I took a bit of a holiday blogging hiatus. Bryce, is typically at work late every night and also just received a big promotion that will put him on the road a lot. He did, however, take off for the entirety of my vacation, so I have been soaking up every little bit of time with him, as well as time with family. I'm back and pumped for blogging in 2014!
I, for one, am happy that 2014 is here!
2013 was a tough year so I'm excited looking ahead to the future!
Today, I thought I would share a month by month photo tour of the year, hitting some of the highlights of each month.
Doing this has been fun and has given me an opportunity to reflect on the year and all the positive parts of a challenging year.
I'm also happy to report that this is my first blog post written on my new MacBook Pro! If y'all remember, I have been in need of a new computer for more than a year. My dad gave me an old laptop as a loaner, which allowed me to take the time to save up and invest in what I really wanted. That being said, I have been merging photos, music, and files from 3 different computers over the last week or so and am finally starting to feel "settled" on this new computer. Having a reliable computer also means that I am better able to blog moving into 2014 and I have quite a few things to blog about from my past year that are way overdue.
So here goes...look forward to reading more about some of these events in the coming months!
JANUARY
We kicked the year off with a getaway to Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
It was our first trip, just the two of us, and we had a blast.
We enjoyed the James Beard Foundation dinner that Bryce's stepbrother put on at Lemaire.
We went to the Chihuly exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
We enjoyed a little snow.
We sadly lost sweet Honcho after he was hit by a car.
FEBRUARY
I visited my best friend, AMF, and we explored Old Lucketts Store in Leesburg, Virginia.
(full post coming soon)
Bryce and I "camped in" for Valentine's day.
MARCH
We celebrated St. Patrick's Day with friends at Shamrock the Block.
Bryce turned 26 on a snowy day at the end of March!
APRIL
I visited one of my oldest friends, ARS, in Orlando.
(full post coming soon)
We did lots of gardening and yard work...
MAY
We celebrated my mom's 50th!
I enjoyed my first Teacher Appreciation Week.
I hosted Mother's Day brunch at Bryce's house.
AMF visited over Memorial Day weekend.
Bryce went to London for 10 days and I surprised him with dessert and champagne al fresco on the night of his return!
I went to the Richmond Greek Festival for the very first time!
We danced the night away at an engagement party for Bryce's cousin.
JUNE
We kicked off my summer with a weekend trip to Charlottesville for a friend's wedding.
We celebrated Father's Day with brunch at Strawberry Street Cafe.
Bryce and I watched the sunrise on a weekend trip to Big Meadows in the Blue Ridge Moutains.
JULY
We enjoyed Fourth of July at the rivah with Bryce's family.
We celebrated our 2 year anniversary of dating with dinner at Can Can, the location of our first date!
I celebrated CLW's engagement with a bunch of girlfriends!
We headed to Nags Head for our annual beach trip with Bryce's dad, stepmom, and grandmother!
(full post coming soon)
AUGUST
We celebrated my dad's birthday with dinner at Edo Squid followed by dessert at Bryce's!
We celebarted CLW's birthday with an RVA Brewery Tour!
We bought lemonade from The Cuties.
I made my first pot roast!
I went back to school for Teacher Work Week...our theme this year is "Rockin' Our Way to SOL Success" and Kindergarten was assigned the 50s!
SEPTEMBER
We spent a weekend at the rivah for Bryce's cousin's wedding.
We walked to brunch one morning!
Bryce and his best friend brewed their first pumpkin beer and also won some awards in the Dominion Cup brewing competition!
OCTOBER
Our friends, Sarah and Chad, got hitched!
Bryce was a groomsmen and won the skeet shooting competition before the wedding!
Courtesy of Chris Frick Photography
Courtesy of Chris Frick Photography
We hosted a Pumpkin Carving Party!
Bryce came to school and carved a pumpkin with my kiddos!
We were disappointed by the first annual Boulevard Pumpkin Festival...where were all the pumpkins!?
Bryce made these candy corn rice krispy treats for a charity bake sale at work!
We celebrated Halloween with friends.
NOVEMBER
We spent a weekend at the rivah and went to the Virginia Wine and Oyster Classic.
(full post coming soon)
We spent a long weekend in Easton, Maryland for the Waterfowl Festival. My favorite artist from the Festival last year was the featured artist this year!
(full post coming soon)
I surprised Bryce with a date night-in, picnic style!
(recipes coming soon!)
I turned 25 on Thanksgiving!
CWC spent his wedding eve with us and we spoiled him with a big brunch on the morning of his big day!
Later that night, we handed out programs, danced the night away and had an amazing time at their wedding!
DECEMBER
We went to some Christmas parties...
Commonwealth Club Christmas Open House
Bryce's Work Party...right after he was announced as the new Regional Business Manager!!!
CLW and I at the party she and her roommates hosted!
I made an ornament wreath!
Bryce and I checked out The Jefferson's Christmas decorations and then made our way to 3 different restaurants all in one night!
We made a pit stop in Williamsburg for the day en route to CLW's engagement party.
Lunch at The Trellis
We ate, drank, and were "marry" at CLW's party!
I tried Rent the Runway for the first time and was thrilled with this Shoshanna pretty!
Bryce made eggnog with his family's recipe that is 150 years old!
I made Christmas cookies with my cousin!
I enjoyed a mimosa on Christmas morning and the rest of the day with my family.
We patched up the gallery wall spot and moved my stuff out of the apartment...Bryce and I are now officially roomies!
And finally, we rang in 2014 with some of our best friends!
(full post coming soon!)
Has it been a busy year for you?
All this reminiscing has really caused me to reflect on the past year. Come back next week for my reflections on 2013's resolutions and to hear what I'll be focusing on in the year ahead!
Have a great day!