So Long, 2013!!

My first reaction is to say (and I may or may not have actually said it), "Suck it 2013!".  However, that's super negative of me and while this year was full of challenges, it was also full of some great adventures, laughs and lots of lessons learned!

January brought me to California for work where I earned my Body Geometry bicycle fitting certification.  I stepped WAY outside of my comfort zone by taking a class about body bio mechanics, handling bikes in a way I never have before and hanging out in a class that was 99.9% guys except for me.  I learned a lot and felt empowered! While I still have a long way to go, I really enjoy it.  

**side note:  if you're interested in a fit for your bike...let me know!**

We bought our first home in February.  It was a stressful/exciting/scary adventure for us knowing that we were here to stay and it is ours!  I loved being able to share in the experience with J because owning a home had been a huge goal of his and would never have been able to do it without him.  In fact, I never thought I'd be able to own my own home, so we were thrilled!

March brought on more house projects and adjusting the the fact that we weren't going to be able to get EVERYTHING we wanted done finished and that owning a home meant your lists just get longer.  ;-) 

I also got to reunite with some of my sweet friends from middle and high school!!  They came to Atlanta to do the Color Run and we had a blast catching up.  It was nice to know that I have friends I don't skip a beat with!

April brought a vacation to Orlando, Florida where we got to spend our days being big kids at Universal Studios, water parks and a VERY quick visit to the Magic Kingdom!  I also helped spearhead Peachtree Bikes first ever Ladies' Night and was really proud of the turn out...I hope that it was the first of many women's events at our shop.

May was challenging because of the diagnosis and subsequent surgery to treat my mother's breast cancer.  Luckily, after a lumpectomy & radiation, there is no further sign of cancer and we hope to keep it that way!!  On a HIGH note, I got to meet Shaquille O'Neal at the bike shop.  It was fun getting to meet him and to feel "tiny" at 6'1"!

June was a full month with every weekend booked!  We did our annual fundraising wine tasting event for Team Erin's Fight, hosted a cocktail hour with some of our favorite ladies and had some of our friends make a trek up to the lake house where we discovered that Frank loves the boat!

July brought a ton of rain...in fact, most of the summer seemed to rain and we felt lucky to get a full day without it.  We lounged by the pool when we could and I got to do one of my favorite past times with the bestie: peach picking!!!

August was full of more house projects, watching Frank graduate from puppy school and a rainy, but VERY fun Brave's game.  I also ventured into becoming a brand ambassador for Moxie Cycling clothing.  I took a leap of faith and became a sole proprietor representing this all women's clothing line at events throughout the Southeast.  It's been fun, exciting and I get to hang out with a bunch of cyclists on the weekends.  I'm even doing some guest blogging for them!!

September was tough...we do our annual Bike MS ride to raise funds and awareness for my best friend who suffers from multiple sclerosis and I learned the week before that Team Erin's Fight would be retired.  I'm still pretty sad about it, but I know that with this big change we can find new ways to continue to support a cause near and dear to our hearts.   We spent the weekend of September 14th saying goodbye to 8 years of hard work and memories.  It was a weekend full of tears, but mostly laughter at all those "remember that one time" moments.

October is my favorite time of year and we spent our weekends experiencing Fall in North Georgia, pumpkin picking and even had a costume party for Halloween!

November brought our 1st Anniversary!  We spent it in Napa and Sonoma California wine tasting. We were able to mark wine tasting in Napa off our bucket list whilst reminiscing about our first year as a married couple.  We entered our 2nd year with a nice collection of wine and I need to learn more about the art of wine making!!

December.  Whew.  December has been a whirl wind month that feels both like it lasted for eternity, but moved in the blink of an eye at the same time.  On December 4th, our bike shop location in Buckhead suffered a devastating fire in which we lost everything.  It's been an incredibly trying time for those of us who have literally poured our blood, sweat and tears into that place...  Through all of it, though, I learned that the cycling community is incredible.  The overwhelming amount of love and support from everyone in the industry made the pain of losing a staple in the community a little better.  I have a renewed faith in people and look forward to our new location which we hope to have open by Spring!  

December also brought my 30th birthday which was spent in California with my sweet cousins!  I couldn't have asked for a better way to enter into a new chapter (and decade!) in my life!!!!

Whew!  I'm blessed, y'all.  I'm ready to say goodbye to 2013 and all it's lessons and welcome a new year.  

Thanks to those of you who read this little blog about the random moments in my life.  I've never been more ready, hopeful and downright excited about January 1st in my life because I truly feel that 2014 is going to be FABULOUS!

Cheers!!