TWO THOUSAND nineteen

I’m honestly not sure how another year has come and gone. Gosh, I sound so old saying that, but it’s true. I feel like I just sat down to write last year’s year-in-review post, and somehow another year has passed and 2020 is banging on the door.

Consider this our digital “Christmas card” (again) this year and let’s just pretend that I mailed this card to your house.

If you’re interested, below are the links to our previous “Year in Review” posts. Even if no one else cares for these posts, I love documenting each year in this way to look back on how the Father has brought us through the great and the hard times in our marriage. And what a year of growth it was for us!

CLICK HERE FOR OUR 2018 YEAR IN REVIEW POST.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR 2017 YEAR IN REVIEW POST.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR 2016 YEAR IN REVIEW POST.

Him

Bry spent most of the spring preparing for the San Juan Hut System, which required several months of preparation and weekend trips to hilly locations where he could recreate the conditions. He went on a few solo trips as well as a few trips with his buddies. Some of his trips included bikepacking from Dallas to Fort Worth, Goodwater Loop (designated as an Epic Trail by the International Mountain Biking Association), Vancouver, Canada (for work), lots of work night rides to downtown Dallas and back (50 miles roundtrip), several local 75-100 mile bikepacking trips to Texas state parks (including Isle du Bois State Park and Caprock Canyon State Park where he got stuck in red clay mud and got pulled out by local ranchers.) He also spent some time at Curt Gowdy State Park in Cheyenne, WY for some winter snow hiking over Thanksgiving. A not-so-highlight for Bry was totaling two cars within a few weeks this summer. Neither of the wrecks were his fault, but they were both quite inconvenient!

her

For me, 2019 felt like another year of being buried. In February, the Holy Spirit gave me my word of the year (abide) and then He buried me. “I know that you delight to set your truth deep in my spirit. So come into the hidden places of my heart and teach me wisdom.” Psalm 51:6. I jumped head-first into His Word and begged Him to come into all of the hidden, buried places of my heart. As I wrote about last year, the Father has me in this preparation period - for what? I’m not sure yet. But, He’s still stretching and growing me in the quiet places of my heart, preparing me to do His will in His timing. He pushed me and stretched me in places I thought I wasn’t ready for, but He was with me every step of the way. Some of my highlights of 2019 were keeping up with my weekly blog, meeting new friends at the Moms in the Making Leader’s Retreat and Conference, finally figuring out my enneagram type (9, OBVS) and my Jesus retreats in February and September. I gained back all of the weight I lost last year (and then some), but I’m sure I’ll lose it again soon. I continued practicing guitar and I have voice lessons lined up for 2020. Yay!

us

We continued our monthly date nights this year on the 20th of each month (since our anniversary is the 20th of May.) All of the dates were fun, but the highlight of the year was playing with a baby otter on our 13th anniversary! I knew it would be fun, but I didn’t know how dangerous it would be! That little guy was crazy!! Our other dates included concerts with Bethel Music, Hillsong United, and Elevation Worship (bring on all the worship concerts!), a Rangers baseball game, staying at the Crescent Court Suites for Valentine’s weekend, and so many other fun dates. We hosted a New Years Eve party at our house to ring in the new year and we’ll have even more fun hosting in 2020 now that our house is (almost) done! Every year just keeps getting better with this guy. It doesn’t get easier, and actually it becomes even more challenging as the enemy attacks so many parts of our marriage. BUT Jesus! He is growing unity and wholeness and humility in us and I know He isn’t finished with us yet.

Our Little Lady

Our girl turned 13 a few weeks ago and we continued our (mostly) monthly visits. We’re going on year five of visits with this official teenager and we’re grateful for every moment we get to spend with her. Her confidence and self-esteem amaze me and I just wish I had a fraction of her courage when I was her age. Her dream jobs have shifted from being a baker to a dairy farmer to a veterinarian to the military, so I can’t wait to see what the Father has in store for her. What I know is that His dreams for her are so much bigger than anything she could dream of for herself! My prayer for her continues to stand on Ephesians 3:20, “Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.”

