2016 was a good one for our little family. It was filled with travel and adventurous road trips, good food and great friends. Most importantly, it was a year filled with time with family and time spent together. We watched our little man grow up from a tiny puppy to a 65 pound tornado of energy, we replaced or repainted every single surface in our home (and, no, that was not a dramatic exaggeration…), and we enjoyed every moment together.
Although 2016 was a bit of a roller coaster ride for the world as a whole, I remain thankful every single day for all the good in the world and for my family with the happiness and love they bring into my life every single day. Here’s a look back at love and the blog this year – and 2017, welcome! I’m ready for ya.
january:
We played with our new little man and began demo on our house – removing walls, kitchens, floors, and doors. We also struggled in picking the paint colors for the new space and went to a family friend’s wedding.
february:
Progress was made in the kitchen as cabinets, sinks, and countertops were installed. I took a trip to LA for work and received some sweet videos from my boys back home. We continued to find ways to love on and restraining little Sampson, Cameron laid the new floors, and we had a lovely date night at Keys on Main.
march:
We took advantage of the beginnings of the lovely, spring sunshine at the beach, the brick went up at home, and I became truly passionate about cooking.
april:
The chalkboard wall of my dreams became a reality, we got some new patio furniture to enjoy that aforementioned sunshine, and we planted our first garden in the backyard! We went to a M’s game, kept decorating the new space, and watched as Sampson picked off our flower pots, one by one.
may:
The legendary Spooner strawberry season arrived to much rejoicing, we fell head over heels for Bend as we visited for my 24th birthday, my parents surprised us with a reno of our front porch, and our garden started producing goodies!
june:
I read up on removing non-toxic products from our home and lifestyle, visited family in Central Point, and enjoyed having Justin around for a bit of the summer. Anddddd…after years of wanting to write more and join the blogosphere, this blog made its debut.
july:My progress in the kitchen marched forward as I successfully learned how to make homemade bread and failed to create a festive 4th of July cake (tex mex dip to the rescue!). We met Cameron’s newest cousin and savored our weekly Saturday morning pilgrimage to the farmer’s market.
august:
We celebrated our first wedding anniversary in the San Juan Islands (more on our wedding here and here), went to the weddings of several friends, and I made my first batch of homemade pasta.
september:
I continued cooking up a storm with some homemade applesauce and a mojito fruit salad, savored the sunshine with Sampson, and we enjoyed a weekend with Justin in Colorado.
october:
After welcoming fall by trying my very first PSL and making some pumpkin spice creamer, we ventured back to Bend for Cameron’s 26th birthday. We also celebrated Sampson’s first birthday on Halloween, Cameron began his teaching career as a long term substitute, and pomegranates came back in season.
november:
We declared the remodel OFFICIALLY DONE to much celebration and enjoyed thanksgiving with my family.
december:
As we savored the Christmas season, we got a tree, stockings, ornaments. We went to holiday parties and spend Christmas Day with family in Mexico (video and photos coming soon!).
And finally, if you are in a blog reading mood, here’s a roundup of my favorite posts from the past six months. Enjoy and Happy New Year!!
FOOD:
HOME:
LIFE:
Real Actors Reading Yelp Reviews (SO FUNNY)
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