Sunday, December 31, 2017

See ya 2017




We've been in a deep freeze all week, with temps below zero at night and hovering in the single digits during the day.  My daily uniform has consisted of leggings, jeggings, a cute vest that Mike gave me for Christmas, uggs and a warm hat.  At night (which sometimes starts at 4:30) I rotate between three new sets of pajamas.  I have been torturing my family with a song that I made up and sing over and over "In my Christmas jammies" which is reminiscent of Will Smith's "Welcome to Miami."



I am so ready for a New Year. 2017 has given us some great moments, but also some struggles and loses. We lost my dear 97 year old great Aunt Betti, who passed away the day after Thanksgiving. She was smart as a tack and lived alone in her apartment in Queens. She went to mass every day with a group of friends who I met after her funeral.  She leaves a huge hole in our family. I was able to see her this summer, I brought the kids for a visit where they swam in her pool and we had pizza from her favorite place (she liked to put butter on the crust).


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In March we had to say goodbye to our best friend and good boy Frank.  I'm never going to get over losing him.


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In the spring Mike's Uncle Bobby passed away after a battle with cancer.  Bobby was a musician and loved golf and at family gatherings you could find him on the couch watching whatever game was on TV. 

In the spring my friend and Fleet Feet coworker Brendan passed away unexpectedly after finishing a leg of the Seneca 7 relay.  I think I worked almost every single shift with him during my years there.  He was older than me and we were older than the majority of our team and he loved to talk, about everything!  When I picture him I think of him walking out of the store room, with his glasses dangling out of his mouth, boxes of running shoes in his hand.


Luke and Eliza both started new schools this year, E to middle school and L to Junior High. E is doing well academically, and learning how to deal with drama and mean girls.  I do worry about Luke, I remember being 13 and I hated it.  He is doing well with grades too, but I get anxious over his navigation of friendships, social media and all that goes along with it.  Parenting is hard.



On Father's Day we welcomed a new friend to our family, Gary the plott hound lab mix!  He came from a rescue in Texas.  He's been an easy addition, LOVES to cuddle on the couch, and if he hears you open a bag of potato chips he comes running.  Gary likes to run about three miles with me, there is a noticeable difference in his puppy energy when he gets to stretch his legs! 


Speaking of running, 2017 has been good to me!  After dealing with some foot issues, in January I got a new set of inserts, between those and my Saucony Hurricane's, my feet have never felt better! (Knock on wood).  When I ran my 10th Boilermaker in July it was probably one of my best! But for the first time in five years I didn't run a half marathon, which was weird, but I needed a rest.  I put my Y membership on hold for three months this fall, I knew I wouldn't get there since it's a busy time of year for us, and I like to run outside.  In true form one October day I went for a run, made it a half mile and wiped out, and sprained my ankle.  After a few weeks I was back at it, and registered for the Mountain Goat 10 miler next May,  a race that I once said I was done with and would never do again.






In August we took our third trip to Disney World. We can't help it, we love it there lol.  We went for six days, rode the Avatar ride twice (which is worth the wait), watched the lunar eclipse, and caught up with my friend Christopher, who has been my friend for probably 30 years! We celebrated Eliza's 11th Birthday while at Epcot, after we rode the Frozen ride, we headed to Paris for pastries, where the servers sang Happy Birthday to her in French!




We escaped to the Adirondack's as often as we could, and made a couple trips to NYC, and spent lots of time with family!


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We welcomed two new additions to the family, baby Phoebe in November, and baby Theodore arrived just in time for Christmas!   I think he's blowing me a kiss here:




2017 has given me much to be thankful for. 

Now it's time to look forward to 2018.  I want to be better to myself, and the most important thing to do is get more rest.  I tend to stay up too late, because after I get everything done each day I like to have some time to myself.  I must realize that the time to myself must be spent sleeping. I also need to stop looking backwards at times, to let that stuff go and move on.  

I am very lucky to have a family, friends, home and job that I enjoy. 

The possibilities are endless. 


HAPPY NEW YEAR!