In all honesty, 2017 was not one of my favorite years.  In fact, I have caught myself multiple times wishing that 2018 would just get here already.  A new year brings a promise of a fresh start, a clean slate, and new beginnings.

However, I don’t want to dwell on the negative.  I have so much to be grateful for and so here are the great things that happened in 2017:

1. Our oldest daughter got engaged, so we have a wedding to look forward to in 2018!
2. Our youngest daughter got engaged, too!  We’ll have another wedding to look forward to in the fall of 2019.
3. I ran a 75-mile relay race with a group of awesome people, and while it was one of the hardest running events I’ve ever had to do, it was a lot of fun and I’m so proud of our group’s accomplishment!
4. My husband and I discovered a favorite new pastime:  wineries!  Sampling and sipping wines in a relaxed atmosphere, often with family and friends, is truly a wonderful thing!
5. My journey to good health and fitness continues.  Although I ended up quitting the gym (the gym just wasn’t my thing), I continue to look for new ways to stay fit.  And while I don’t always make the healthiest of food choices (see #4), I feel like I definitely eat a wide variety of healthy plant-based foods most of the time.  And that’s okay.  (see #6)
6. I’m learning to accept me as good enough.  It’s been tough because I am my own worst critic, but I feel like I’m closer to reaching that place of complete self-acceptance with my body and who I am as a person.
7. Over the summer, David and I got to spend a lot of time with our soon-to-be grandson (the son of our oldest daughter’s fiancé).  It was so much fun to have a little boy in the house; we played outside, we went to the pool, and we cooked together.
8. I got to see Collective Soul, Journey and Matchbox Twenty in concert.  They were all fabulous!
9. I read a lot of really, really good books this year.  Here is a link to the books I’ve read this year, if you’re interested:  https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2017/
10. Last, but not least, KAYLA IS STILL IN REMISSION!

Although 2017 brought the loss of one of our beloved dogs, I suffered a terrible neck injury which sidelined me from exercise for about six weeks, I had bouts of anxiety and depression, and the political climate has been concerning, I still feel blessed and grateful.  I’m surrounded by family and friends who love me, and I look forward to spending time with them in 2018.

What’s the best thing that happened to you in 2017?