For the fifth year, I want to take a moment and pause to remember this year. I am incredulous over the fact that another year is over. Really? Wasn’t I just getting home from our Puerto Rico trip last month? You mean it’s been an entire year?
It’s been a bit of a wild ride this year. Let’s review:
Bought nothing for the month. Got an iPhone. Designed a website for Lacey. Designed a website for Neil. Wrote a lot about our trip to Puerto Rico. Went sled riding. Drank wine and ate cupcakes at an Arthritis Foundation fundraiser with Rachel. Did my taxes for my business for the first time.
Another month of buying nothing (gotta make up for all the traveling!). Practiced yoga daily. For Lent, I tried to not use screens while talking to someone. (I need to reinstate this. Badly.) Spent a weekend in Cleveland for a mini winter getaway.
Got pregnant! Designed and developed a lawyer’s website and a non-profit post-graduate service website (which was probably my favorite project of the year!).
First paid blogging gig. Discovered that pregnancy was a miscarriage. Was crushed.
My annual social media fast month. Trip to DC for Mike’s conference. Launched Finding Marketing website and a fashion blogger’s website.
Threw my mom a surprise 50th birthday party. Drove to Chicago to photograph a wedding. Planted a garden for the third year in a row.
Designed a site for a gorgeous model-slash-actress. Redesigned my own sites. Met a celebrity at my local Starbucks. Got rid of some junk (note: need to do more of this in 2014). Got pregnant again & had another miscarriage. Confirmed it the day before we left for Hawaii.
Went to Hawaii. Miscarriage still drawn out. Went on a super fun girls road trip to Chicago and Springfield, Illinois with friends. Had another d&c.
Gabe turned 3 and started preschool. Got repeat pregnancy loss testing, results were all normal. Traveled to Palms Springs, California for a female designer retreat.
Quit my job to focus on Little Leaf 100%, found out I was pregnant once again, turned 29. Took Kyla‘s wonderful e-course.
Road trip to the farm in West Virginia for a weekend. Felt like crap due to pregnancy…can’t remember much else.
Made it to the second trimester! Chopped of 12 inches of my hair and celebrated Christmas with lots of Christmassy things.
This year had some bright spots (Hawaii! Road trips with friends! Palm Springs!), but it’s obvious I spent much of year in a terrible cycle of pregnancy-loss-grief (and I have the stack of medical bills to prove it). I hoped for a better year business-wise, too. Instead of dwelling on the negative (WORST YEAR), I want to focus on how I kept going. I was stronger than I ever thought I could be. That is what I take away from 2013. I want to take that into 2014 and make it a great year. Because it has to be better, right?
Let’s go, 2014! Be awesome!
Past year reviews: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009
I’m sooo happy that your 2013 ended on a good note. I hope that your 2014 is filled with happiness and endless blessings. <3
I missed so much of your year when my feeds got messed up. I really thought you’d just stopped blogging! I had no idea you’d quit your job to focus full-time on design. Mazal tov! Big things to come for you in 2014. <3
I’m glad that after a hard year, it’s ending on a high note with a baby on the way! Here’s to a good 2013, and hopefully an even better 2014! <3
Seems like 2013 was a crappy year for a number of people I know. May 2014 exceed all expectations and be the year when your beautiful family grows from three to four!
I love posts like these- so much clicking around to be done!
My 3 year old just had brain surgery and we were told initially that it would all be out-of-network. We were encouraged to appeal this, which we did, and they reversed their decision. I haven’t the slightest idea what your insurance does or does not do with your miscarriages- I just write that out to say that the financial part of a medical situation really adds a layer of stress and suckiness. And I’m sorry you have to deal with that!
Excited to see what 2014 brings!