#bearfood2019 - Him

This summer was the first in many years that we didn’t go on an extended national park road trip together. Instead, Bry went west to Utah and I went east to Alabama. His “BearFood” trip consisted of mountain biking 235 miles of dirt trails between Telluride, Colorado and Moab, Utah through the San Juan Hut System with my Aunt Steph and Uncle Ted and their friend Meg. Sad to say there was only one bear sighting, and even sadder to say he killed one deer (after it ran out in front of his car.) He broke his bike chain three times. He visited Arches National Park on his way to Telluride, made some lifelong friends, and pushed himself past what he thought were his “limits” with every grueling mile of the trail. These four biked up to 50 miles a day and then slept in huts without running water or electricity throughout Colorado and Utah. It’s a trip he’ll never forget (and hopefully one he’ll never ask me to do with him.) And all the people said AMEN.

#bearfood2019 - Her

So, while Bry went west with my family, I went east with his! Well, his mom, at least. And our little lady! Our “BearFood” trip included traveling through New Orleans on our way to the beach in Alabama. We ate delicious food, had the most amazing ice cream, and did the beach thing! Our girl ate crawfish every chance she got as Jan and I watched in utter horror. To balance things out, we found the best beignets in New Orleans (at Cafe Du Monde, of course.) The highlight of my trip was the dolphin cruise Jan booked for us. It was so amazing to watch the dolphins swim and play so close by. After the beach trip, my bestie and I went up north to stay in a cabin in Oklahoma for a few nights. We played at Turner Falls Park and drove through the Arbuckle Wilderness with all of the terrifying ostriches and llamas.

the furry children

Lucy and Kota are better than ever! And by that, I mean Lucy still thinks she’s a puppy and Kota thinks she’s an old lady. Lucy (the reddish American Golden) turned eight years old a few weeks ago and Kota (the English Cream Golden) turned three in May. Kota had to be fully shaved this summer after going through two skin infections - one on her neck and the other on her tail. Shaving her definitely helped with the hair problem in our house! These two are happy now that all of the construction is finished at our house and they’re back into their “routine,” which really just means napping in different spots throughout the day and hoping their humans will play with them every chance they get.

family & fraaaands

2019 was the year of building friendships. We prayed for friends and He answered us in the most beautiful, abundant way. Looking through this year’s photos reminded me of all of the incredible people He’s surrounded us with. Some of our favorite moments weren’t even documented because we were busy living life with our people - game nights around the table, deep conversations with friends on the couch, or shedding tears and belly laughs over dinner. Paul wrote in Romans that the Kingdom of God is righteousness (or kindness), peace, and joy. All of these people (and many not even pictured) usher in the presence of God in this way for us - with their kindness, the peace of Jesus, and abundant JOY!

la casa

One of the most exciting (and draining) things that happened to us this year was the remodel of our house! We’re not 100% finished yet, as you can tell by the photos, but we’re so close! We had a huge hail storm in June 2018 and we’ve been in the process of updating our home ever since. We got a new fence last winter, a new roof this summer, and the indoor work was finished over Thanksgiving. The updates included: new wood flooring in the living room, stairs, and master bedroom, new paint downstairs and up the stairwell, removing the 1998 wallpaper, new tile in the kitchen, new lighting downstairs, updating the landscaping with our favorite herbs, new appliances, and a few other projects. We have more ideas for next year and we’re grateful that this insurance claim kicked our butts in gear to prioritize updating our home!

