"The Year of Many Adventures"
Here we finally are: the last day of the year! With only a few hours left to go, I figure now is as good a time as any to look back at this past year. 2016 was a very busy, hectic, emotional, stressful, fun, exciting, happy year. There were as many up's as down's, but I'm vowing to keep my chin up, count my blessings, and focus on the good. To remember and be thankful for all the gifts He has bestowed upon me in plenty this year. There's honestly so much to say in one post, so I'll just highlight some of the best moments below!
January
- Mike & I celebrated our first anniversary together! <3 It was an eventful day: breakfast, bowling, and an Ice Hogs game!
- We said goodbye to Grandma Pat, who went to be with God.
- On Michael's 21st birthday I pulled all the stops! I made him a fancy cake modeled after his Subaru's wheels, we had dinner at the John Hancock, and then we went to a Hawks game!
- We visited the Volo Auto Museum and saw all kinds of cool cars.
- Mike took me to Medieval Times for as a pre-birthday present.
- My mom turned 47!
- Two movie nights were had with my brothers: Mitch, Jax, and I saw Lazer Team together and the JRG-connection watched The Revenant.
- My 21st birthday was a two day celebration! On Saturday my family took me out for dinner and bowling. On Sunday, Mike took me downtown to shop, sight-see, and attend the Blue Men Group.
- Charlotte, Mike, and I dressed up as Pascal, Flynn Rider, and Rapunzel from Tangled to go see Disney on Ice: 100 Years Of Magic! Our costumes were fabulous and it was so much fun!
- Tried not to eat too much on Pączki Day. ;)
- I got my ashes on Ash Wednesday.
- Rachael and I went to our first ever book signing! We met Victoria Aveyard, author of the Red Queen series!
- Mike took me to see Tangled in theaters!! I was easily more excited than all the little kids there. :)
- On Valentine's Day we had a lovely dinner at La Dolce Vita before going skating together under the stars on the pond by Mike's house.
- My Spring Thanksgiving treats arrived from Angie!
- I went snowboarding for the first time ever! Mike took me to Cascade Mountain and taught me everything himself!
- Mitch turned 16!
- Rachael, Mike, the Bradstreet twins, and I went to see Charlotte's violin recital with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
- I bet $20 that Leonardo DiCarprio would get the Oscar...I won. ;)
- I celebrated Rare Disease Day on Leap Day in honor of my cousin Brookelyn!
- I took Nicole, the little cutie I used to babysit, to see Zootopia along with Jax and her older brother Steven.
- After a really rough day, Mike surprised me with three dozen roses.
- I proudly attended Jax's Confirmation as his sponsor. I vow to always be there to guide him whenever he may need me!
- We went to the Hawks game with my mom and dad!
- I celebrated St. Patrick's Day for the first time ever with the Donelson family!
- We headed to downtown Naperville for lunch, shopping, a walk along the Riverwalk, and having our palms read!
- My dog Sookie turned 6!
- Mike & I went and had a little photoshoot together in downtown Naperville!
- On Easter, we went to IBC with Michael's family before enjoying brunch and having an egg hunt. Later we met up with my dad's side of the family for dinner!
- I said goodbye to my best friend of thirteen years. I was lucky enough to have a mini photo session with him before he left us two days later. I love you Stormy; I'll miss you forever.
- Rach and I went to another book signing, this time for Lauren Conrad's new book: Celebration!
- My cousin Meghan got married! Her new husband Jimmy is great and the wedding was an absolute blast!
- My family adopted a new German Shepherd puppy: Charlie! It was love at first sight!
- Zack attended his high school senior prom!
- We made a Blackhawks-themed cake for Jax's 14th birthday complete with matching decorations.
- Michael and I went on a hike at Castle Rock State Park.
- We enjoyed the summer weather and made some huge chalk murals together.
- We attended the Bolingbrook Fine Arts Senior Recital.
- On Mother's Day, mom and I went to Jax's baseball game before returning home to play out in the yard with the whole family (dogs too!).
- On Rachael's 23rd birthday the two of us spent the day at BookCon! We met all kinds of fantastic authors, like Sabaa Tahir, The Property Brothers, and James Dashner. In the evening, Mike and I threw her a Beauty and the Beast-themed party complete with a BatB cake!
- Michael and I officially began Snap & Sketch Studios!
- We kicked off the Urban Disney Princess photoshoots with the original three princesses: Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)!
- Attended Charlotte's Senior Violin Concert!
- Jax graduated 8th grade!
- We celebrated a weekend of Memorial Day festivities, which included: shopping, mani-pedis, and dinner dates!
- We attended Paige and Seth's wedding! I loved having an excuse to dress up all fancy with my man. ;)
- Charlotte graduated high school! Mike & I made Wheaton-themed, graduation cap cupcakes for her grad party.
- We witnessed the LHS Indians win the IHSA State Championship!
- We finally headed downtown to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo for the first time ever!
- Chris, Rach, Mike, and I spent the day at Six Flags. It was a great day with reasonable wait times!
- On Father's Day we spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool before heading out to lunch as a family.
- Charlotte turned 18!
- I spent a day with the Marsceau's! Rach invited me out for a breakfast, then later I brought my puppy Charlie over for a puppy playdate with Peter! :)
- Mike took me to the park where we had a "makeshift prom" and danced together under the stars.
- Dinner & movie date night! We got sushi before heading to an old-fashioned theater to see The Jungle Book.
- We went on a hike at Starved Rock!
- We kicked it old school and went roller skating at the Fleetwood Skating Rink.
- We finally had another Urban Disney Princess photoshoot starring Belle (Beauty and the Beast)!
- Mike surprised me with VIP tickets to see Lee Brice at Naperville's Ribfest! During the concert Lee signed his guitar and gave it to me!!
- On Independence Day Mike and I went to the Downer's Grove Parade before heading to see The Shallows. Later on, my cousins and some family friends came over and we played a game of backyard baseball!
- Mike made the world's coolest fort for us to watch Disney movies together in! :)
- We went to the Riverwalk for a mini photoshoot, followed by a delicious diner at Lou Malnati's.
- We added another addition to the Urban Disney Princess collection, this time with Ariel (The Little Mermaid)!
- Mike & I became addicted to Pokemon Go.
- We went to the Renaissance Faire and partied like it was 1574!
- We traveled six and a half hours up to Hayward, WI where we spent the weekend with Jeff and Laura (plus Mike's family)! We rode in the boat, shopped around town, ate yummy food, saw a movie, visited a huge muskie statue, and went to a petting zoo. Start reading about the trip here.
- Mike took me to see the musical Little Shop Of Horrors—which I loved.
- We made our yearly trip to White Lake in Wisconsin! It was a wonderful week full of: time at the beach, pontooning at the sandbar, horseback riding, feeding barn animals, visits to the arcade, fishing, a movie night, rescuing a raft, karaoke, games galore, a fish fry, harassing peacocks, tons of friends, and lots of laughs. You can start reading about the trip here.
- Mike spoiled me on National Girlfriend Day with dinner at La Dolce Vita and then taking me to our favorite park to light and launch floating lanterns!
- My little cousin Aria had a Little Mermaid-themed party for her 3rd birthday!
- The White Lake gang all got together at my house for a reunion BBQ/pool party!
- We headed down to Springfield for the Illinois State Fair, where we had fun at the carnival before getting to see the Dierks Bentley concert!
- Mike, Charlotte, Jacob and I got lunch at BD's Mongolian Grill before spending the sunny day browsing around the Promenade.
- Zack turned 18!
- Mike and I headed to yet another country concert—this time we saw Luke Bryan at Wrigley Field!
- DC's roofing crew came out and repaired my family's roof.
- We headed to the Field Museum and I got to see all of my dino friends. :D
- On Labor Day we went to IBC's annual picnic.
- We had some friends over and played an escape room game followed by Mario Kart!
- We took my Grama out to breakfast for National Grandparent's Day.
- Michael oh-so-sweetly made me a ring while he was at work, complete with a homemade box!
- Char, Jacob, Mike, and I headed to Holes & Knolls for some mini golfing!
- We checked out the World's Largest Corn Maze where we conquered the entire maze, pet lots of cute barn animals, rode a merry-go-round during the pouring rain, and ate lots of tasty treats. Afterward, we stopped at Gameworks for even more fun! :)
- Mike surprised me after work with an adorable bonfire set-up in the backyard—complete with smores and all my favorite candies. :)
- We headed back up to Wisconsin for our free weekend at White Lake! Although we didn't get to enjoy the beach, we all still had a great time hanging out together. You can start reading about the trip here.
- I took Mike out for National Boyfriend Day, spoiling him to death of course! We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory before going to see The Magnificent Seven.
- Michael and I started our project working on my family's basement! You can start read all about our construction adventures starting here.
- The next princess was added to our Urban Disney Princess collection: Jasmine (Aladdin)!
- My Winter Thanksgiving treats arrived. :)
- On Sweetest Day, my darling took me to the Hawks game where we got to watch the boys win 5-3!
- The next Urban Disney Princess photoshoot occurred: Pocahontas!
- We headed up to the All Seasons Apple Orchard for our yearly tradition of apple picking! We had a great time picking apples, doing corn mazes, blasting apple cannons, petting barn animals, and eating all kinds of tasty fall treats.
- Dad turned 47!
- We went to Six Flags for Fright Fest where Mike bought us adorable matching Batman capes! :)
- The Fearsome Foursome headed to Johansen Farms for some fall fun riding the train, playing a round of 9-hole mini golf, feasting on apple cinder donuts, and feeding a bunch of cute barn animals.
- Using the apples we picked from the orchard, Mike and I baked four delicious apple pies! :)
- For Halloween, I dressed up as a living popart piece by Roy Lichtenstein!
- Laura stopped by with Peter at my work to drop off a gift for me: an adorable merry-go-round ornament!
- A bunch of progress was made with the basement as it neared its completion!
- The Cubs finally won the World Series!!
- We took some cute festive photos for our very first Christmas card. :)
- I voted for the first time in my entire life!
- My sweetheart took me to the Rainforest Café for dinner one evening.
- We headed to Indiana for Lantern Fest and it was so absolutely magical...I never wanted the night to end. The next day, we checked out the Indianapolis Zoo aka my newest favorite zoo!
- Laura turned 50!
- I made a dogbone cupcake cake for Peter's 2nd birthday party!
- We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family with the yummiest meal! Later, Mike and I nearly froze to death during some Black Friday shopping.
- We went to the Drury Lane Theatre to see the musical Crazy For You!
- I saw Disney's Moana and immediately fell in love.
- The Fearsome Foursome took on Medieval Times!
- Michael and I went to see the Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo—we got our photo with Johnny the sloth this year!
- The two of us decorated our tree together.
- I continued my tradition of including Mike in my family's St. Nicholas Day celebrations!
- We made arguably the world's largest snowman. ;)
- The basement was officially "completed"! The bar was installed, the couch arrived, and the poker table was put in place. All that's really left to do now is decorate as desired!
- Since the Marsceau's would be out of town, we celebrated Christmas early on December 17th. The presents were plenty, the love was everywhere, and all had a lovely time.
- My Grama turned 80! The whole family on my mom's side went out to dinner together at Longhorn's Steakhouse.
- We attended IBC's yearly Christmas Cantata.
- We headed to the Morton Arboretum for our 3rd annual visit to see the Illumination lights display! :)
- On Christmas Eve we headed to my aunt's house to celebrate with my dad's side of the family. The annual White Elephant Dice game occurred, plus "Santa" made an appearance. I also gave my gift to Mike a day early: a trip to Disney World!!!!
- On Christmas morning we opened presents with my family. Later we headed to the Donelson's for brunch with Mary and the Kammer's. In the evening, we headed back to my family's place to celebrate with my mom's side of the family.
- Our friend Luke came home from the marines for a visit! We hung out and saw a movie together. :)
- Charlotte organized a large group to go skating at Rocket Ice Arena.
