{2022} A Year In Review

 Yikes.

Where to start, huh?

Talk about a year of highs and lows.  Of growth, setbacks, and comebacks.  Disappointments, failures, and lessons.  But also, some of the coolest moments in my life, personally, as a coach, and as a mother/stepmother.

As usual, we started our year with our family sledding adventure.  This is always one of my favorite days of the year.....though it was especially COLD this year.  We continue to luck out with "our spot" year after year.

Both Carter and Kendall rocked through winter basketball....Kendall with Y-Ball and Carter with his 8th grade team at school.

We added Indy to our family on Valentine's Day. She sure has been a challenge, but she really is a good pup and I know she's going to be a great dog for our family.

We spent a weekend together as a family up at Matt and Lori's cabin in the snow. One of my favorite weekends all year!

We spent many, many afternoons and evenings walking the dogs around the neighborhood, at Kleiner, or along the Greenbelt to get Indy leash-trained.

Addie decided to take her sheep showing to the next level this year by doing Jackpots.  These shows are bigger and more competitive than the county fairs, and gets Addie out to shows that are out of town/out of state.  One of the places we traveled to, to support her was Spanish Fork, Utah.  What a unique place! We had a good time exploring the little town during the downtime between showing. 

We had the wettest, hands-down, spring softball season in history. This season was really a turning point for Kendall.....the growth that I saw from her in her pitching and her confidence at the plate is exciting. She really stepped it up, and putting her on the all-star team was a no-brainer. It was also really fun to watch her and the core group of girls develop a friendship that can only be forged in the dirt. The spring team won the league championship for 10u.

Both Carter and Kendall ended their middle school and elementary school, respectively, careers. So crazy to see the growth from first day and last day!

And then came all-stars.  This is by far my favorite coaching adventure thus far.  This group of girls holds such a place in my heart.  We have continued to hang out, practice, laugh, goof around, etc. Players AND coaches/moms.  It materialized at a time in the year when I needed it most. These girls busted their butts all summer long, only losing two games.  They ultimately competed in AND WON the Pacific Northwest Regional 10u Softball Championship, giving them a birth to the World Series in Treasure Coast, Florida.  So incredibly proud!!

We also spent some time up in the mountains.....of course!! Our favorite place to be.

Addie made a run at both county fairs, receiving feedback from both judges that still give me goosebumps.  This girl is something special.

First day of middle school and high school!

Moments

As we ventured into fall-ball, it was time to bump up a division to 12u. The girls were fresh off of all-star competition, so I was not really concerned about the division change. They were ready. And they smashed through the season and earned the #1 spot once again.

More mountain fun.

We gifted my parents with updated family pictures.

I battled health adventures literally the entire year.....from the worst of the worst bouts of Strep, to Covid, to an abnormal mammogram that lead to a breast biopsy  (benign), to an autoimmune disease scare that was quickly reversed, but required so many doctor visits, blood draws/tests, cultures, and ultimately a specialist and genetic blood test to rule out that disease (and many others), and now to a wicked cold that has had a grip for weeks. We are literally on the last day of the year and I am sick.  I have never had a year so riddled with illness.  I NEEEEED 2023 to be a healthier year!

I also decided it was time to exit stage left on the negative/toxic/unhealthy THING that was my marriage.  I like to pride myself on being a loyal person, who would walk through fire for those in my "tribe". My limits, however, were pushed and tested and walked all over, and I decided enough of that shit. It was a nine-month unnecessary ordeal, which wrapped up last week. So thankful to put that dumpster fire behind me. 

I also decided to jump ship and moved over to Blue Cross of Idaho in April.  What a move that has been.  The timing could not have been better (going back to a single-income status) and I am so glad I made the jump.  It has been stressful at times, learning a new company and new systems, but I feel like I have settled in nicely and really look forward to spending the rest of my career at BCI.

At the beginning of the year, we decided we wanted to explore a little town in Mexico called Tulum.  We know several people who have been there and all have nothing but great things to say about it.  So we planned for a November vacation, and between the time we booked and the time the trip rolled around, it was down to me, Dana, and the kids. We had THE.BEST time and it was such a great place to explore. 

Reading......we got some reading done this year for sure!

2022 tried to drown me.

This girl has no quit.

2023, I'm comin' for you!

So, what's next?  I'm not a big fan of resolutions, but I am a fan of finding themes and choosing a few select words to focus on along the journey.  For 2023, I have selected self-care, purpose, gratitude, and alignment.  I plan to dive into each of those, authentically, as I close this chapter (in so many ways) and embrace what is to come.  

Let's go!

December's Literary Adventures

 December had some good reads! The Family Remains was a sequel and really was a great ending to this story.  Dead Canyon was another in the David Wolf series and was a fast-paced (as usual with this series) read. Blooming Bare was a different read for me, and I really try to branch out a couple times a year with stuff that it outside my usual "comfort zone" when reading. It was a series of poems and short writings about self-discovery and self-growth. I highlighted and marked up this book with notes on virtually every page. It was a good one!

Christmas Shenanigans

We really dove into the Christmas festivities this year, but we changed it up quite a bit from how we normally do it. My work went all out this year with a Toyland Theme and Santa for the kids. So instead of braving the cold at The Village to see Santa there, we opted for indoor, with free cookies and hot chocolate, as well as a bunch of other goodies for the kids while visiting with Santa. It was such a fun night!

Of course, we still wanted to get over to The Village to see all of the lights, and the huge tree, and Santa's workshop, so we strolled around a bit one evening after seeing Avatar 2.  The tree never ceases to amaze me, and the fountain with the synced music. Such a fun place to see during the holidays.

Even though we weren't feeling 100%, Kendall and I still got a ton of Christmas goodie baking done this year.

The softball girls got together for a big pot-luck and cookie decorating party. These girls.....holy smokes. What a FUN group! I am so glad that Kendall has this group of friends, and all the moms too! It's definitely been a highlight of my year having this group.

And then a sickness like no other had most of the family within its grip for most of December. So it was a day filled with good food, lots of laughs, and even more coughing.  And then more coughing....and more and more. Ugh! 

November's Literary Adventures

 November was an interesting month for reading. I have long been a fan of Helen Phifer and her different series. They seem to be getting rather "cookie cutter", following a very specific plot line that cycles with every book. But they are a good, easy read, so I will likely stick with her Morgan Brookes series.  The Aly Martinez trilogy was actually a really good read (though the covers make it appear like they are romance novels - they are definitely NOT).  I ended up not finishing the Lincoln Child book, which was surprising to me given how many of his other books (solo and with Douglas Preston) I have thoroughly enjoyed.  This one was just too technical and never really got going.  The Investigator was a decent book - I really enjoy the main character, but the Texas oil plot line was slowwwwww moving. It really picked up at the end, and I see the author is going to continue the series, so I will give the second book a chance as well.