Moms in the making

If you’ve been around here for a while, you’re probably familiar with my love for this ministry and for the incredible women who lead it. I wrote a post about it a few weeks ago and you can read that HERE. Moms in the Making is a faith-based infertility support group with more than 40 in-person groups that meet all over the country. The ministry also hosts a women’s conference in October each year in the DFW area. If you’ve struggled to have a baby for any length of time, this ministry exists to walk through the wait with you. It is one of my greatest pleasures and my highest honor to be their honorary photographer and fly-on-the-wall.

business

I wrapped up my fifth official year of my photography business in 2019. The year began with a fun trip to Atlanta, GA with my mentor group, SOAR - led by my two favorite Shannons! While in Atlanta, we took photography and business courses, visited the original Chick-Fil-A, ate delicious food, and visited the Georgia Aquarium (rated one of the best aquariums in the world!) If you ever get the chance, you HAVE to go and your trip will not be complete without watching the world-renowned dolphin show. Make sure you plan to arrive at least an hour early to get seats. In addition to the Atlanta trip, I had the privelege of working with some of the best families in DFW, hosting a table at two craft shows this year, and expanding my business designing faith-based t-shirts and sweaters. Running a business isn’t easy, but it’s definitely FUN!

travel

Whether it was a weekend trip an hour away with our girl or hiking in an ice field five states away, this year was full of fun travel dates. Bry hiked through Arches National Park and rode the new lift-access, downhill trails about an hour outside of Austin in the Texas hill country. We closed out the year with knee-deep snow in Wyoming while visiting family over Thanksgiving Break and celebrated Christmas in 70 degree weather in New Braunfels, TX, my hometown. With how much of a homebody I am and how much I like staying put, you’d think we’d spend more time at home!

thursgang

Our “Thursgang” is one of the biggest blessings the Father has ever given to me. About two years ago, He brought five couples together who were all in similar places in life - 20s/30s, no kids, lived close by, etc. After almost a decade of prayer (literally) and almost leaving our church a few times, He answered our prayers. He brought these sweet, precious friends into our lives and it’s such a joy to walk alongside them. Our group has changed a little bit over the years, but I’m so grateful for every single person in our Thursgang!

Reclamation Church

Our church recently came out of an almost 2-year process to refine and define our mission. Since most church mission statements are the same, our consultant helped walk us through what makes us “different.” After much prayer and seeking, the leaders found that our “target market” are people who have been burned by the church. Once that was revealed, it all made sense. The Father renamed our church in the process and it is absolutely perfect, Reclamation Church. He renamed us, reclaimed us, rewrote our history. We are a church made of misfits, of imperfect people, serving a PERFECT God. He can (and is) using all of us for His purpose and His glory. I just can’t believe we get to be a part of it!

good cookin’

I received the Magnolia Table cookbook for my birthday in January and we wasted no time trying out the recipes. Jo’s lemon bars are an absolute favorite in our home. Bry continues to amaze me with his grilling, baking, and culinary skills. We added an Instant Pot to our list of favorite kitchen tools AND I just received a dutch oven for Christmas, so we’re about to step-up our Pot Roast game around herrrrr. The cast iron continues to be our favorite tool in the kitchen and I never want to make steak or burgers any other way. So grateful for a hubby who’s willing to pull back his sleeves and get to work in the kitchen!

Jesus Retreats

I had to end this post with a few photos of the most sacred days 2019 held for me. As I’ve written about on this blog, I felt Holy Spirit wooing me away into the “desert” for a while; to rest and read and to be still. It took me a bit to figure out that He wanted to take me into the actual desert. So I booked a trip to Sedona, AZ, but it was snowed out, so I ended up in Arkansas. My second trip found me in Phoenix and a day trip to Sedona, so I still got to go before the year ended. My next trip has been booked - Portland in March 2020 - and I’m so excited and expectant about what He has in store for me there. I’ve included a few photos of my “retreat” spot in my own home because that is one of the biggest things He’s taught me this year - how to “go away with Him” no matter where I am. I don’t have to travel to the ends of the earth to hear His voice. I can just go to my closet or close my eyes. But, those trips are fun, too. My Arkansas trip (Feb 2019) and Phoenix trip (Sept 2019) can be found in the included links. I read John during my February retreat and Romans during my September retreat. Focusing on one book during each retreat has helped them to come alive for me as I’ve read them over the year. Here’s to 2019 and we can’t wait to see what 2020 holds for us!