1. Moving to Florida
It only felt fitting that a cross-country move topped our list of Top 10 in 2017. Moving from Indiana to Florida was definitely the biggest thing to happen to us in 2017. We are excited for Josh’s new job and to start working with our new church family. We are also in the final steps of getting a new house. However, we are sad to leave some of our dearest friends. For more about our big move, check out our moving blog!
2. Five Year Anniversary
December 27th marked Josh and my 5 year anniversary! And within 5 short years, we have lived in 3 states, traveled to 29 major cities across the world, and watched way too much Netflix. We also have several anniversary traditions. On the day of, we had an Italian dinner at Mesa de Note to remind us of our honeymoon in Rome. We also always travel somewhere new! We haven’t decided yet if our move counts for that. 😉 But, we did spend a few days in St. Augustine anyways. Finally, I always watch Our Wedding Highlight Video from our lovely friends from The Story is Told. Click here to watch it and be prepared to bawl your eyes out. {Maybe that’s just me.} Also, a full description of our anniversary session can be found here!! Check out all the fun pictures!!
3. Josh Turned 30
This year we celebrated Josh’s birth with a slightly different number in the tens place. Although, I had spent the last year referring to his age as “almost 30.” With this new decade, we toned back our celebration from the previous year. Instead of going to Spain for 2 weeks, we spent two days in Lexington, Kentucky with my parents. So far, this new chapter suits him quite well.
4. Tuesday Night Bible Studies
Tuesday Night Bible Studies have been one of our favorite parts of 2017. Every Tuesday night, high school and college kids from our church and community showed up to our front door with bibles and empty stomachs. We ate together, we sang together, we studied together, and we laughed together. Every. Tuesday. Night. And the connections we made were deep and completely changed our lives.
They were willing to be our guinea pigs for new recipes. They would show up early and stay late. They would ask hard questions. They would confide in us. They were always up for a {super competitive} game of Catch Phrase. And they let us love them. Leaving them was hard. The last Tuesday Night was filled with tears and goodbyes. But, the tears became proof of the relationships we had made and will not forget.
5. Yosemite With Josh’s Parents
During the last week in March, we flew out to California to meet up with Josh’s parents in Yosemite. Not only were we thrilled to see Josh’s parents, but Yosemite was on Josh’s bucket list. We spent 5 days hiking, stargazing, photographing, and enjoying each other’s company. Yosemite was not only gorgeous, but also very relaxing. We even crossed off a second thing on Josh’s bucket list: we went snowboarding!! Now, Josh grew up skateboarding and surfing, so he was such a natural on a snowboard. I, on the other hand, had a very sore backside for the next few days. I think Josh’s dad even has video footage of my awesome snowboarding skills. Maybe I should make a meme out of it.
6. Mother/Daughter Trip to Savannah
One of my favorite memories from this summer was taking a Mother/Daughter Trip to Savannah! My mom and I are very similar in a lot of ways. One of those is the fact that we are addicted to traveling! So, when she mentioned taking a trip, I was all in! We spent the first day solely in Savannah. We enjoyed every second of the beautiful character and culture of the city. It was the first time in memory that I had ever seen so many large oak trees covered in Spanish moss. So, basically, I was swooning left and right!
On the two days we traveled to Hilton Head and Jekyll Island. And, basically, we tried out the whole beach bum thing! Neither of us have ever really tried to sit on a beach all day, but we rather enjoyed ourselves!! But the best part was just spending time with my momma. I can never get enough of it, and I am thankful for all the adventures we get to take together!
7. Being Aunt Sam and Uncle Josh
One of the greatest blessings for Josh and I has been being a pseudo-aunt and uncle to quite a few small souls. It brings us such joy to be a part of their world and to watch them grow and learn. We have rotated through quite a few memorable nicknames, such as, “Salmon Josh” and “Pam and Fof!” (In both cases, they were saying “Sam and Josh”) And, the more time we spend with them, the more we love them and their wonderful parents.
8. I Quit My Teaching Job
My degree is in secondary education, and I taught high school science for 4 years. I have also been a photographer for 4 years. But, during this past year of teaching, I decided that I wanted to do photography full time. It is my passion, and I get so much joy from serving and loving my clients. The only catch was that I didn’t want to disappoint my administration or coworkers by leaving. They were all incredibly wonderful to work with!! So, I struggled to decided when I would make my transition out of the classroom.
And then, it happened. We found out that we were moving across the country. God was not only providing my husband with a great opportunity, but it was such a natural transition for me as well! So, for the past month, I no longer work two 40-hour jobs. I am just a photographer! That’s it! It is still a surreal feeling, and I don’t think reality has hit me yet, but I am excited to begin this new journey!!
9. Spontaneous Charleston Trip
During our move, we decided to take an extended holiday. After spending Thanksgiving with my parents, we hit the road on Monday morning. And where were we headed?!? Charleston. The city that seems to embody southern charm. The city I have been dreaming of visiting. Luckily, I was right. It was a dream. The southern architecture and the coastal vibes enchanted Josh and me. We spent HOURS roaming the streets appreciating at the beauty of the historic homes. {And maybe taking a few pictures…} We talked numerous times about how much we would love to own a home in Charleston one day. To see more of Charleston, see my full blog here!!
10. Seeing One Republic
Okay. So, this was a dream come true! Josh and I looovvveee One Republic!! What do we listen to in the car? One Republic. What did we blast while we were packing up our house? One Republic. What do we interpretive dance to most often? One Republic. So, when we got the chance to go see them in person this summer, we fan-girled SO HARD. We sang along to EVERY song, and fell deeper in love with Ryan Tedder’s voice. We are also completely in if they come and preform in Florida!!
I hope you enjoyed reliving our Top 10 in 2017!! Until next year!!
