2013 Year In Review

2013 has been a good year for me. I think that life has it's ups and downs and the year 2013 was no different. I do believe that getting through tough times make you stronger and more determined.

• March 2013- I went to Mexico with my handsome man and his family. It was my first time going to another country for more than a day trip (I went on a cruise in 2011). We stayed at a beautiful all inclusive in Cancun.

• April 2013- My boo thang popped the question! The Mr. and I got engaged and he found the perfect ring! He actually proposed twice. The first time was on a Friday afternoon. He came home from happy hour with some of his co-workers and started the convo with, "We need to talk."  I thought my ass was about to be looking for a new place to live. The convo ended with, "I think we should get married." My oh so romantic response, "We'll talk about it in the morning." Obviously, the conversation went well :) The second time was the official proposal :) My man went above and beyond to find a ring I would love that could be sized down enough to fit (you can't tell but my ring finger is a 3-3.5). On a Tuesday afternoon, I get a text asking if I want him to bring me lunch. My response is a resounding yes! When he shows up at my office I noticed he had no food bags... So, my hangry butt is giving him the stank eye. He comes up to the front door of the building and drops to one knee! I got a legit proposal :) The joke was on us though, the ring that was special ordered in my size was still too big and slid off my hand! I wore a sizer for the first week or so until we could get to the jeweler and have it sized. 

                                

• June 2013- Relay for Life of Shawnee went down! The past two years I was the Public Relations chair for the Relay for Life of Shawnee. I whored myself out to all the media outlets to raise money for the American Cancer Society. I had a lot of fun both years! I won't be participating in 2014's Relay because I am the Maid of Honor in a May wedding and have my wedding in July, so I won't be able to give it my all. 

• July 19th 2013- we bought a house! July was filled with looking at houses, putting in a bid, and paperwork! Then, we packed up our rental house and moved it into OUR HOME! We spent July unpacking and setting up our house. We deliberately bought a house that we could make our own, so we knew our future was going to be filled with DIY projects. We painted every single room and cleaned from top to bottom. We had our yard completely cleared out, as it was totally overgrown. I have to give massive props to my friends for helping me to clean AND paint in exchange for booze. 
  
• August through October 2013- My man and Big T created the workout room. When we bought the house we knew we needed a place to put the weight benches, elliptical, kettlebells, and have space to workout. There was an unfinished room at the back of the garage, so off to work the boys went. They turned a stinky spot filled with crap into room with real walls! This is now an insulated room with electricity, laminate flooring, a window and AC unit, and ceiling fan. 

• November 2013- My grandfather passed away. It was a really rough time between work and family needs. There was a lot of phone calls and visits to his house that occurred. My Aunt took care of so much, I have to admire her strength in caring for her father during his illness and then planning his services. 
• November 2013- My clinical training plan got approved! I am so excited to learn more about my profession and to become a better social worker. I feel like the more I know, the more change that I can be a part of. I got to date my hours back to October, which was amazeballs! I started my weekly meetings with my supervisor asap! My boo thangs birthday was at the end of the month, so we had a great night out with his parents to celebrate. 
• December 2013- It's hard for me not to love December. There is so much amazing stuff that happens in December. There is my birthday, my Grandma's birthday, my Mom's birthday, Christmas, fun timewith family aaaannnddd I get an extra long holiday break, Christmas lights, and to wear scarves & boots. December is sorta the best month ever. December gives me back my energy to keep going. Oh, and the boys also updated our living room this December!

I know that 2014 is going to be a great year too :) We have our wedding planned for July and I know that even more amazing things are going to happen!

What are some of your best memories of 2013? Is there anything planned for 2014 that you can't wait for?