Future Memories
With 2023 rapidly coming to an end, it’s hard to remember all the highs and lows of the year. As my husband and I prepare to welcome the blessings of 2024, it’s time to take a look back on all we’ve accomplished and experienced.
Now that we’re at the last few days of December, it’s wild to remember that Nala had a major knee surgery that completely changed our daily routine for a while. She’s since made a full recovery and is back sprinting around with her sister, but it was a rather difficult time managing that whole experience.
Outside of the injury, our fur babies were granted additional freedom this year. They went from sleeping in their cages to sleeping in our room on a large memory foam bed at night. They also get to be left loose whenever we leave, no matter how far away we go. We just make sure to block off the stairs to make sure pibbles don’t start sprinting and get injured. They get healthy fruits and snacks every day to supplement their diet and they get their prescription medicines as directed. They never put their collars on unless they are going for a ride to the vet or the groomer and they get free reign to walk, run, and sniff around their yard at all times.
I’m immensely proud of how far they’ve come. They went from tearing up carpet to just sleeping in the sun and being good shepherds of their home. We just have to make sure to keep the front window blinds pulled up so nothing gets broken if they see anyone randomly walking around. Surprisingly, giving them more freedom has made them more responsible and easier to handle.
We did a decent amount of traveling this past year. In March, we went to Chattanooga and it was our first time staying in a 4-Star hotel. We even went off roading a little bit. If you haven’t already, check out the recap of the trip. In January, we even went on our first cruise and learned a whole lot about the art of cruising. Surprisingly, the upfront money isn’t the fully loaded cost of a cruise and you really don’t want to skimp out on things like internet access and drink packages. You also really don’t want to fly to the port AND get on the ship in the same day if you can help it. All that maneuvering just becomes way too hectic.
Our activities kept us super busy and reliant on our shared Google Calendar. We attended as many softball and soccer games as possible and even went to Clemson for an NCAA third round soccer game. We didn’t make it to any football games, but it’s honestly better watching the games at home. A highlight of the year was getting to see one of our favorite artists, Mac Ayers, in concert in April.
We took up hiking and got stronger at riding our bikes. We made the rookie mistake of misunderstanding the length of a particular trail once and got caught in a massive rain storm. I definitely would hope it never happens again, but I wouldn’t trade that memory for anything. We even upped our fitness game by investing in 5, 12, 20, and 30 pound dumbbells and increased the intensity of our daily training. We went from working out 4 days a week for 30 minutes to 5 days a week for 40 to 45 minutes.
I even got summoned for one horrible day of jury duty. At first, I didn’t understand why people dreaded the public service but then I was stuck at a courthouse from 8 AM to almost 8 PM on a Monday, and it finally made sense. The experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I sure hope I don’t get summoned again anytime soon.
As for house updates, we didn’t do too much this year. We just bought additional furniture for the office, relocated some of the dogs’ items upstairs, and thinned out old, ill-fitting clothes. We’ve already decided what we want to work on in the new year. Coming up next for us is getting some sod installed in the front yard, repainting the fence, hanging some photos, and adding additional furniture and decor.
Kris and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary this year and I am excited to just continue doing life together. We didn’t do anything big or extravagant to celebrate, but it helped solidify the fact that marriage doesn’t have to be hard. Of course we had some interesting situations and struggles, but we maneuvered them together as a team.
While I gradually cut down my passion project, I found new ways to improve my craft and create more offerings. I’m proud of the strides I’ve made regarding graphic design, editing, the blog, and adding email marketing and other systems. I also got the opportunity to switch positions at work to something less stressful, more profitable and enjoyable, and allows me to learn new skills to eventually land a better remote position in the future.
Each year unfortunately brings its fair share of death and loss, and thankfully we only lost 1 soul this year. My childhood dog Ebony is now in doggie heaven with the rest of our loved ones that were gone way too soon.
As the new year approaches, it’s important to look back on everything that 2023 taught us. No matter if we had financial struggles, lost family members, or even had to find a new job, we persevered and got through everything just a little bit stronger than we were before. Here’s to all the future memories just waiting to be made in 2024.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