- Mike Sr turned 52!
- We celebrated New Year's Eve together at my family's house.
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I read a bunch of books this year—20 in fact! My goal was 25, which unfortunately I didn't meet. However, that's still a ton of books—especially for me, considering how busy I normally am! I listed my ratings below, but if you're curious to see my actual written reviews you can feel free to check out my Goodreads account. Hopefully in 2017 I can make the 25. :) Listed below are all the lovely novels I did find time to read.
- Five Night's At Freddy's: The Silver Eyes - Kira Breed-Wrisley & Scott Cawthon (5/5)
- The Death Cure - James Dashner (4/5)
- Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard (5/5)
- The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken (5/5)
- You - Caroline Kepnes (5/5)
- Fifteen Dogs - Andre Alexis (5/5)
- The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (5/5)
- Cruel Crown - Victoria Aveyard (Steel Scars- 4/5; Queen Song- 5/5)
- The Kill Order - James Dashner (4/5)
- The Maze Runner Files - James Dashner (3/5)
- Room - Emma Donoghue (5/5)
- Dying For A Living - Kory M. Shrum (5/5)
- Dying By The Hour - Kory M. Shrum (5/5)
- Zodiac - Romina Russell (5/5)
- Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard (5/5)
- Loch - Paul Zindel (3/5)
- The BFG - Roald Dahl (4/5)
- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide To Personal Freedom - Miguel Ruiz (3/5)
- The Isle Of The Lost - Melissa de la Cruz (5/5)
- Creepy Scary Stories - Sean Mosley (2/5)
Movies/TV
And of course, I also saw a lot of movies! It would take far too long to type out all the movies I watched this past year (If you're interested in that list, check out my Letterboxed account!). Instead, here's a list of the movies I saw at the theaters (with my ratings)!
- Daddy's Home (3.5/5)
- The Forest (3/5)
- The Revenant (5/5)
- Lazer Team (3.5/5)
- Tangled (5/5)
- Deadpool (4.5/5)
- Gods Of Egypt (3.5/5)
- Zootopia (5/5)
- Allegiant (3.5/5)
- The Huntsman: Winter's War (4/5)
- Captain America: Civil War (4.5/5)
- Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2/5)
- Angry Birds (3.5/5)
- The Jungle Book (4.5/5)
- The Shallows (3.5/5)
- The Conjuring 2 (4/5)
- The Legend Of Tarzan (4.5/5)
- Independence Day: Resurgence (4/5)
- Lights Out (5/5)
- Bad Moms (3/5)
- The Magnificent Seven (5/5)
- Ouija: Origin Of Evil (4/5)
- Doctor Strange (4/5)
- Hacksaw Ridge (5/5)
- Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (5/5)
- Arrival (4/5)
- Moana (5/5)
- Rouge One: A Stars Wars Story (4.5/5)
- Assassin's Creed (no rating bc I fell asleep in the theater lol)
- Passengers (5/5)
In terms of TV, Mike and I also found plenty of time to start a whole bunch of shows! We watched:
- all nine seasons of The Office (which is definitely our favorite TV show to date!)
- all six seasons of American Horror Story (the first three seasons were a re-watch for me)
- seasons one and two of Avatar: The Last Airbender (and got halfway through the third season)
- the newest season of Inkmasters (season eight)
- the newest season of Game Of Thrones (season six)
- seasons one through four of Once Upon A Time
- seasons one through three of House (I primarily am the one watching that show—Mike watches sometimes)
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Many of you are friends with me on Facebook already (that's probably how you navigated to my blog in the first place!). I also post quite often to my Instagram (as you know, I posted all my photos from Project 365 on there) so feel free to follow me as well! If you love our Urban Disney Princess photoshoots, check out Mike & I's art/photography Instagram account: Snap & Sketch Studios. My Twitter is stupid isn't interesting enough to link here. Anddd...I think that's about it. (You should already have enough sources to stalk me on at this point, lol.)
I hope everyone has a very happy new year! Tomorrow begins the first page in a brand new story. Make sure to tell a good one! :)
