I enjoy reading other’s end of the year posts and well as going back and reading my end of year highlight posts. If you write an end of the year post, please comment below and share your link so I can see your post as well!
If you’ve been following me for awhile you know my posts are usually photo heavy, but photos often evoke more memories than words, at least for me. Here’s a run down of the highlights from 2018!
[January]
The boys and Rob enjoyed a great annual ski trip to Gatlinburg with the Boy Scouts.
Here’s a pic of some of the skiers. Drew and Alex on on the right end.
Snow Days
We all got to stay home for a snow day and Alex got to stay home for more.
My library’s Associate Dean retired. Loved the cake they had made for her.
Drew turned 20 We celebrated with dinner and bowling.
[February]
Rob, Alex, and I attended Winter Retreat. Here’s a picture of Alex ringing the bell, which symbolizes his commitment to Christ.
[March]
Alex turned 14. He wanted Outback so we all enjoyed a bloomin’ onion and steaks. Then we met up with family friends. Ben shares a birthday with Alex, so we bought them strawberry cakes to enjoy.
Here’s Alex & Ben together before diving into the cakes.
The library’s Dean retired. Her cake was pretty fancy.
Alex played Rec soccer. He also got a hair cut and they cut it really short!
Over Spring Break, we did our normal trip down to Florida for Spring Training Games.
At the end of March the Boy Scout Troop went to Cumberland Caverns.
[April]
Rob had a conference in Washington, DC, so we made a trip out of it. I’m still not done writing all the posts for this trip, but you can start here and follow the links at the bottom of each post to read all about this trip. We started the trip in Boston!
Rob’s Dad & StepMom, Pam, came in from Texas to watch Drew perform with AU Cappella.
Rob’s Mom and Step Dad came from Atlanta too!
[May]
For Mother’s Day, my Mother-in-law, my sister-in-law, and I decided we wanted Jambalaya cooked over an open flame. Here’s a pic of Rob and Alex cutting up the meat the day before in preparation.
Here’s the finished project.
With us helping Drew look for cars since her wreck, Rob had decided since prices were so good for cars, he would start looking seriously for on for himself. His 300,000+ mile Acura isn’t going to live forever, after all.
Over Memorial Day weekend we had our nieces staying with us. They had dance recitals all day Saturday, I was knee deep in tights and tutus. It was so much fun.
The next day we ended up at the lake after hiking up to Smith Mountain.
One weekend Drew & Joseph hung out at the Lake with some of Joseph’s friends from the Naval Academy.
Drew finally found a car. 2010 Honda Accord Black. He bought the car on a Friday and he and Caitlyn drove it down to Florida to watch Auburn Baseball play in the super regionals.
[June]
The summer got kicked off with a pool and ice cream Scout Court of Honor. Here’s Alex with Mr. B., his scoutmaster.
Alex and Rob headed off for summer camp and I decided to take advantage of not having anything to do, so I took off to visit my friend, Kim. We enjoyed a day of relaxation in the pool, checking out her chickens and her garden, and just catching up.
[July]
Over the 4th of July weekend, we enjoyed hiking, white water rafting, and relaxation in the mountains of Highlands, NC. Read about it here.
Right after the 4th of July trip, we came home for a night, repacked and headed to Baton Rouge. Rob’s sister, Shawna, and her kids came from Nevada to visit along with Rob’s Dad and Step Mom from Texas. We enjoyed seeing all of Baton Rouge family as well. Read about it here.
Alex got his braces put on.
We had a weekend of fun in Atlanta. We stayed near the Braves Stadium. Took in a Braves game on Saturday.
On Sunday, we went to a game in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium to see Atlanta United.
Our church does a local mission week, where all the youth come sleep at the church and go out into the community and serve. They call it Sweat Week. Here’s Alex with some of his group.
Our Boy Scout troop enjoyed another Annual Chill at the Lake.
Rookie Camp started which led straight into summer band camp for the AHS Marching Band. Here’s a pic another parent snapped of Alex at one of the brutally hot practices.
[August]
One evening after work, I headed out with my sis-in-law and my 2 nieces for some back to school shopping at Tiger Town.
Picture day for AHS Marching Band. Drew took him to the school for pics since Rob and I were at work and he was nice enough to snap a few shots before the left.
Alex started school. 9th grade. His last year at AJHS.
This year we got to see both boys marching in the local gathering of high school marching bands. Alex marched with AHS and Drew marched with Auburn University.
At the end of August, I saw a gif that compared drinking diet Coke to smoking because of all the health issues that can be caused from both. I’ve known all these things, but Diet Coke is so good and is also a comfort item for me everyday. I just drank so much each day. I ended up cutting it out of my life completely. I haven’t had any type of soda since the end of August. I drink water and unsweet tea now.
[September]
For my birthday, Rob took me to Atlanta. We enjoyed dinner at Pitty Pat’s Porch.
Then we went over to the Tabernacle for the Sting & Shaggy Concert. So good!
We enjoyed a great concert seeing Big Daddy Weave and Brandon Heath.
Auburn football got underway and of course we had season tickets. Here’s Drew playing at Tiger Walk.
My birthday was on a Sunday, so when I showed up for Sunday School my class had surprised me with a cake. Rob and I already brought me donuts that morning. After church we went to Agave Loco for lunch.
[October]
We had a weekend in October that was full of great live music. Yes, 2 concerts. From the Newsboys in Columbus, GA to Toto in Montgomery, AL.
Alex stayed busy this fall with marching band; practices, games, and a marching contest that they won!
I mentioned this in a previous post, but didn’t go into a lot of details. In the Spring, one of my coworkers announced he would be leaving to move down to South Alabama. His position is one I’ve had in the back of my mind as one that I would pursue. So after he left and the (revised) position was finally posted in August, I applied for it, interviewed with 3 different sets of people, and was finally offered the job in October. It made for a stressful Fall. So in November, I started my new job (a promotion), but am actually still doing my old job as well, which honestly is a lot. However, I think I’m handling it the best way I know how. I hope to be able to relinquish my duties to a new hire sooner than later, so we’ll see. I am still thankful for this promotion and this opportunity to touch the lives of 100’s of college students who work in the library Circulation department.
[November]
Drew had lots of visitors who came throughout the football season. Here he is with his Grandparents from Texas before the Texas A&M game.
Three of my nieces and nephews here in town play LaCrosse. We got to watch Kaleb play one Saturday morning.
Here’s Drew with his cousins before the Auburn vs. Liberty game.
[December]
Our church always has a full slate of concerts in December. We enjoyed nearly all of them. Tim Zimmerman and The King’s Brass were quite entertaining.
Beginning of December means it’s time for the Fall AU Cappella concert.
These cuties…photobombed!
Rob and Drew had the opportunity to go to the Army Navy game in Philly. They went and picked up Drew’s friend, Joe, at the Naval Academy and he hung with them that weekend except for a good part of Saturday. He had duties before the game and of course during the game, he has to sit with all the other midshipmen. They were able to snap a photo during the game. It was very, very cold.
We left 6 days before Christmas and flew to New York City, where we spent 5 days exploring this amazing city. I am still in the process of going through and editing all the pics from that trip, so look for posts about that trip soon.
So what were your 2018 highlights? I hope that 2019 is everything you hope it to be and more!