Well friends, the time has
come again to close out another year. I
have to say that I’m not having any qualms about saying goodbye to 2017. 2017 has been a year plagued by illness,
heartbreaks, and trials for our family as well as natural disasters, terrorist
attacks, and general division of our nation as a whole. There’s been lots of sadness and frustration
this year and I am looking forward to a fresh start in 2018.
I came across this meme on Facebook not too long ago and I died laughing because this is exactly how I feel about this year:
I came across this meme on Facebook not too long ago and I died laughing because this is exactly how I feel about this year:
A few of the reasons why I’m
ready to say goodbye to 2017…
It was the year that doctors
thought that Olivia could possibly have some serious issues with her
kidneys. After many appointments and
lots of testing, we found out that she did not.
Praise the Lord.
It was the year that B left
town for business for a week in January and I had pretty much one of the worst
weeks of my life. Everything that could
go wrong went wrong. This was when all
of the issues popped up with Olivia’s kidneys so I had to handle everything
alone, and to top it all off she also fell on her head/neck twice that week,
and both times were so bad I thought she would end up in the hospital. Thank God for extended family who helped me
get through that week without losing my sanity.
It was the year of tornados and more tornados, and the hurricane here in our city and pretty much everywhere else in Georgia
It was the year that my
allergies have raged more than ever and in turn kept me sick for almost half
the year. Literally. In May I was sicker than I have ever been in
my entire life and it ended with me having to be driven to acute care for a
steroid shot because I was at the point where I couldn’t even drive myself.
It was the year where I also
had lots of other health issues as well that I didn’t really get into much here
on the blog – abdominal issues, some odd swelling in my extremities, exhaustion
here and there, and hormonal issues, and my chronic pain was also worse than
ever this year.
It was the year that I got a
stomach virus for the first time in years.
It was the year that I
finally had the guts to attempt to cure my chronic pain with a series of
experimental procedures with a specialist in Atlanta
It was the year that it
rained for half of our beach trip and was waaaay too warm for our fall mountain
trip (minor things, but still frustrating even though we made the most of it).
It was the year that we decided to keep Olivia at her current school for one more year so she could have Jacob's old teacher who we adored, only to have the teacher quit two weeks into the school year and us regret not just moving her to Jacob's school.
It was the year that we decided to keep Olivia at her current school for one more year so she could have Jacob's old teacher who we adored, only to have the teacher quit two weeks into the school year and us regret not just moving her to Jacob's school.
It was the year that my
cousin (who is my age) was diagnosed with lung and colon cancer, both in very
late stages. She is still fighting and
your prayers are much appreciated.
It was the year that my
uncle was hospitalized and placed in a nursing home as he is no longer fit to
take care of himself due to his Alzheimer’s.
It was the year that my
grandmother (mom’s mom) experienced some serious heart issues and was
hospitalized on multiple occasions resulting in her having to get a
pacemaker. I’m happy to report that she
is back to her lively, energetic, and spunky self!
It was the year that my
other grandmother (dad’s mom) went downhill with her blindness and many other
illnesses, some bad falls, and some broken bones which required surgery.
It was the year that my
step-grandmother was hospitalized for weeks with severe pneumonia.
It was the year that my aunt
had to have a major heart surgery for some issues she has been having.
It was the year that my
parents’ dog suffered several strokes and a major decline in health.
It was the year that
numerous friends of friends and relatives died way too young.
It was the year that my
supervisor was laid off which also eventually lead to me being forced out of my job that I’ve had for the last 13 years.
It was the year that I accidentally left a boiling pot of water on the stove for too long, and it caught on fire and could have burned the house down.
It was the year that I accidentally left a boiling pot of water on the stove for too long, and it caught on fire and could have burned the house down.
It was the year of deadly
earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and the deadliest mass shooting in American
history. The year that we swore in our
most controversial president in history which created a great divide in our
nation. The year of a never-ending
stream of sexual harassment accusations directed at our leaders and other
prominent figures in our culture.
