2015 Recap and What's Ahead in 2016

I can't believe how fast 2015 flew by! I know they say that as you get older time goes by faster, but I feel like I blinked and it was over. 2015 was a crazy year with limited down time, but that is to be expected when you're in an accelerated Masters program. While I stayed on top of reading blogs in my downtime, I obviously slacked on posting. I want to change that in 2016. I might not post consistently, but I want to stay on top of documenting our everyday lives. That is the reason I blog after all, so before moving forward with 2016 I'd like to recap what all happened in 2015. I was pleasantly surprised while scrolling through my photo feed and selecting the pictures for this post. On the outside it didn't seem like a big year, there were no fun vacations or big purchases, but it was still filled with great memories!

January | I began the SLP Masters program at Grand Valley and spent the majority of the month adjusting to being a student again. We tend to hibernate in the middle of winter, but this year we spent a lot of our free time at the dog park. It's Duke's favorite time of year and he could run in the snow for hours if we let him.

               

February | We cheered on the New England Patriots during our Superbowl party. Of course I made Duke rep some Pats gear as well ;) Duke also went to a professional groomer for the first time. While it isn't a regular thing, occasionally we like to splurge and get him all gussied up!

March | We had a couple of friends visit us in Grand Rapids and loved exploring the city with them. We also enjoyed the weather warming up so that we could willingly spend time outside again.

April | I finished the first semester of my program, and celebrated with a few of my classmates. We made a trip to our hometown to see my brother graduate college and celebrate with my family!

May | I attended a bachelorette party in Traverse City for one of my dearest friends and the Taylor Swift 1989 Tour Detroit. Both of which were awesome!

June | Thomas had emergency back surgery in the beginning of the month and then we spent the rest of the month recovering/assisting with the recovery. 

             

July | We celebrated Independence Day at Grand Haven beach, hosted a BBQ, and then headed downtown to watch the fireworks! Duke even came along and had the best time :) We also went to the Shania Twain concert with a group of friends. Check that item off of the bucket list ;) We finished the month standing up in two of our great friends' wedding and had a blast!

              

August | The month started with my childhood best friends visiting Grand Rapids and finishing another semester of the program. I chopped my hair off and it's been the best thing I've done for myself! Then we headed for our hometown where we spent the rest of the month celebrating my 25th birthday, going to a Detroit Tigers game with friends from my undergrad program, and hosting a bridal shower!

September | We took one final paddle boarding trip over Labor Day weekend and soaked up the beautiful weather. For the rest of the month we hosted visitors who were in town for Art Prize! My grandparents stayed for a couple days and a couple girlfriends visited.

          

October | I stood up in the wedding for one of my best friends wedding and despite having the cold from hell had a wonderful time! Duke also turned 3 years old, such a little ham.

             

November | We attended a Grand Valley football game and got on the field passes thanks to Thomas' family member being a coach! It was such a cool experience. We enjoyed a couple Grand Rapids Griffins hockey games with friends as well.

             

December | We completed another semester (only one more to go!!!) and then headed to our hometown to enjoy the holidays with our families. We also got a new Equinox that we're all fans of ;)

It was a wonderful year and I can't wait to see what's in store for 2016 :)