Two thousand and fourteen was a year of change, above all else. Change is good, but change can be hard. It often takes us out of our comfort zones, and this year was no different. We were challenged, stretched, and refined more than ever before...and we are most richly blessed because of it. Here is our "Best of 2014..." year in review!
January: We rang in the New Year with our families in Oklahoma. We also surprised them with an important announcement...and little did we know, this would be the last time we would have to fly across the country to spend the holidays with them!
February: We made our exciting news public with a Valentine's Day announcement... and JJ got a clean shave to reveal his "baby face" - for the first time in over a decade - to announce the arrival of our baby. It was so entertaining to see our unsuspecting friends and coworkers' reactions (some didn't even recognize him! Somehow we failed to take any more photos than those at the barber shop... it all grew back quickly.)
March: Leigh was offered an interview in Oklahoma for a newly created position that would be a step forward in her career. On the same day, her father received a job offer that relocated them to the same city! God quickly began closing doors in North Carolina and opening new doors of opportunity in Oklahoma. We ran a St. Patty's Day 5k and hosted a March Maternity Madness gender reveal party, where we announced that we would be having a GIRL!
April: We spent a lovely "baby-moon" weekend in Charleston and ran the Cooper River Bridge Run (10k). This would be the last race we would run while pregnant, as this completed the pregnancy race bucket list (1/2 marathon, 10k, and 5k). Leigh interviewed and was offered her dream job in Oklahoma, so plans to make the cross-country move quickly began developing. We had a total of 4 hours to look at houses one weekend while in OK for a family wedding. We made an offer on a house we really liked, but did not get it.
May: With time ticking, we made a bold move and purchased a home in OK that we had not seen in person (thanks to our family and realtor, who served as our proxy and sent us a video tour.) Meanwhile, Leigh flew to Dallas for a girls' weekend and baby shower with her best college girlfriends...and cut her hair off!
June: Leigh's mom flew out to NC for 2 weeks prior to the big move to pack up our house for us. We said many difficult farewells to so many important friends who had become like family to us while in NC. We ate at all of our favorite restaurants and visited our favorite local hangouts one last time (for now, at least!) Then, Leigh (8 months pregnant) and Mom hit the road and headed west with the pups in tow. JJ stayed behind for 2 more weeks to continue working.
July: JJ arrived in Oklahoma a few days early and surprised Leigh for the 4th of July celebration. Our moving truck arrived the next day (after a week delay), and we began settling into our first purchased home together! JJ was able to continue his current job by working remotely from home, and Leigh began her new job at the Children's Hospital.
August: The biggest change of our lives occurred... Charlotte Ann was born! We had an incredible labor experience, and our sweet baby girl brought more joy to our little family than we could have ever imagined.
September: We celebrated our three year wedding anniversary, and JJ turned 34. Leigh's parents moved into their new house only 3 miles away from us, and we relished in the fact that Charlotte would be able to spend the days with her Mimi and Didi when we returned to work. We made trips to Ardmore to visit JJ's family as well and were thankful to be so near both immediate families.
October: Leigh turned the big 3-0! Friends and family showered her with heartfelt birthday cards for 30 days, and it made for an especially memorable birth month. JJ spent two weeks in Zimbabwe, Africa as part of a mission team from our former church in North Carolina. Not only did he get to reconnect with old friends on the trip, but he got to visit the home village of one of his team members, a native of Zimbabwe. Charlotte and Leigh survived the time without JJ, but he was greatly missed.
November: Leigh returned to work after 12 wonderful weeks of maternity leave, and JJ began a new job working as a clinical pharmacist at a company only a few blocks from Leigh's hospital, allowing us to commute to work together! We celebrated Charlotte's First Thanksgiving with JJ's family, and cherished the time spent with 4 generations.
December: Baby's first Christmas! It was such a sweet time with our families, especially not having to navigate airports to come home this year. Then, on New Year's Eve, we welcomed our beautiful niece, Liberty Faith Park. The gender was a surprise for everyone, so we were especially delighted that Charlotte will have such a close girl cousin (although she is already so well loved by her boy cousins).
It is impossible to capture the friendships and relationships that inspired, encouraged, and humbled us this year, and we thank you all for being a part of our lives! We rounded the corner into 2015 exhausted but healthy, happy, and thankful for another incredible year.
Cheers to an amazing, unforgettable year and the best that's yet to come...
-L
January: We rang in the New Year with our families in Oklahoma. We also surprised them with an important announcement...and little did we know, this would be the last time we would have to fly across the country to spend the holidays with them!
February: We made our exciting news public with a Valentine's Day announcement... and JJ got a clean shave to reveal his "baby face" - for the first time in over a decade - to announce the arrival of our baby. It was so entertaining to see our unsuspecting friends and coworkers' reactions (some didn't even recognize him! Somehow we failed to take any more photos than those at the barber shop... it all grew back quickly.)
March: Leigh was offered an interview in Oklahoma for a newly created position that would be a step forward in her career. On the same day, her father received a job offer that relocated them to the same city! God quickly began closing doors in North Carolina and opening new doors of opportunity in Oklahoma. We ran a St. Patty's Day 5k and hosted a March Maternity Madness gender reveal party, where we announced that we would be having a GIRL!
May: With time ticking, we made a bold move and purchased a home in OK that we had not seen in person (thanks to our family and realtor, who served as our proxy and sent us a video tour.) Meanwhile, Leigh flew to Dallas for a girls' weekend and baby shower with her best college girlfriends...and cut her hair off!
June: Leigh's mom flew out to NC for 2 weeks prior to the big move to pack up our house for us. We said many difficult farewells to so many important friends who had become like family to us while in NC. We ate at all of our favorite restaurants and visited our favorite local hangouts one last time (for now, at least!) Then, Leigh (8 months pregnant) and Mom hit the road and headed west with the pups in tow. JJ stayed behind for 2 more weeks to continue working.
July: JJ arrived in Oklahoma a few days early and surprised Leigh for the 4th of July celebration. Our moving truck arrived the next day (after a week delay), and we began settling into our first purchased home together! JJ was able to continue his current job by working remotely from home, and Leigh began her new job at the Children's Hospital.
August: The biggest change of our lives occurred... Charlotte Ann was born! We had an incredible labor experience, and our sweet baby girl brought more joy to our little family than we could have ever imagined.
September: We celebrated our three year wedding anniversary, and JJ turned 34. Leigh's parents moved into their new house only 3 miles away from us, and we relished in the fact that Charlotte would be able to spend the days with her Mimi and Didi when we returned to work. We made trips to Ardmore to visit JJ's family as well and were thankful to be so near both immediate families.
October: Leigh turned the big 3-0! Friends and family showered her with heartfelt birthday cards for 30 days, and it made for an especially memorable birth month. JJ spent two weeks in Zimbabwe, Africa as part of a mission team from our former church in North Carolina. Not only did he get to reconnect with old friends on the trip, but he got to visit the home village of one of his team members, a native of Zimbabwe. Charlotte and Leigh survived the time without JJ, but he was greatly missed.
November: Leigh returned to work after 12 wonderful weeks of maternity leave, and JJ began a new job working as a clinical pharmacist at a company only a few blocks from Leigh's hospital, allowing us to commute to work together! We celebrated Charlotte's First Thanksgiving with JJ's family, and cherished the time spent with 4 generations.
It is impossible to capture the friendships and relationships that inspired, encouraged, and humbled us this year, and we thank you all for being a part of our lives! We rounded the corner into 2015 exhausted but healthy, happy, and thankful for another incredible year.
Cheers to an amazing, unforgettable year and the best that's yet to come...
-L
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