Whew.
2017 has been overwhelming
to say the least. And while nothing
earth-shattering happened to our little family that we can’t overcome, the
little things sure added up to cause a lot of heartbreak and general
frustration.
However, there is always always good with the bad, and those are
the moments that we all need to remember to cling to. We had so many highs with our lows this year,
and for that I’m incredibly grateful.
So in addition to all of the bad things in 2017, there are many things
that I will always love about 2017…
It was the year that we
celebrated the last birthday for Brian in his 30’s.
Atlanta, GA - Lego Land
LaGrange, GA - Sunflowers & Fall Stuff
The Rock, GA - Rock Ranch
Athens, GA - UGA vs. Kentucky
It was the year that we took
two big family vacations as well as one vacation alone together.
Panama City Beach, FL - Day 1 / Day 2 / Days 3 & 4 / Day 5 / Days 6 & 7 / By the Numbers
Nashville, TN - Day 1 / Days 2 & 3 / By the Numbers
Hayesville, NC - Days 1 & 2 / Days 3 & 4 / By the Numbers
It was the year that we
celebrated Jacob’s sixth birthday.
Interview
It was the year that we went
to six concerts, two of which are in my top five of best concerts I’ve ever
been to!
Ed Sheeran Concert
It was the year that I went out lots with friends... with and without kiddos!
It was the year that we made
it to our first Georgia game as a family of four, and it was also the year that
our Dawgs won the SEC Championship with an opportunity to make it into the
National Championship… we are still dying to find out what happens with that!
It was the year that toward
the end, I finally figured out the solutions to some of my health issues that
had been plaguing me and I finally, finally
found someone who is helping with my chronic pain issues after six long
years. I know I haven’t yet discussed
this on the blog, but I promise to address it eventually. I just want to make sure that this is finally
it.
It was the year that we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary.
It was the year that we
celebrated all of the holidays better than we ever have before!
It was the year that I
shared several new yummy recipes with you here on the blog.
It was the year that I
shared several fun DIY projects with you.
It was the year that I
hosted my first permanent link-ups and the year that I had several amazing
sponsorships.
And since this is
technically supposed to be a Five on Friday post, I thought I would leave you
with my top five most viewed posts that were written in 2017. Instead of starting with one, like I usually
do, I’m going to start with five and work my way to number one. I have to keep the suspense, right?!
This post is currently at
1,670 views and I have no clue why it was the fifth most popular post of the
year. Lol. So random!
This post is currently at
1,975 views and growing. And it’s crazy
because I just posted this a couple of weeks ago and it’s already the fourth
most popular post of the year! I guess
my cute little Pinterest graphic is helping it right along. :o)
This post is currently at
2,244 views and it’s another one that I have no idea why it was so
successful. I guess people like to read
about our weekends!
This post is currently at
2,438 views and growing and I totally understand why this one is my second
highest viewed post that I wrote in 2017!
I made a pretty Pinterest graphic for this post as well so I’m sure the
repins are helping it along as well.
O N E – How I Grew My Instagram Following by 2K in 2Months (Without Following & Unfollowing)
And finally, this post was
my most popular post of 2017 by a landslide.
It is currently at 9,877 views and still growing. This comes as no surprise to me since 2017
was the year that everybody and their grandma started trying to make it big on
Insta.
Before I go, I do
have to mention that my most viewed post of all time is still my very first
blog post that I ever did back in 2015 – Olivia Cate’s Pink and Gold First Birthday Party. It’s now at 142,802 views and still going strong… thanks, Pinterest!
And finally, just for fun, here are my best nine (most liked) photos on Instagram this year:
Cheers to 2018!! And 2017... BYE FELICIA!!And finally, just for fun, here are my best nine (most liked) photos on Instagram this year:
*Linking up with A Liz Adventures and Carolina Charm for Five on Friday, A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites, September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre for Friday Favorites, and Cup of Tea for High Five for Friday.
