Another year has come and gone, and so in true blogger fashion I sit here and attempt to recap the past 365 days.

Every year Kyle and I say to one another, “We need to do more!” So often we look back on the year an wonder where it went, what we did, and more times than not our list falls short. If there was a goal for 2017, it was to do a better job at getting out there and just doing. I think we made a fairly decent attempt at doing “more” this past year, both individually and as a family, so here are some highlights: (And a couple of humorous “lowlights” as well.)

• Kyle and I made a daring dash to Langley in the middle of a snowstorm in February to visit friends overnight! Were we crazy? Yes! Was it fun? Totally! Were we amazed by how bad Lower Mainland drivers are in the snow? Absolutely!
• Norah had her first visit to the emergency room when she decided to shove some pieces up cork up her nostrils. Thankfully, it wasn’t affecting her breathing and we were able to see a specialist the next day to remove the pieces. Also thankfully, she’s only stuck things up her nose twice since then, and those didn’t require trips to the ER.
• Kyle completed four 10k races and one 15k race this year! He also trained really hard to do his first half marathon, but due to the forest fires that race was cancelled. He’s already gearing up to do it next summer though!
• I did two 3k races with Isla and one 5k! In 2018 I hope to tackle more 5k races. Running does feel great once I get my legs under me, it’s just getting there that’s a lot of hard work.
• Despite the forest fires, Kyle and I did manage to take advantage of a break in the smoke to take the girls to the waterslides! They had an absolute blast and we hope to take them again next summer.
• My mom and I did our annual road trip to Vancouver to visit my grandpa and brother in May. We had an awesome time and I hope we can figure out a way to keep doing them in the future.
• We had a year of renovations to the house! We redid the counters in the kitchen and put in a tile backsplash, and we also tore down our old deck and put in a bigger one. I really love how the kitchen is looking these days and I cannot wait to relax on the deck come summertime!
• In February I scored Kyle tickets to go see Metallica in August with his friends. They had an awesome time and I’m glad he was able to go have some quality “guy” time.
• Isla had a busy year of dance and learning! In June she completed her third year of dance and “graduated” from preschool as well! She started kindergarten in September and she is doing SO well. We recently got her report card back and we couldn’t be any prouder.
• Norah completed swimming lessons in the fall and loves the water. She’s now constantly asking to go swimming, lol
• In August the girls and I went to Vernon to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday! We had a fun time visiting the orchard there and we even hit up the beach for a few hours one afternoon, which was a lot of fun!
• At the end of the summer Kyle and I went and visited his dad and we took the girls to Horstings Farm, where we both used to work. They had a lot of fun visiting! (Driving the golf cart around the yard with Grandpa was a big highlight for them!)
• Thanks to a whim and an invitation from friends, we rode the local steam engine train! It was a fun little touristy adventure and it was good to visit with a pair of our oldest friends for a couple hours!
• I went back to school to get my Administrative Assistant certificate! I’m doing it all via distant learning and while it is difficult to sometimes balance the kids and school I’m getting it done!
• Thanks to the kindness of our parents for taking in our kids and furkids, Kyle and I were able to escape to Las Vegas for a few days of “adulting” in October. It was a much needed vacation and we really enjoyed just being together and reconnecting as a couple! We already can’t wait to go back one day.

Of course, there were birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations and spontaneous get togethers all throughout the year, and I cannot be more thankful for all of our family and friends for being a part of some of those amazing memories. It’s always shocking how quickly a year can go by, but when I look back I have no regrets!

So, I wish all my amazing readers the very best in 2018!

Happy New Year!