2015 - a year in review

I'm very pleased with everything I accomplished over the holiday. It was a great blend of family time, doing nothing (perfect at the coast), and getting things done. I'm so very, very grateful that work wasn't an issue & very little drama occurred. I'm shocked, but won't look a gift horse in the mouth. ;-)

I love all of the recap posts, and it's fun for me to remember as well what happened in 2015!

January - January was a pretty quiet month. I attempted to start running again, and the boys started playing basketball. Although they really enjoyed it, they opted not to play this season, and stick with soccer instead. They are diehard soccer lovers. ;-) I also spent time trying to better manage my stress at work. It was short-lived, but re-reading the post reminded me that I need to give it more of an effort in 2016 as well!

February - I took my first business trip of the year, to Tokyo. We also went to visit my family & celebrate the boys birthdays. While we were there, my grandmother passed away. It was very bittersweet, getting to spend time with her, support my mom, but was very difficult when the time came. She is very missed!

March - Back to Asia again, with a trip to Seoul. Nothing much else happened in March, or if it did, I was too tired to record it. ;-)

April - I only posted once in April! I can't believe it. My team went through a major re-organization that made my responsibilities significantly bigger, so work sucked up all of my time. I did get away with M for a super fun (but short) adult weekend to Las Vegas, and my sister & best friend came to visit as well.

May - My sister & I spent Mother's Day at the Oregon coast with our mom, having a celebration of life for my grandmother. And, we contemplated what it would take to buy a house in our neighborhood. Hint: a lot/too much. 

June - In June, I again only posted one time! Craziness. I was back in Tokyo, and also went to Portland to visit family for an epic biking adventure with the kids.

July - July was a big personal travel month, as I went to the Oregon coast with the family to celebrate the 4th of July, and had a fantastic trip. I also went to Las Vegas for a girls trip, and won a jackpot!! The boys also went to Disneyland with my parents & their two cousins, and more crazy fun was had.

August - The boys completed their first triathlon, and went back to school in mid-August. It also became clear that what I was doing in all regards to my life, wasn't working. I hit the wall. I also flew back to Portland to compete in the Portland to Coast relay with my family, which was fantastic.

September - We were desperately searching for a nanny, and then had to fire her. The start of school was rough this year, with childcare issues. M went to Dubai to visit his family for the first time, in a . . . .long time! I went to London for work, and then the biggest decision of the year was made! I embarked on my 40 week plan, to leave my job in 2016!!

October - M & I went to Maui for our 10th anniversary, and it was a truly perfect trip. In a less than perfect trip, I went to Beijing for work, and getting all of my visa issues sorted out with a week's notice was insane & stressful.

November - In November, we found out that we needed to switch the boys college accounts, which was an unpleasant surprise. I also made the last work trip of the year to Sao Paulo, and we had a fantastic Thanksgiving at home with the kiddos.

December - I worked *a lot* the first three weeks, and then found out that I got promoted & learned about my raise in January! We flew to Portland to visit my parents/sister/family for the holidays & had an amazing trip, plus enjoyed some time at our vacation house on the Oregon coast. It was perfect, & mellow.


That's it! No wonder I'm exhausted - that's a lot of traveling in a year. :-) 15 trips in 2015. I really, really need to evaluate doing less (both personally & on the work side) in 2016. For budget reasons, and also for my sanity. All told, I miss my family & friends, so spend the majority of our time together when possible. Moving away from our family has also made it harder for M & I to get time away, which we need to think about in 2016.

Did you do a year in review? If so, link up! Any big wins or exciting life changes for you & your family?