It's so hard to believe that 2018 is less than 48 hours away! 2017 has brought so many blessings, adventures, experiences, and friendships. We are so blessed. And my goodness, how things have changed since last New Year's! Last year we were in Boston at Shawn's parents for their family NYE party and now we get to celebrate it in South Carolina. Last year, there was a bunch of snow on the ground. This year, we will be having temps between 20 and 56 degrees and NO snow. Last year, we were preparing to put our house on the market officially, and spent a lot of our time packing, selling things, donating items, and cleaning up the house. This year, we are 100% mobile and have downsized (although we do want to go through what we do have and get rid of what we have found to be unnecessary).
A year in review:
Two days before the New Year, this is what we got!
We had to paint a LOT! But we did it!
February, Jen decided to give contacts another try, and we found our new home, our Georgie Boy!
March:
GOOD NEWS! Jen was accepted in to Graduate School to her #1 Choice!
We started our YouTube Channel: Get Lost! With Shawn & Jen! We started to learn how to take video, edit, add music, etc. We hope to have more talking in future videos! And we have a list of things we want to do in 2018 which means more videos!!
Jen got to present with Dr. Witzleben at a College English Association Conference in Hilton Head, SC on Charles Dickens' "Hunted Down" in March!
Although this photo wasn't taken in April, we bought the Blue Pearl in April - a Harley Davidson Fat Boy that was vital to our summer adventures!
Transitioning from April to May, we went to NYC and had a wonderful visit with Jen's grandparents, and Shawn began his love for a french press!! We had wonderful weather, too!
Shawn even went to the DENTIST in NYC! A MAJOR MILESTONE! (And P.S. - That dentist was amazing and we would definitely go back there. The other dentists we have seen were much more expensive and not nearly as helpful.)
In May, Jen was honored at an awards ceremony two days before graduation with FIVE honors! And then GRADUATION!!!
Remik also came up to Buffalo for a quick visit! We always love visiting with him!
In June, we had a MAJOR milestone. WE LEFT NEW YORK STATE!!!!
Shawn on our way to our FIRST STOP on the FIRST day! He's much more relaxed at the "helm" now, and knows how to navigate our 35 foot home PLUS 12 foot trailer and can tell when a semi truck is coming up on us and passing us. It's pretty amazing to see the road so high up!
We got to visit so many places. In June, we saw: Cincinnati, Elizabethtown KY, Nashville TN, Memphis TN and West Memphis AR, Grenada MS, Clinton MS, Slidell and New Orleans LA, Holt FL, Chattahoochee FL/Bainbridge GA, and Ocala FL. We saw SO much!!!
Mammoth Cave Historical Entrance, Kentucky:
Jim Beam Distillery, Kentucky
We got to make our own bottle of Knob Creek!
We visited the home where Abraham Lincoln was born
Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee (And a beautiful Gaylord Opryland Hotel walk beforehand!)
The Mississippi River from our campsite in West Memphis, Arkansas, less than 15 minutes from Memphis, Tennessee
The Woodruff-Fontaine House on Millionaire's Row in Memphis that we toured
Just outside of New Orleans, one of our favorite stops (and very educational and personal) at Kliebert's Alligator Farm. Jen never held an alligator before!
We went to see Oak Alley Plantation, and never get tired of looking at this view.
Jen especially imagined what it would be like to sit on this porch, look at the view, and enjoy a mint julep or fresh lemonade!
In July, we started the month in Ocala FL at Ocala North Campground and headed to Bushnell, FL to spend the 4th of July. We visited Weeki Wachee Springs where there are mermaids performing in the spring, a boat tour of the spring, animal shows, and a swimming hole with waterslides.
We also visited Dade Battlefield, partly pictured below.
We then traveled to just North of Atlanta and met up with an old Buffalo friend and stayed in a park that was ROARING with wildlife. It was right on Lake Lanier! After that, we began our hunt to find "home" for Graduate School. We definitely found the perfect place!
In August, Jen started Graduate School!
September brought a Hurricane that we ended up evacuating for because our area was under a tornado watch, high wind warning, flood warning, and more. We left home to Roanoke Rapids, NC to wait it out.
WE ALSO GOT MARRIED!!! It was such a perfect day, and we created so many memories! I might at some point do a vendor review on here to help out any other brides who are looking for some tips and reviews!
In October, we explored our area even more
In November, Shawn built a deck and we managed to stain it before his parents came down for Thanksgiving!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
We also made this addition to our home: a propane heater! (Yes, we open the window and vent to properly ventilate!) We LOVE this heater because it keeps us super warm and warms up the motorhome quickly!
And in December, we got to enjoy weather that was decent enough to go for some good motorcycle rides!
We saw beautiful sunsets:
We are also blessed to have such great new friends here. Martha MADE us a Christmas tree and an angel!
Jen got to decorate part of the pool area at work for Christmas, and had fun making the snowflakes! (After many years of inspiration from her Grandma making snowflakes and sending them in the mail, seeing them when visiting, and seeing them in photos!
Some of my takeaways from this past year:
Affirmations REALLY CAN help. My favorites:
- "I forgive myself and others for things from our past, knowing we were all doing the best we knew how at the time. I am free, and they are free, and now we go on to our greatest good."
- "The more I practice owning my power, the better I am moving with the flow of life. I am one with the energy of peace."
- "Don't be afraid of losing people. Be afraid of losing yourself by trying to please everyone."
Believe in yourself, and in the power of communication. No one is a mind reader, and with open communication, you can make a plan of action to help turn dreams in to a reality.
Dreams CAN become reality with some elbow grease and a good game plan!
Trust the process. Even if it's slow. Every step, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction.
Sometimes, it's pretty amazing to look back through the years and see just how far you've come and how you've changed, for the better.
An eyebrow wax or even a hair trim can make you feel like a million bucks.
Finding the right multivitamin can CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
Probiotics and probiotics are super helpful. Just find the one that reacts best to your body.
Tackle challenges (like Grad School) head on and with a game plan. Find people who support your goal and surround yourself with them.
Meet regularly with your professors, and if you can't meet in person, maintain communication via email.
Don't forget to update your resume'
Don't tell yourself, "I'll have to remember that for later." WRITE IT DOWN NOW.
Visit and explore as many places as you can!
Goals for 2018:
Become more "green" by finding biodegradable bags to start a compost pile to reduce waste.
Continue to de-clutter
Go on adventures (and document them!)
Start a dream fund to one day go overseas again within the next five years
Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, and blessed New Year! Here's to many more!! What are some things you learned this year?
