29 Favorite Moments of my 29th Year

1. Bringing Sweet June Bea home from the hospital and laying in own bed. My body ached and longed to be home! We laid together, this newborn, Sean and I, and savored the calm that was home.

2. Walking to the bakery to get doughnuts with Sean in my last weeks of pregnancy. Never has something tasted so sweet and wonderful.

3. Our first ultrasound, after I had a TON of jelly beans and our baby was flipping and dancing like a wild thing!

4. Early mornings spent writing and drinking coffee. I love the silence of our home in the morning when the only noise is the furnace is running and the coffee pot warming.

5. Taking walks around the lake with June Bea in her stroller, looking out at the world and singing to herself.

6. Standing at the edge of the Pacific with June Bea and Sean.

7. Eating tacos in San Diego.

8. The entire two weeks in Pensacola— every single moment!

9. All the random nights that Crissy, Andrew and Baby Andrew show up at our house.

10. Randomly being in the same town as one of my oldest friends and having a rare opportunity to meet up! We have sent letters back and forth since we’ve been 16. It’s a special bond of words and growth that we share.

11. Watching June Bea interact with my and Sean’s grandmas. She loves to sit on each of their laps and tell them stories.

12. Reading The Signature of All Things.

13. Hosting a girls night and finding out one of my friends was expecting a baby! It had been a long time since the four of us had been together and it was refreshing to unite again.

14. A week spent in Arkansas with dear, dear friends.

15. Bonfires and playing in my parent’s backyard with my family.

16. Driving to North Carolina with Crissy and our babies– specifically getting Starbucks and talking for hours on end. They were so great in the car and loved every minute of our adventure.

17. Visiting the pumpkin patch with my goddaughter on her class field trip. We rode through the fields in a trailer. It was bitter outside, but the sun was out and she was ecstatic to share the day with me.

18. Canning tomatoes in my kitchen with a swollen belly…. waiting for her to come!

19. Finding out June Bea was a GIRL after thinking I was having a boy for months and months.

20. Visiting Fredrick Meijer Gardens with my twin sister, niece, and nephew. The butterflies were out and the blossoms were blooming.

21. Seeing Sean dressed up for his business meetings in the afternoon. He’s my favorite.

22. Taking June Bea on her first adventure to the UP. She was kind of a mess by the end of one evening, but we did it! We stayed with our favorite people, got to share a meal with Sean’s mom and ate pasties in Marquette.

23. Pushing June Bea on the swings and seeing her fearless spirit emerge.

24. An afternoon spent watching June Bea play with Imogene and catching up my oldest friend.

25. Hearing June Bea laugh. Every.single.time.

26. When Sean and I sneak in to look at June Bea sleeping in her crib. Often I will pull him from his office in the afternoon and we’ll tip toe in to admire her, sleeping upside on top of her covers.

27. Lunch on the pier in Santa Barbara, when Sean and I sipped cocktails + talked in the sunshine and June Bea entertained herself.

28. Playing in Florida’s waves.

29. Evenings at home with Sean, watching TV on our couch and drinking local beers.

This year was consumed with small moments and big adventures. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m ready for you 30.