Year in Review

So...let me double the 2017 posts by adding a second post for 2018 - hours before the year runs out!  Although the world at large has a lot of troubling stuff going on, it was a pretty good year in our little Grayson/Duncan bubble.  Here were some of the best parts:

Disney Cruise!
Nancy decided to take all of us on a cruise for Thanksgiving break, and figured while the kids are still kids, it might as well be a Disney one.  I have to say, Disney does it right, and this might have been even more enjoyable than the trip to DisneyWorld!  Lots of character meet and greets for the girl who still collects autographs, David and I got to snorkel in a Caribbean cay, multiple pools and waterslides right on the boat; it was pretty amazing.  Highlights of this highlight included watching a sea turtle eat lunch while snorkeling, taking Sara to the Bippity Boppity Boutique where she was princessed up by a fairy godmother-in-training, and delicious dinners every night. 

They were both so excited to meet Pluto!

Snorkeling Duncans

Meeting her favorite princess!

Silent Dance party

Looking like a princess!

Dudes eating dessert

Princess and me night number one

Other highlights of the year/resolutions met included:

Duncan family trip to Hilton Head - Nancy rented out a big 5 bedroom beach house for the growing Duncan family, Lindsay and Kevin had a little boy in January, and we had a wonderful time eating seafood, enjoying a private pool in the backyard and the beach about a 5 minute walk away.  David and I rode a tandem bike a couple times, which seemed to move him past his fear of riding and he learned to ride his own when we got home!

Hurford Christmas at our house - Corey was on call so we couldn't go far this year, and Nancy had taken Lindsay, Kevin, and baby up to Montana to be with Tracey and Glen, so it was just my side of the family! (this seemed fair since we weren't' there at all for Thanksgiving!).  We hosted Mom & Dad, Dick, Joanne, Neal, and Kyle, Ashley, and their sweet boys.  Lots of good food, prolonged amounts of gift opening, good times had by all.

Ending the year 50 pounds lighter - woo hoo!  I continued to loose weight as school started and have maintained the past couple of months - still working out at the Wellness Studio, and trying not to go crazy with the eating.  Need to start back to calorie counting in the new year as I would still love to loose about 10 pounds, but it's been great shopping in my own cedar closet, as well as purchasing sizes that haven't fit in 6 to 12 years.  

Sewing more & starting a small business - I am pretty sure I have sewed more this year than any other; Corey got me a new machine for my birthday, and while I haven't made a ton of dresses for Sara (she has SO many already!), I have been trying to sew more practical things.  After hearing "why aren't you selling these?" enough times at baby showers, I have started selling the 'baprons' and large hooded towels on Facebook and participated in one holiday craft fair - it was a small event but I made over $130, and would definitely do it again in the coming year.  I also FINALLY finished the memory quilt for David that has been on the resolutions list for years and was able to give it to him for Christmas!  

My table at the craft fair

Happy boy with his finally finished quilt!

Happy Birthday to me

So I turned 38 today, and spent the day taking Sara to the American Girl store (she had been begging all summer!), and dinner with my family.  Tomorrow I am treating myself to a massage and then taking the kids and a couple friends to Fort Yargo to play.  Summer is rapidly drawing to a close, and it was a really nice one.  I think we hit a good mix of camp/busy/planned out activities and down time.  We were in Hilton Head with the Duncans when Camp Invention took place this year, so our small group at church invented our own - each family had at least one teacher/science teacher in the family, so we each took an afternoon with all 8 kids doing different activities - and the kids seemed to love it!

We just returned from our end-of-summer just me and the kids trip, this time to Chattanooga.  It wasn't new to us like Huntsville or Birmingham, but we tried to go see new things - the Incline Railway, Coolidge Park, Pointe Park, and Racoon Caverns - as well as visiting favorite museums like the awesome Creative Discovery Museum up there and Tellus on the way back.

Gem mining at Tellus

Not too old to enjoy this museum yet!

View of Tennessee Valley from Pointe Park - it was beautiful!

Looking back at goals set at the end of 2017, I'm happy to say I have accomplished some of them!

I have been counting calories since March, and have lost 36 pounds, putting me in a place where I am much happier with myself and fit into a smaller size of clothes.  I've also had stem cell treatment on my knee, followed by physical therapy, which has helped get back some range of motion/decrease some pain (still hoping for continued improvement there).  

Next door to PT is an exercise studio that I've been going to all summer that offers a variety of classes, and modifications for people like me who don't bend all the way :).  I hope to be able to keep attending when school starts.  I also think it would be cool to ride my bike all the way around Stone Mountain.

I've sewed a reasonable amount - made a couple new dresses for Sara and the pocket smock I had been planning for a while.  Knocked out a pair of PJ pants for David yesterday, and a knit dress for Sara this morning (and 5 minute dress for her doll before we left for the bistro!).  I'd like to do more sewing for myself this year-  I think it'd be fun to make my own skirt or dress.  Still need to complete the memory blanket for David before it gets cold!

Lastly (ironically) I need to spend less time with my face in a screen and more time with my family - the kids are growing up WAY too fast, going into 2nd and 5th grades this year, and I just need to put down the Facebook and give them my time and attention.  That being said, goodnight!