Two Thousand and Thirteen

Two thousand and thirteen.  Yet another memorable year in which we were blessed by both expected and unexpected adventures.  It seems like every December, we all say "where did this year go?" It just seems to fly by.  I'm learning that if I don't take the time to consciously enjoy each adventure, it all blends together into "just another year."  While I didn't make a specific "New Year's Resolution" for 2013, my goal was to be more intentional about enjoying each month and not wishing it away in anticipation of the next season.  I think it's safe to say that although I may not have stayed in this mindset 100% of the time, this year was one in which I truly enjoyed each season.  As I reminisce about this year, here are some of my favorite memories from each month:

January. Rang in the New Year celebrating the marriage of a dear friend to the love of her life. We dined and danced into 2013 with my closest college friends at The Depot in Fort Worth - a picture-perfect vintage setting for my glamorous friend. Happy 1 year Anniversary, Amy & Jimmy!

Happy New Year!

The beautiful bride

Then, it was off to tropical paradise with my love for a winter getaway. We cashed in frequent flier miles and long-accumulated credit card rewards points for a 7 day Caribbean cruise, including roundtrip flights. FREE. We visited Puerto Rico, ran on the beaches of St. Thomas, zip lined in St. Lucia, hiked with monkeys in Barbados, snorkeled in St. Kitts, and shopped in St. Maarten.

Cruising to paradise!

Barbados

St. Lucia

St. Lucia

St. Kitts

February. From the beaches of paradise to the Ski Beech Resort... we took advantage of the slopes and enjoyed some East Coast style snowboarding just up the road from our house.

Snowboarding at Ski Beech

March. "Spring Break" in Oklahoma! Nevermind that I don't get an actual Spring Break - it was an excuse to spend much-needed time with my sweet nephews and family.

St. Patty's Day with my nephew Nathanael Oak

Rocking the shades with my nephew Levi Blaze

April. Quick weekend getaways to D.C. and Roanoke, VA - two of our favorite nearby destinations.

May. Indianapolis for a conference, which doubled as a reunion with some of my favorite Oklahoma pharmacy colleagues, otherwise known as the "Peds Posse."

The woman who inspired me to pursue Pediatric Pharmacy!

Peds Posse

Planted our first vegetable garden, which produced more crops than we could consume throughout the entire summer. A labor-intensive but rewarding summer project.

Just a portion of our harvest

First attempt at pickling

June. A visit from my best friend from high school. We toured a winery, went zip-lining, and  dined our way around town, al fresco style.

Ziplining with the bestie

Winery tour

July. Celebrated the SALE of our house in Oklahoma with a roadtrip to Nashville with my parents! Grand Ole' Opry, Country Music Row, and quality southern cuisine.

At The Loveless Cafe in Nashville

Family Roadtrip!

Starring Vince Gill, Oklahoma country music legend

Checking out Nashville

Also adopted our first cat, Raya.

Pretty Princess! Halloween Costume

August. Completed a women-only triathlon! My faithful "coach" trained with me for weeks and cheered me on to a great finish. Then, a weekend getaway to Myrtle Beach was a sweet gift from friends who offered up their beach property for a relaxing retreat.

Swim. Bike. Run. TRI.

September. 2-year wedding anniversary and JJ's birthday celebrated over a long weekend in our first visit to lovely Charleston!

Celebrating 2 years!

Riding to dinner in style via bicycle rickshaw taxi

Happy 33rd Birthday!

Then, a flight to Oklahoma for a whirlwind weekend of visiting family, celebrating my sister's grad-school graduation (surprise-party style!), and enjoying the events of my 10 year high school reunion.

Double dinner date with my favorites, just before the surprise party commenced!

10 yr reunion 5k

Photobooth!

2 generations of "Mary's kids" - visiting our childhood babysitter! Priceless memories.

Love visiting my home church with the whole family!

October. Africa! Our long-awaited trip to Togo finally arrived, and it proved to be the trip of a lifetime. Pulled teeth while acting as a dental assistant, met "our kids," and served alongside some incredible individuals. 

Nat Geo, anyone? No filter here. Just real life. 

Our kiddos!

Photo by Dr. Gunther Heyder, my dentist partner

Oh, and my birthday happened somewhere in there, as did matching Halloween costumes…

Newsies? Or just dressing like my husband...

November. Finally started a blog! Spent the month readjusting after our Africa trip and hosted friends for Thanksgiving.

December. Ran a local half marathon. Celebrated the holiday season with friends locally, and now off to Oklahoma to ring in the New Year with family and friends!


Here's to hoping that 2014 brings you and your family much health, happiness, and a conscious effort to savor each season. I am excited to see what new adventures God will lead Team Peek through in the new year!

Until next year,
L