2014 Year in Review

Hello, everyone! Happy New Year’s Eve! 

Earlier this month I posted my Year in Running as part of a link-up. There’s so much more to life than running, so here is a recap to 2014! This was quite a year: I moved, planned a wedding, defended my master’s thesis, married Ryan, and (finally) graduated with my master’s degree!

January

In January we got hit hard with all the snow from the polar vortex. I think Valpo got about 88-inches of snow! I spend most of the month in Valpo since the weather frequently prevented me from getting back to Dayton for the school week. I also started my final semester of graduate school and spend most of my time writing what would become a 130-page master’s thesis. We also started wedding planning and lined up all the important details like our church, our priest and pastor, and part of our reception. 

January 2014

 

February

February is never my favorite month of the year (nor is it Ryan’s) because the weather is awful in Northwest Indiana this time of year. I think my first outside run of the year was in February, because the mountains of snow finally started to melt and it finally stopped snowing. I spent most of the month writing, researching, and revising for my thesis and grading in my free time.

February 2014

 

March

March was a big month in wedding plan! Ryan and I bought our rings, started our marriage preparation, and I visited Saint Louis to pick out bridesmaid dresses. Meanwhile, graduate school took its toll as I finished up the first draft of my thesis and Charlie tried to make up on sleep for me. 

Charlie 2014

 

April

At the start of April I ran my first 10K at the Valparaiso Ringing in Spring race! I didn’t really train hard for it—I just followed this intermediate Hal Higdon plan—and I ran a 50:15 and finished 4th in my age group. Later in the month, I finished up my final semester of graduate school at the University of Dayton.

Image Courtesy of Ideas in Motion Media
Image Courtesy of Ideas in Motion Media 

May

At the start of May, Ryan and I packed up a van and moved all my stuff (including my NordicTrack treadmill, Ryan is too good of a husband for maneuvering that thing) from Kettering, Ohio to Valparaiso, Indiana. I joined the team over at Conciliar Post as a Senior Writer and Editor. Meanwhile, Charlie decided to start dressing more like his dad and tried on Ryan’s glasses. 

  Charlie 2014

June

In June I went to Saint Louis for my bridal shower! As you can probably tell from the cake, my bridal shower was at Schlafly, aka my favorite brewery. I also had my final dress fitting, which in retrospect it was not the best idea to have my final dress fitting before I started half marathon training (I lost weight while training). 

June 2014

 

Ryan and I also bought a grill in June, and we used this thing all summer long. Grilled vegetables and meat are such a delicious and healthy dinner. Ryan’s grilling masterpiece of 2014 was a smoked pork shoulder, which we served with vegetables and gnocchi and then stretched with other meals throughout the whole week.

June 2014

 

July

I successfully defended my master’s thesis in July, which marked the completion of my master’s degree. I went back to Saint Louis again in July for my bachelorette party! I’m not really big into the bar scene so instead we got tickets to the Champions Club at Busch Stadium and saw a Cardinals game.

  July 2014

We also got to spend an inning in the Broadcaster’s Booth, which was fun! Still, running is hands-down my favorite sport to watch. 

July 2014

 

August

August started off my half marathon training! I also started to create This Runner’s Recipes in August, and Ryan spent hours designing this awesome website. We also spent a lot of time wedding planning, since it seems a lot of the hard work is in the first month of engagement and the last month before the wedding. It was so nice not to go back to school this August and instead spent quality time with my boys. 

  August 2014

 

 

September

September was the month Ryan and I got married! I also turned 25 in September and Ryan turned 27, so we can quite the celebratory month. Our wedding was beautiful and it was so wonderful to have family and friends in town. 

Wedding 2014

We went on our honeymoon to Turkey Run State Park, where there were about a dozen beautiful hiking paths. All the fresh air, rugged trails, and beginning of fall foliage made Turkey Run the perfect place for our getaway.

September 2014

 

October

October was full of long runs, playing with Charlie in the fall leaves, and just loving life. We even got in a hike at the Indiana Dunes before the weather got too cold. October is my favorite month.

October 2014

 

At Halloween we (unsuccessfully) dressed Charlie up as Dobby from Harry Potter.

Halloween 2014

 

November

November was the month of my first half-marathon. I ran a 1:46:06 and placed second in my age group. I loved this race and am so excited for my next half!

November 2014

Ryan and I also took a weekend trip to Saint Louis. There, Charlie discovered his inner unicorn (aka my mom got him a unicorn Halloween costume).

November 2014

 

December

December was a month in which I remember just how much I love late fall/early winter running. There’s something about the cold and crisp air that I just love, and I found myself running at relatively fast pace (7:45-8:20 for any given run). 

December 2014

We also visited my family in Saint Louis for Christmas!

December 2014

Questions of the Day:
How was your 2014? What were some of your favorite memories?

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