Best of 2014

I have really been slacking on "blogging consistency" lately. Let's just say December got away from me!

1. I got slammed with a 15 days course of bronchitis, while trying to get ready for Christmas.
2. We had a week trip home with my family, which seriously filled my heart with more joy than I could ever explain.
3. Then I got the stomach flu and spent 2 days writhing in fevers and nausea. (on our last days of the trip home)
4. We had a 14 hour day of travel back home, where we picked up our new puppy.
5. I went straight back to work, while trying to figure out how to take care of a puppy.
6. And then it was midnight of January 1, 2015!!

Whaa???...

I have so much to talk about, but before 2014 gets away from me and just becomes a date I keep writing......let me do a recap of my favorite moments of 2014! (in chronological order)

• My few weekend trips to Alamogordo, NM to visit Ryan while he lived there for 6 months. Alamogordo is nothing to "write home" (or blog) about. But we made the best of our weekends. I loved packing my car before work in the mornings, making the drive after work with butterflies in my tummy, and meeting him with a kiss in the parking lot of his hotel. Our weekends were simple because of his study schedule, but they are held close in my heart.

 

(Ryan took me to see White Sands Missile Range. These was quite a site!)

• Our ski trip to Breckenridge, CO with his flight school buddies. We rented a gorgeous home, split between 12 of us, and I almost killed myself snowboarding attempted to snowboard. It was such a fun, crazy, last minute, spontaneous trip. We had a blast!

(at the top of a 3 MILE run where I tried to learn how to snowboard....bad decision)

(Day 2: cross country skiing :D)

• Our "backpacking trip" to Ruidoso, NM. Where we got snowed up. So we ended up renting a cabin in the woods and watching movies all night instead. Another memory I hold closely.

I didn't pack anything "pretty" - so we stopped at a boutique, and I purchased a pair of jeans and a top. I just "happened" to have a pair of heels in the car... )

• My birthday celebration. I co-celebrated with my friend, Heather. We had brunch with our group of ladies, and spent the afternoon poolside at the Hilton El Conquistodor. Heather and I both like to be the center of attention. So when we made our entrance to the brunch, our friends asked everyone in the restaurant to do a standing-ovation-slow-clap upon our entrance. #princesses

We found the groom-to-be who was getting married that day.

I started out my morning hiking with a few girlfriends! Perfect start to the day.

• My year of races. 26.2 in Phoenix, 10 mile trail in Tucson, 13.1 in Oro Valley, 6.2 Obstacle Run, 3.1 Meet Me Downtown, Ragnar Napa, and Ragnar Trail McDowell Mountain, Soma 70.3 in Phoenix. Not bad!

 

• My Mom and Dad's visit to Tucson for Easter weekend. We had beautiful weather, and spending 1:1 time with them always is such a great time! Ryan even was able to sneak away from flight school in NM for 48 hours to see them, too!

  

 

• Our 1st backpacking trip along the Black River in eastern AZ. Crossing the river 28 times and "living off the land for 3 days was quite the challenge! I would do it again in a heartbeat! (If only we had more free weekends......

• A few spur of the moment camping trips that we snuck away to do! Especially our canoeing trip down the Salt River where we encountered the wild horses!

• Our trip to Minnesota this summer. We got quality time with my parents and Ryan's Mom, swam and played with our nieces & nephews, met my sister's boyfriend, and had many peaceful evenings out on the lake.

• All the hours of training with my Desert Tri Girls. We have a great bond, and I look forward to many more miles with these amazing, strong women!

• Our trip to San Francisco to Napa. Amazing memories made! I fell in love with Northern California.....

• Completing my first (maybe final) 70.3. I beat myself up right away. But now, I can just look back and say, "Wow, I did that!"

• Our final trip home for Christmas. I had so much fun baking and chatting with my mom, ice fishing with Ryan and my Dad, playing and giggling with our nephews, and getting to talk to my Grandma.

•  And finally, getting to bring this guy home after our Christmas trip.  

Meet "Miles", a little addition to our family. He sure does take up a lot of time, but he's pretty darn cute!

 

 

 

 

My apologies for the lengthy post, but 2014 was pretty dang awesome! It's funny, as I quantify the year. I forget about the bad days. It's as if they never even happened! Good reminder as I move forward!

My apologies for the very lengthy post. Just so much to recap!

What were your favorite moments of 2014?