I’ve been writing my Year in Review since 2005. You can read past year’s reviews here.

2014 in a nutshell: We got married. Or we moved.

2014 saw some of the biggest changes we’ve experienced in life. Josh and I got married. A couple months later we moved out of the house the kids and I had lived in since 2001. Moving was (hopefully) one of the last big consequences of the divorce. I stopped running the free clinic for the church due to budget cutbacks and our community really changed. 2014 felt like for everything I gained, I lost something equally as valuable.

I’m going into the new year living life a little slower than I have for the past several years. I’m shifting my extra time towards Tangle and really focusing on taking care of myself and my new little family. I’m finding myself more content with what I have, learning to sit with loneliness and not run from all of the feelings that come and then go. I spent some time in therapy this year, working through all the “leftovers” that have come up now that I’m safe enough to deal with them. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that I do the best when I let my heart be broken for the world around me and focus on all the good I have. Thankfulness and hope are the “drugs” that get me through. I’ve also learned that the value other people communicate to me does not have to speak louder than the value I find in myself. It’s been a season of boundaries and pendulum swings that are settling me right in the middle of where I need to be. I’m learning to trust myself when all I’ve ever been told is that I can’t and shouldn’t. It’s been work, but it’s been worth it. It’ll keep being worth it.

Travel
•Josh traveled quite a bit for work doing tech support for some new technology (iBeacons) he implemented for one of his conference apps.
•We took a few trips to Denver to soak up the city and shop for wedding clothes.
•We honeymooned in Denver, San Fransisco and San Diego. It was relaxing and perfect.
•We got to hang out on the Green River for the 2nd annual Riverpalooza.
•Had our second annual family reunion at my grandma’s place in Wyoming.
•Went up to the mountains to celebrate my cousin’s wedding just a few weeks after ours.
•I rafted/camped with all the boys over Labor Day Weekend.

Eden
•Lost both of her pet rats to sickness. They’re buried in the backyard of our old house next to her pet snake, Lightning.
•Wrote a beautiful and heartbreaking poem about her family.
•Turned 12. We celebrated with a plethora of giggly girls (not) sleeping in the living room.
•Grew taller than Carrie.
•Was awarded the Directors Award for all of 6th grade choir.
•Graduated 6th grade and started 7th.
•Dyed her hair hot pink.
•Sang her first solo.
•Learned how to play the guitar.
•Dressed up as Strawberry Shortcake for Halloween.

Honor
•Graduated 4th grade and started 5th.
•Had a seriously hard time with moving out of the only house he’s ever known.
•Turned 11 and celebrated with his buddies in our new family room.
•Became a pescatarian.
•Dressed up as a ninja for Halloween.
•Competed in his first Lego League competition.

Me
•Through my new little company, Kindred Creative, I got to design the menus, including a custom font, for my favorite restaurant, Bin 707. I also got to design several wedding invites/suites, logos, postcards and other business marketing materials. So much fun.
•Got to tell my redemption story at church with this video.
•Started working on my personal manifesto.
•Spent most of the year sick with sinus infections. I think my body was finally done with the extreme stress and fast pace I was living at.
•Talked about vulnerability on Carrie’s podcast, Honestly, Dear Listener.
•Started running Downtown Coffee for the church after we got back from our honeymoon. We’re open just on Sunday mornings. It’s so fun being a barista.
•Spent some time with Elliott when his mama was super sick with her second pregnancy. Got him to say my name.
•Turned 33.
•Dressed up as a vampire for Halloween.
•Had fun with the girls at the 2nd Flower Potluck.

Josh
•Developed some really cool apps. One for Oprah, one that tracks the People in Space and one that allows you to email reminders to yourself to name a few.
•Spoke at The West Leadership Conference.
•Designed and developed the new website for Downtown Grand Junction. It was a fun collaboration with me because I’m on the marketing committee for Downtown GJ.
•Became a parent to two kids in one fell swoop.
•Turned 33.
•Shaved his beard for his Halloween costume. It took me two weeks to recognize him.
•Built a heated dog house for the dog and cat to share.

We
•Got engaged.
•Established a family tradition: Sunday Morning Breakfast
•Also established “family dinner” with Seth and Carrie on Thursday nights.
•Designed some killer invites for our wedding.
•Got married on a perfect June day with all of the people we love surrounding us. There was great food and drinks and candles and balloons and twinkle lights and flowers in my hair.
•Packed up our little, yellow house and moved a mile away to my favorite Main Street. Now we live on the same street as Tangle, just 10 blocks away.
•Celebrated our Pumpkin Carving Party –  abbreviated this year with just a few friendies.
•Hosted THE Christmas Party, giving Amy a break. Our new house was perfect for celebrating.
•Celebrated real hard when our terrible neighbors moved out. They were the only downfall to our new house.

Tangle
•Got some cute, new shirts. (designed by me!)
•Took out our first loan and expanded our fabric.
•Got a new sign.
•Hosted our first pop-up shop with 3 Leaf Floral.
•Installed our temporary knitted art installation, Knit on the Corner. Then had it all destroyed by a “prominent” member of our community. Really.
•Turned 8.
•Got an Instagram.
•Started advertising on bus benches.

Our Year in Instagram:

Some of my favorite tweets from 2014: