2014 in Review

I've been so busy, I never got around to posting our year in review! Better eleven days into the new year than never, so here goes. *Scrounges around for pictures to upload* Okay, ready.

January was very calm. I have no pictures of January. I do have a list of resolutions I made in January that I did not complete this past year, but I made significant headway on a lot of goals, so that was nice.

February, my sister Emily left to serve her mission in California. She went to the MTC a couple of days after Scarlet's birthday, so she was here in time to celebrate, which was kind of nice. I got to take the day off to see her go into the MTC and it was just as fun/hard as it had been for the two other sisters I saw leave to serve missions the year before.

Scarlet's birthday fell on a Saturday this year, so we took her to the zoo, though it was clear that she was too cold and little to appreciate the animals. It was fun for us, anyway.

In March I think Josh and I had decided we were going to spend our July in Wales on a three-week tour with my old Welsh history professor (Tom) from college. We were so excited to go but it meant leaving Scarlet behind, which was a lot easier to deal with than the guilt and dread I struggled with all those months leading up to our trip. We started planning and saving for it as soon as we committed to it, and visited Tom in Provo with Scarlet to get as much information as we could about it.

Also in March, I got to visit my sister Heather and Allyse in Colorado. We had a marvelous time together even though I was working remotely. All of our children played together and we went to the zoo and we had more fun than I think I remember having in a long time. Heather has since moved from Colorado, so it'll be a long time before I next see her, but I have the best memories of this past visit.

In April, Rachel and I went down to Provo for a Wales reunion with the 2009 Wales gang (despite it having been five years since we had all gone to Wales together). It was a lot of fun to see everyone but now that so many people have moved away, I believe that may have been our last reunion ever. Well it was a good one.

In May, MEREDITH GOT MARRIED! Do you guys remember that? There was an awesome wedding shower where Margaret won the love and adoration of baby Jack. He is so fun to play with because he smiles so readily.

On Memorial Day weekend, Josh and I took Scarlet up to Wyoming to spend the weekend at a huge Wilson family reunion (my mother-in-law's family). The weather was beautiful and Scarlet was good-natured throughout it all, and we had so much fun with the family.

In June, my niece Brianna came to stay for two weeks, which meant she was just in time for the color run we did in downtown SLC! She ran too fast for me at first, but she got tired a whole lot sooner, so we ended up walking a lot during the last stretch. Doesn't matter--we were still total winners.

I also had Allyse and Heather come visit for a quick weekend in June. We all went to Wheeler Farm because there's nothing more fun than a really cheap wagon ride and an up-close view of farm animals. The kids were ecstatic.

And then our much-anticipated Wales trip was upon us. I packed everything I could possibly think of for Scarlet, and left copious notes for her grandparents who would be tending her in our absence. I missed her terribly during the flights that took us farther and farther from her, but after we settled in and got busy touring and taking photos, it grew easier to be apart from her. We got to skype with her almost every night (for her, it was mid-afternoon), and I did spend an excessive amount of time talking about her with my traveling companions and sharing photos of her, but I wasn't the nervous wreck I thought I'd be. We truly enjoyed our time there.

Because we weren't driving, I spent TONS of time reading. I think I read four books for each week I was there. It was insane. And I ate a lot of ice cream and got to see some truly enchanting sites. I don't know why Wales and England hold such a special place in my heart, but even just looking at these photos I feel peace and happiness. It was the best trip I've ever had in my entire life.

This is us riding in the van. We both read a TON while we traveled.

Raglan Castle. Tom took that photo from across the impressive moat. It's the castliest castle you'll ever see.

The Bridge of Sighs in Oxford

Stonehenge at sunset. We got to go right up to the stones and feel their enormity. As a bonus, a trio of new-age Wiccans gathered in the center of the stones and sang a song of rebirth or something. Talking to them afterward, we found them all to be utterly delightful people.

And my personal favorite place in all of the UK: Tintagel Castle. Supposedly (incorrectly) the birthplace of King Arthur. Mostly just a stunning ruins of a seaside castle with the bluest ocean and the greenest foliage. I feel like the whole place is enchanted with a blanket of ancient magic that keeps that place from ever being touched by modernity. It feels almost sacred there and I hope I return to it one day.

At the beginning of August, Scarlet was fast outgrowing her pack-n-play, so we bit the bullet and bought her a twin-size bed. The first two nights she fell out of it and woke up startled but not screaming. After that, she quit moving around so much and hasn't fallen out of it since.

