Happy 2017! I felt it was only fitting to begin the new year by reminiscing about 2016. It was a year full of great memories, so it was hard to narrow down our top ten! Here is our list:

1. Ringing in the New Year in Florida

We rang in 2016 under the warm sunlight of southern Florida. Visiting Ian’s family over the new years has become a recent tradition and one that we anxiously await each winter. Since we live approximately 1,557 miles away from Ian’s family we don’t get to celebrate many holidays together. Therefore, this is a trip is something we cherish each year.

2. Family Visits

To put it in perspective, my family only lives 148 miles away, but that’s still a 2 ½ hour drive. This has been the farthest I’ve ever lived from my family, so in the beginning, it was quite an adjustment. After three years, the distance is still hard, but it’s something we have grown accustomed to. On the plus side, it means I get to play tour guide when my family comes up to visit. This year one of the highlights was taking them to listen to live music at the local winery.

3. Summer events

One of the things that made me fall in love with our town is the long list of summer events they host. Every year our calendar fills up with summer concert series, farmer’s markets, and festivals. I live for these events, so I was constantly on cloud 9 during the summer.

4. New Orleans

One of our college friends moved to New Orleans after graduation and we had yet to visit him. We decided it was time to change that and planned a trip in March. As life would have it, he ended up moving back to Wisconsin a few weeks before we were planning to visit. Ian and I were still excited for the trip, so we decided to stick with our original plans and fly down anyway. Luckily, our friend gave us a lot of insider advice, and we had a wonderful time wandering around the beautiful city.

5. Graduations

Time seems to slip by unnoticed until a big life event happens – like your siblings’ graduation! Ian and I both had a moment this year where we sat back and thought, “Where has the time gone?!” Ian’s brother graduated from middle school and my sister from college! Crazy! We were fortunate enough to be present for each ceremony and enjoyed celebrating the accomplishments of our siblings.

6. Picking up Tennis

The last time I played tennis was in high school gym class and it wasn’t a pretty sight (many tennis balls ended up over the fence and on the street…) It didn’t bother me that my tennis game was non-existent until I married Ian. He played tennis is high school and would head to the court with friends in college. Once we moved away from his tennis partners he spent less and less time on the court and would often say how much he missed it. So I dusted off my old garage sale racket and foolishly thought I could play against him. Wrong! Therefore, our evenings turned into tennis lessons as Ian patiently instructed me on how to properly serve and rally. My game still needs a lot of work, but I’m looking forward to hitting the courts again once all the snow melts.

7. Pokémon Go

Laugh all you want, but Pokémon go made a lot of fun memories of us this year. Summer nights were spent wandering around local parks and walking out to the Love Lock Bridge to catch Pokémon. It was crazy to see how many other people in the community were out and about playing the game! After a while, our interest in the game died down, but it was fun while it lasted.

8. Family Olympics

One summer weekend, when the family was gathered together, we spontaneously held a “Family Olympics.” Medals were quickly cut out and strung together while events were set up. The afternoon was filled with friendly competition, medal ceremonies, and a lot of laughs. I have a feeling we stumbled upon a new family tradition!

9. Door County

It’s no secret that Ian and I love to take day trips up to Door County! Therefore, when Ian’s cousin came to visit we knew a road trip was in our future. After popping in and out of shops in Fish Creek, we laid out a blanket to enjoy a picnic lunch by the water. None of us wanted to pack up and leave, but as the sun started to set we knew it was time to make the journey home.

10. Being Featured in a Magazine

I joined the Rising Tide Society a little over a year ago, and have fallen in love with the community. It’s a heartwarming experience to find “your people” and geek out about all things creative. One additional highlight of joining the group was having the opportunity to be featured in a local magazine! All of the members of the group are serious #girlbosses and I loved seeing them get the recognition they deserve.

What was the highlight of your year? Leave it in the comments!