There is no denying that 2017 was a big and life-changing year for me. Not only was it a crazy-busy year in general, but there were a few life-altering events (like being pregnant) that will change my life forever. I can’t say that 2017 was all-together good, but how can I say it was a bad or rough year at all when it ended with such a beautiful experience such as giving birth to the most beautiful baby ever? I figured I’d stop and say goodbye to 2017 with a proper blog-post about the life-changing year that was 2017. Here’s my year in review…
January 2017
I started out the year with really good intentions regarding planning and getting my life in order. I set a bunch of goals and mapped out a plan for getting my life in order… Spoiler alert, everything changes when you find out you’re pregnant. I didn’t end up sticking with my planner as well as I had wanted, and I didn’t follow my home organization schedule, but I did have to make a good decision to cut down my workload. Though I really wanted to have a streamlined space where I could find everything easily, I did not know why I failed to make a schedule. However, after noticing my dilemma, some of my friends recommended me to search for home organization services (provided by companies like Apartmentjeanie) on the Internet. I was told that by availing of the services, it could be possible for me to sort and organize my home. And to be fair, I had really bad morning all-day sickness from the pregnancy for at least half of it, so there wasn’t getting much done or staying very focused. So, I thought that maybe I could try contacting the professionals for decluttering my house.
Big Happenings in January
The biggest news for me in January was my good friends Callie and Katelyn getting married. It was definitely the best wedding I’ve ever been to! I also changed my hair. It had been purple/pink for nearly a year, and while I loved having purple hair I’d started to think about changing up my career or advancing, and didn’t think interviews would do well for purple hair. So I went in and we dyed it a lovely rose gold blonde.
Best Blog Posts from January of 2017
In January I was really into Planner supplies, so I posted several fun and geeky planner supply posts such as:
Otherwise, here are a few great posts I posted in January:
Winter Blues? Simple Ways to Start Feeling Fabulous Again
The Smart Ways to Get Ready for Christmas in January
The Happiest Places In The World!
February 2017
February was pretty low-key. Bub had his surgery to fix a growth on his foot, and Chris and I had a lovely Valentine’s day at a fancy steakhouse.
Best Blog Posts from February 2017
When Life Gets You Down, Get Organized!
50+ DIY & Printable Valentines
5 Historical Cities Worth a Visit
March 2017
March was an eventful month, even if we didn’t realize it. First, we celebrated our year anniversary, and during that celebration some point I got knocked up… I just didn’t realize it yet. We also helped my grandmother and grandfather move out of the home they’ve lived in for 31 years, which was very sad and exhausting.
Best Blog Posts of March 2017
Our 1 Year Anniversary & The Story of Us
How to Handle Conflicts Without Ruining Your Relationship
5 Curvy St Patrick’s Day Looks
April 2017
April is my birth month, so it’s always pretty eventful. This year, however, it was even more eventful than that. We found out I was pregnant-which was pretty much the biggest news I’ve ever received in my life. I also quit my part-time job in retail, which I still miss, but due to the pregnancy sickness I just couldn’t continue the manual labor.
Best Blog Posts of April 2017
Baby On Board: Suddenly Life Just Changes
The Mayhem Busting Magic Of Organization
5 Surprising Ways to Combat Anxiety
May 2017
May was also pretty eventful. We had our first ultrasound and saw our little bean growing inside me, and I went to Savannah after the birth of my best friend’s baby. It was really great to spend time with the baby and get a small taste of what it’s like to take care of a newborn before mine came along.
Best Blog Posts of May 2017
Update Your Home Decor with the Pantone 2017 Color of the Year
Staying Healthy While Pregnant: Giving Your Child The Best Before They Arrive
Awesome Gifts for Book Lovers
June 2017
In June I volunteered for my work’s booth at the Utah Pride Festival and fell madly in love with Dole Whip. I even tried making it at home.
Best Blog Posts of June 2017
Beauty & Self-Care Tips To Help You Feel Good About Yourself
6 Adorable Rainbow Outfits to Rock for Pride Month (or Anytime!)
5 Easy Ways to Save Money on Shoes
July 2017
July was so busy that I only blogged once, but I did finally get my garden set up and planted. Unfortunately July is way too late to plant a garden, so we didn’t get very much from it. We managed to get their bedroom set up really cute, and I did some organizing around the house, including setting up my grandmother’s china hutch and the boys’ bedroom. Plus, we got the big news that the baby was a girl!
