of this year upgrading our new home. We have become quite the DIY’ers especially my husband. We have new outside lights, inside lights, fans, wall coloring, garage door openers, doorknobs inside and out, re-tiling our laundry room, removing popcorn ceilings, really it goes on and on…..

I wish we were a little stronger financially after 2015.

Buying a home actually really helped our credit rating improve, which is wonderful, but… I wish we would have done better with our savings this year. Definitely a goal for 2016! If you have been following my blog for the last few months, you know that I have been keeping a new planner to track my to do’s and my daily life. My plan is to start a savings log and really work on getting it built up this year. You never know when things are going to happen and unfortunately, you can’t count on winning that billion-dollar power ball.

I made really good progress in my health and fitness in 2015.

One of my major goals in 2015 was to get healthier. I don’t believe in diets, or being focused on a number on a scale. My goal was to simply exercise and make healthier food choices.

Our whole family joined the local gym and wow…… we actually went! We joined the Hoover Recreation Center and we LOVE it! They have a fabulous walking/running track with windows all around it. Love going for long walks with my sweetheart!

I also finished my first ever 5k, the Mustache Dache, this November. It was a really fun and exciting experience and I think I will definitely participate in other runs this year.

My friends were all doing a December walk/run challenge, that I participated in, where they wanted to do at least 20 miles by the end of the month. I ended up putting in 64.77 miles!! Phew, that was a lot of walking. Of course, going on a vacation do Disney World/Universal Studios helped a bunch with the mile count.

In the process of trying to live healthier, I was able to bring my weight down by 9.8 pounds. Very proud of that accomplishment, especially if you saw all the delicious treats my parents made us for the holidays. Who knows, maybe I would be down 20 if it wasn’t for that tempting chocolate fudge…

I received my first design award!

I am so honored to be a part of the talented group of designers at HealthSouth. It is such a wonderful company to work for that makes a difference to the community every day.

I was so honored to receive my very first design awards in 2015.

I received a Gold Hermes – Logo Design, for a logo I created for HealthSouth.

Our creative team, which I was a part of, also won a Gold Addy, this Spring, for a comical video we did showcase Social Media Horror Stories.

Spending time with my family and friends.

In 2015, I really tried to spend more time with my family and friends. I think we get so occupied with work and the daily grind that we forget to enjoy the company of others. This year I went on an incredibly rejuvenating girl’s trip to the Georgia mountains with my fellow Birmingham Girls Club members. It was an amazing time to get in touch with nature and to listen and share with some of my favorite people.

Another big event this year, my daughter’s 21st birthday! We decided to take an actual family vacation, something we haven’t done in a long time. We went on a one week trip to Orlando and spent four days at Walt Disney World and two days at Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure (blog post coming!)

We traveled a bit, spending time with family for the holidays. We enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas with my husband’s family in south Alabama and my family in north Alabama. One of the highlights of our year was when Tasha got to fly a plane for the first time! I was told that she did an excellent job! I think she is hooked!

My husband and I also went on a few day trips around Alabama. It is our goal for this year as well to get out and be one with nature, at least once a month. There are so many beautiful places to visit in and around Alabama.

One of the highlights of my year was going to the opening night of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with my daughter and her boyfriend. We got to see it on the IMAX 3D screen and it was AWESOME! If you haven’t seen it yet, go now and repeat it!

Another exciting Star Wars event was the Star Wars Extravaganza Night with the Birmingham Barons. You could meet your favorite characters and take pictures as well as a spectacular fireworks show blasted off with Star Wars music. What can be better than that? Oh, and we got club seats!!

Phew! What a year!

Overall 2015 was an amazing year. I can’t wait to experience everything that 2016 has to offer. Remember to enjoy each day and to unplug once in a while and just enjoy the people and things around you!