I always like to end the year with a recap of all that happened during the year, but I'm not going to lie, thinking of 2016 and putting it all into one post seems overwhelming. So. Much. Happened!
I'm going to give it my best shot though, plus I'm including my favorite blog posts for the month. Here we go!
We kicked off 2016 in Miami celebrating a victory for our Tigers in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Then made the long drive home. Yes, we drove from Miami to DC, but not straight, we made a stop in Amelia Island overnight with family.
In JANUARY my family made a visit to come see us with Maria who was with them for the year from Spain. She got to see snow for the first time! Speaking of snow, we ended getting four feet dumped in our front yard during a big snow storm!
(one of my overall best performing posts)
FEBRUARY brought us back to Richmond to see all our friends there, it was so awesome to see all our people again. We also had our besties, Tyler and Mikael, come visit for a weekend of DC fun!
Six Years Ago I Said "Yes" (our Clemson football field engagement)
MARCH was super busy with Mary's bachelorette in NYC, me attending SXSW in Austin for work (the longest I've ever left Sully!), Easter, a really fun visit with our Ohio family and Ryan at a bachelor party in Key West.
APRIL didn't slow down either, if anything it was the craziest month yet, with a visit from Nana and Papa, a bachelorette party at the lake in South Carolina, Sully's 1st birthday and me at the Southern C Summit with Allie in Charleston (little did we know we'd be moving there in three months). We also were featured in a Southern Wedding's home tour and celebrated Sully's birthday party in Greenville where I even got to see my little brother go to prom.
(one of my personal favorite posts of all time)
In MAY we celebrated Ryan's birthday and then our 5th anniversary by attending two weddings on the same day, one in Greenville and the other I was in as a bridesmaid in Charleston. We also snuck in a trip to the lake with my family. And Sully took swim lessons. Phew!
Day 1 of the Southern C Summit (5 Takeaways)
Things finally started to slow down in JUNE with the exception of one of the most gorgeous weddings we've ever been to in Charleston. It was also the month we announced we were moving to Charleston and started looking at neighborhoods where we'd like to live.
JULY was a blur as we said goodbye to Arlington and our dear friends Catherine and Will, along with our sweet nanny Wendy and nanny share bestie Ava! We moved straight to temporary housing in a little apartment on Daniel Island in Charleston which honestly was a nice little transition. This put house hunting into full force and we fit in some mini visits with my Richmond Allie and our Ohio Ali before heading to the beach to see my family very briefly.
In AUGUST we began to settle in to our new life of me working remotely and Ryan's new job. We fit in a Hootie concert on the island where we were living and hopped over the bridge to the Isle of Palms for family vacation on Ryan's side. We also had Nana and Papa visit right before we started packing for Europe.
(if you love The Notebook, you will love this post)
Lilly Pulitzer Monogrammed Baby Bonnet (so cute!)
SEPTEMBER kicked off with us jumping on a jet plane to head to the Amalfi Coast in Italy and then on to Paris before getting home to our girl who we were missing desperately. Right after Europe, I treated my sister to a VIP experience where we met Meghan Trainor and saw her concert here in Charleston (thank you for the invite Tampax!). Then we made it to Charlotte to celebrate our friend's gorgeous wedding!
(no matter your team)
OCTOBER kicked off at our fifth annual Clemson trip. It included a fun surprise this year when my bestie Sam got engaged! We also closed on our house this month! Not without some fun surprises of course, including Hurricane Matthew coming through right when we got all our belongings dropped off from back up north. We evacuated to Camden and luckily were spared, just having some yard clean up. Last but not least, we celebrated Halloween with our little pink flamingo!
(Annual Clemson Weekend)
NOVEMBER was all about getting settled in our new home and hosting friends and family. Plus the engagement of some of our other best Richmond friends! My family paid a visit, Ryan attended his annual "man weekend" while one of my high school bestie's visited me and Sully in Charleston. My Nana and Aunt Kristen visited too and then we hosted Ryan's family for Thanksgiving. It was such a fun month having so many people in our new city and home!
DECEMBER has been so nice thus far! We took our Christmas card pictures, I re-joined the Junior League down here after having a great experience in Richmond and I went to a wreath making class at Fritz Porter with Nana as her Christmas gift. We headed to Camden to celebrate Christmas with Ryan's family first and then on to Greenville to celebrate with my family. We also fit my birthday on Christmas Eve in between, I can't believe it's the last year in my 20s!
We're really looking forward to ringing in the new year in Asheville and absolutely cannot wait for all 2017 has to hold. We already know we've got two bachelorette/bachelor parties, bridal showers, two weddings, Sully's 2nd birthday, Ryan's birthday, friends having sweet babies and a conference for me all before July!
photo cred: Aaron & Jillian Photography
As I look back on this year, I'm just in awe and feeling so incredibly BLESSED!
I'm in awe of my husband for how hard he works and how much he loves our little family. He worked harder this year than he ever has and it's amazing how God worked to present the opportunity to Ryan that he did in our home state. The value of getting closer to family and friends is honestly overwhelming, I cry a lot thinking about this blessing God gave us (ha!).
We couldn't have done any of the above without the love support and abundance of prayers from our family and our friends. Thank you all who answered and listened to me on so many phone calls. Thank you for letting me cry those tears, stress out a lot, laugh, scream in giddy excitement and oh so much more. I love you all. So. Much.
Finally... thank YOU! Not the collective "you", YOU right there, who made it all the way to the end of this post. Thank you for reading this little blog and supporting me with your views, clicks, comments, likes, shares and so much more. This little creative outlet is so needed for me as a place to document our lives and connect. I can't say thank you enough for your support and making me feel like I'm not just talking to myself right here (although, that's ok too). Thanks a million! Seriously.
photo cred: Jennifer Collins Photography
Ok I've gabbed on enough, but the closing of such a big year is such a big deal! Here's to hoping this next year is just as exciting, but mayyybe just a little more steady :).
Au Revoir 2016!
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