Although sometimes she still chooses to sleep on the floor.

She still seems impossibly little to have a bed of her own.

In the middle of August, Heather came to visit again! I can't believe how many times I've seen this sister of mine, but I'll never get tired of it. She lives so far away and it's such a treat when she comes to stay. Here she is, helping Scarlet stay on the spinny thing at the park. What a nice aunt!

At the end of August, Rachel and Jonathan had their long-awaited baby Hazel. She was absolutely beautiful when she was born, but a few months later, during conference weekend, she was even cuter. 

Scarlet mostly ignores Hazel but she seemed not to mind holding her just this once.

Then September arrived. That month is extra special for me because it holds my birthday, my work anniversary (okay that one's not so significant to me), and my wedding anniversary. Josh and I went to our favorite restaurant, Cucina Tuscana, for dinner for our anniversary. During the middle of the month, my sister Rebecca came home from her mission, so Scarlet and I flew down to visit the family for a week. Scarlet got to meet the captain on one of the plane rides and seemed to think it wasn't much of a big deal.

I also got the idea of making Scarlet's costume, so this is her trying it on for the first time. She was obsessed with the little pumpkin at her waist and wouldn't let go of it.

This is relevant to nobody, but I was driving on the freeway and saw Swoop, the U of U hawk, driving all bad-A-style on his motorcycle going 80 mph. It was the oddest site, so I took a dangerous photo to prove to Josh it had actually happened.

Then in October, so so many things happened. Stephen and O'Malley got married, and I sneaked a photo of Bobby dancing with Scarlet at the reception. That whole weekend just felt really busy and overwhelming because all of us were there to set up and decorate and do a million things for the reception. By the time I flew back home, I was ready for a break. Josh didn't come down with us, though, because he was taking AND PASSING his second actuarial exam. Woo-hoo! Two down and a million thousand twenty more to go.

Then three different sisters and their families came to visit. Bob and Bobby came up for a quick visit, then Allyse and Richard, and then Nicole. All of them brought their children and all of them stayed with us, and all of them went to Cornbelly's. I'm so glad I bought the season pass this year. It was well used.

Richard and Karter

Nicole's kids and Scarlet on the way to Cornbelly's.

Nicole's kids and Scarlet on the way back from Cornbelly's.

Bob's kids crashing for the night on my living room floor.

In November, I sort of took a break. I wasn't prepared for Nanowrimo so I didn't really do it this year. I slowed down on my reading and I just sort of enjoyed each day as it came. We spent Thanksgiving in Salt Lake City with Josh's family, which was nice and relaxing, and we bought a new washer and dryer on black Friday, because after four years, you really should own one of those things.

In December, I was still going through this weird "recovery" of the year, where I didn't feel compelled to do anything really motivating, like read a thousand books, or write a thousand stories. Instead, I took a very zen attitude about the whole season. I didn't end up buying a tree because Josh and I were going to be spending the Christmas holiday in Vegas. Scarlet and I left even sooner than we planned because we found a great price on a flight, so we went down the weekend before and enjoyed a full week of festivities and family and family photos (none of which I have at the moment) and the permeating spirit of Christ. It was a truly spectacular holiday. Josh and I even spent a couple of nights in a hotel so we could have a private Christmas with just our family in the midst of visiting all the family that was in town for the holiday. It's always been a dream of mine to spend Christmas in a hotel, and it really fulfilled the fantasy to wake up Christmas morning, pull Scarlet into our bed, and help her open up new toys from Santa. It felt very intimate and private and really special. I think I'd like to do it again one year, but Josh had a hard time spending time away from family, so I'll indulge his Christmas wishes for a few years before pressing mine again.

When we got back home, Josh and Scarlet finally succumbed to the illness that had been spreading from person to person in Vegas. It didn't taint the holiday exactly, but it's never any fun knowing someone's child is sick or so-and-so missed dinner because they're resting. I never got sick, but Scarlet took the rest of the year (a full seven days) to recover and was such a fussy baby that I'm still amazed when I see her so happy and pleasant now because I'd forgotten what a sweet person she had been before she got really sick.

The new year has already started off with a bang. I'm a week into my school and one class is already behind me. I'm motivated and excited to get as much school done as quickly as possible just to see how fast I can push myself. Scarlet is practicing her sounds nearly every waking moment (she only has a few words so far), and Josh and I are enjoying our time together in between work and family responsibilities. I have a feeling 2015 is going to be even more eventful than the last year. Happy new year to everyone and I hope you've all had a truly spectacular year!