It would appear that no one hosted the month-long recap linkup this year  and I kind of missed it. I thought I might do it a bit differently. My plan is to browse my flickr photos and recap here the major points throughout the year. SO here goes!

• The boys played soccer on remarkably awful teams. But I like sports and it was a decent way to kick off the year.
• My grandmother died and I drove down for the funeral.
• Elliot ran nearly three miles in the boosterthon at school and that’s when I realized he was made for running.
• The kids and I visited a replica Christopher Columbus ship docked nearby.
• The boys got to go camping for the first time.
• Elliot, Dakota, and I went to Disney with my dad when I went to drop him off at my parents’ for his Spring break.
• Elliot and I ran the Springtime 5k and he beat me.
• Uncle Elliot visited for the Torreya race and Isaac’s birthday; we all went to Monster Jam.
• Elliot played on a decent baseball team and we had a blast with those folks.
• Isaac graduated from VPK, we went to the pool for the first time, and Ash and I went with Isaac to Wild Adventures.
• We had our annual beach trip with about six families.
• We sojourned to South Florida, saw my aunt and grandpa, walked the beach, had Mexican food.
• We demolished the old brick grill in our yard and cleaned off the existing concrete slab.
• We spent July 4th out in the country, shooting guns and fireworks.
• We went to Wakulla Springs and threw a lot of water balloons.
• We spent a day with friends at a closer beach and capped off summer beach-going for the season.
• Isaac started Kindergarten; Elliot turned eight and got a basketball hoop.
• Boys started flag football and had visibly improved from the previous year.
• Ash and I took a tour of the FSU athletics department (my second time) and we all went to a game.
• Elliot had a belated birthday party at Skate World.
• Ash and I spent about ten days away from our kids while we went to the Big Island for our tenth wedding anniversary where we kayaked and did ziplining and saw volcanoes!
• Two weeks later, he and I went south to partake in a Tough Mudder. Never have my kids spent so many days away from us!
• Elliot ran his first 10k and Isaac his first 5k; both did great!
• And as you know, my brother-in-law came and we had a great Christmas!

Wow, I feel like we did a whole lot and yet, maybe not as much as some. Nothing ground-breaking but a lot more than we normally do for sure.

Here’s my Instagram best nine also, for reference.

Funny that only three of them take place before October. I will say that our year got increasingly busier once the last three months came.

Today we’re still purging toys and I’m grading papers. Though my online class is on break, I still have to be present. It never ends. Literally, it never ends. But I shan’t complain; I am actually kind of glad to be home this week, even with the kids and their crazy no-school antics.

That said, I’m going to go gather and make sure all is in order before I donate this stuff. Clothes to the Salvation Army and toys to the Children’s Home Society. I am super excited to be giving things to people who can actually use them!

Happy Tuesday everyone.