2014: A Pretty Kick Ass Year

One of my favorite Twitter ladies posted this image last week, and I thought it would be an interesting way to reflect on 2014 

Highlights

1. Kieran's birth on August 14 (obviously)
2. Keegan and I going to a Mizzou Game
3. Our baby shower in May. We were so lucky to be able to share our pregnancy with our family and friends on that special day.
4. Checking an item off our bucket lists and seeing Alton Brown live in Atlanta
5. Meeting new friends and creating stronger friendships with existing ones.
6. Taking on new responsibilities at work
7. Keegan got a raise
8. Starting to furnish our house with "adult" furniture instead of mismatched WalMart pieces left over from college
9. Having Keegan's grandparents meet Kieran. We don't know how long they'll be with us, and it was really important for them to meet him.
10. Paid off one of my student loans!


Disappointments

1. I'll be completely honest and say Kieran's birth. While I'm over the moon in love with the end result, it didn't go as planned and set me up for most likely having a repeat c-section if we're lucky enough to get pregnant again.
2. Being so far away from friends and family.
3. Gestational diabetes.
4. Having to supplement with formula because I'm not able to sustain Kieran myself.
5. Many of our friends have moved because of Keegan's work being sold.

Game Changers
1. Keegan's work being sold and purchased by a new company.
2. Having a child....obviously

Things You Focused On
1. Family. Both building our own, and making sure our families are healthy. My dad and Keegan's mom both had major surgeries that were difficult to deal with being so far away.
2. Work. I've taken on new responsibilities which has allowed me to grow personally and professionally, but has also kept me there for many late nights.

Things You Forgot
1. I hate to admit this, but my house. A lot of the time, it's a mess. Not dirty, but it's cluttered. We started tackling this by cleaning out our closets and donating a bunch of clothes, but there's a lot more to be done.
2. My health. As much as I wanted to work out during pregnancy, that didn't happen, and it sure hasn't happened since Kieran was born. I really want to focus on moving in some way, every day, in the new year.
3. My relationship with Keegan. We were doing really well at the beginning of the year, but having a child changes things. We've only had one opportunity to go out just the two of us, and we were surrounded by thousands of people at the Mizzou game. I really want to focus on having some more "us" time, even if that means cuddling while watching a movie while the baby sleeps.


This year was one of the most amazing years of my life (hence why I couldn't only think of a few disappointments!) One of the biggest highlights was having a fairly easy pregnancy that resulted in my beautiful little boy, but there were so many other wonderful things that happened as well. While many of our friends have moved away due to Keegan's job changing hands, we've made some new friendships and strengthened the ones we already had. Our friends have become like family to us and they're a cherished part of our lives. I've also made many new friends through the blog world, and on Twitter. You ladies have kept me sane and have become some of my best friends.

Work has been going well for both Keegan and I. It keeps as busy and allows us to grow, both personally and professionally, but it's also stressful at times, more so for Keegan than myself. I'm so lucky to  be able to take Kieran to work with me. It allows me to continue working, while being there for my son during an important time in his life.

Our kitties are doing well, we have an amazing house and great jobs. We were so lucky to bring our son into the world. While there were some scares with the health of some of our family members, overall, this year was pretty great. Hopefully 2015 is just as amazing!