Visits with The Boys
Another thing that started happening in July was our unsupervised visits with C’s sons. We started getting S and B every other Saturday for two hours, and boy did we make the most of the time. In July we went to the Arts Festival, the Leonardo Museum, and Fat Cats for bowling and arcade games.
Best Blog Posts of July 2017
5 Cute Foodie Outfits for Girls Who Love to Eat
The Top Places to Travel to and Attractions to See in Africa
Popular Etsy Startup Ideas for the Stay at Home Mom
August 2017
The business continued on into August as we continued to have fun outings with the boys. In August we visited Tracey Aviary, Liberty Park, and the Aquarium with the boys. We packed as much fun into that outing as we could. We also decided to get a new car, seeing as we couldn’t possibly fit both boys and a new baby into the tiny Fiat I was driving before. There was no way my previous car was going to survive the years, so we thought it would be best. Luckily if I ever needed car parts I could always go to online stores like TDC Automotive and similar others, so we can be prepared for any car-related mishaps that could pop up.
Best Blog Posts of August 2017
How to Improve Your Living Room’s Feng Shui
30+ Fall Decor Must Haves
25+ Fall DIYs to Put You in the Mood for Fall
September 2017
September was even busier than August. We joined my parents for a weekend at Fort Bridger Rendezvous and took lots of great pictures. We ate a few good things from our garden, and put up some decorations for Halloween. We also got up to the family ranch for the first and only time this year and were able to see some family we hadn’t seen in a while.
More Time with the Boys
We also got more time with the boys, as our Saturdays were bumped up to 6 hours and we started getting Wednesday nights with them as well. We went on a couple of fun outings with the boys including the State Fair, The Park, and Witchfest at Gardner Village. So much fun!
Best Blog Posts of September 2017
30+ Cute Fall Planner Supplies (Or BuJo & Scrabooking)
29 Cozy Fall Mugs You’ll Love for Crisp Mornings
Pumpkin Spice Treats PSL Fans Will Love to DIY or Buy
October 2017
October just amped up the busy for us. We had our Halloween-themed baby shower and were so happy to see everyone who came out. We also went to the Atheists of Utah Trunk or Treat, and enjoyed more fun activities with the boys including playing in the leaves, hanging out at our house, Build a Bear, Jungle Jims, and visiting a pumpkin patch.
Best Blog Posts of October 2017
Recent Reads, Reviews, and Book Recommendations
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5 Size-Friendly Halloween-Inspired Outfits
November 2017
November became even busier as I was going to the hospital weekly for non-stress tests to check on the baby and making plans for her to come at the beginning of December. Then, our house flooded when the sewer backed up and we were quickly evicted from our basement bedroom. We had to haul the mattress upstairs to sleep on the living room floor. This is not something you want to deal with when you’re 9 months pregnant. What an absolute nightmare! There was so much that had to be dealt with, from drying out the area when the water finally receded to speaking to professionals like a waterproofing company to see what could be done to secure the bedroom to stop it from happening again.
Recording a Podcast
The weekend before being induced I was able to meet up with my friends Becky and Stephanie to record an episode of their podcast, Fat Club Podcast. It’ll go live on January 2nd and it has very adult content-but if you want to hear about my previous R (or X lol) rated adventures, you can check it out then. After many suggestions, I tried to find more tips to make the podcast more interesting. I may need to hire a marketing firm similar to Lower Street at the soonest opportunity if the podcast does not produce the desired results.
Early Induction
We changed the plan to induce on the 5th of December, so suddenly my leave had to start early and I found myself on maternity leave as of November 28th. then I went into the doctor on the that same day, and the doctor decided she wanted to induce me the next day-November 29th. I was terrified!
Best Blog Posts of November 2017
Personalized Holiday Gifts That Go the Extra Mile
25+ DIY Advent Calendars to Fill and Count Down to Christmas
Getting Settled in a New Home
December 2017
December was probably the most eventful of all of the months. Amélie was born on December 2nd at 12:48AM after 52 hours of labor and a C-section. It was the single most defining moment of my life thus far, and we’ve had a wonderful month getting to know her better. She’s beautiful and perfect, and we’re so happy.
Christmas 2017
We also had a really great Christmas. It was Amélie’s first Christmas and it was so great to spend it with friends and family. We had the boys both days for a few hours each day, and we went down to my parent’s house.
Best Blog Posts of December 2017
