Again, another year is ending and again, I haven’t written enough about the things I wanted to write about. Instead, here’s a thumbnail view of our year.

January: We started off slowly, but I finished my first quilt top, we did some walking/hiking around locally and at the coast and enjoyed a slow start to the year.
February: A big snow and ice storm nearly trapped D in PDX where he was repairing servers, but instead just ended up nearly killing my fig (spoiler alert, it mostly recovered). We finally broke down and bought chains, which our friend Mitchell had to help put on the car in Corvallis. I spent a lot of creative time working on invitations and paper goods for Derek’s big birthday party. I made giant crepe paper roses and stickers and buttons and invitations and a photo booth backdrop.
March: I spent most of March sick, and trying to also finish getting things together for the party, which included needing to bake cake for 150. It was a tough time, and I ended up being put on antibiotics and being generally miserable. I also corned a brisket for St. Patrick’s Day, and we’ll definitely do that again this year.
April: My mom came to visit and we through D’s 35th birthday party and it was fabulous. Tax time came and we were hit with a massive tax bill and decided that it was time to buy a house. Found a house, fell in love with it, could not come to an agreement because we refused to pay too much for it, walked away. Decided house buying is not very fun.
May: Found a house, fell in love, made an offer, came to a deal, did all the house buying hoop jumping. Went to SF where I visited with my friend Bonnie and we had a good time, with some dead-hot-water-heater in the VRBO rental crazy.
June: Turned 33. Closed on the house. Celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. Gave notice to our landlady once we closed on the house. Tore down wallpaper. Bought paint and a ladder and generally started a month of crazy exhaustion with renovations and moving.
July: Officially moved into our house in mid-July. Continued working on house projects and spending an insane amount of time at home improvement stores. Had a visit by Bonnie on her way through back to SF.
August: Helped friends move. House projects, house projects, house projects.
September: Lots of canning. Then I got an infected lymph node in the back of my neck which was unpleasant. Spent time working on invitations and decorations for a baby shower that I cohosted for my friend Jodie. Was generally exhausted most of the month and that led to…
October: It turns out I’m allergic to amoxicillin, I broke out in terrible hives, and the treatment made me more sick than the allergic reaction. October had the baby shower and a bunch of other things that I mostly zombie’d my way through because I was so miserable.
November: Went to Vegas. Had a blast, even though I was still sick. Cooked two Thanksgiving dinners because The St. Clair family welcomed a new arrival and I pitched in to make sure they didn’t have to cook a turkey with a brand new newborn (hooray for wee Aster! Can’t wait to spoil her as her Auntie Bon.) Spent the day after Thanksgiving in the ER with Derek and a slipped disc.
December: Slipped disc, slipped disc, slipped disc. Yep. It’s been a long month. Treatment starting next week, though, fingers crossed it’s successful. First Christmas in our lovely little ranch house and it was lovely, although lacking in delicious baked goods. Helped friend Maria with a newborn photoshoot for Aster and baked Connor a 3rd birthday train cake. D’s company moved from one building into a larger building and that was exciting but exhausting for him.

All in all, some great giant goods in 2014, and a whole lot of little and middle sizeds bads (and one fairly big bad). Here’s hoping the balance of 2015 is even further to the good, for us and for all of our loved ones!

Derek is 35!

First Dinner After Closing!

At the Vegas sign with friends!

Friends! Dinner! House!