Happy New Year 2016

2015 was an incredible year for my husband and I. It started out pretty rocky and I was worried about it last January, but this year has turned out to be the best one yet. Here is my year in review:

The big events started with my baby brothers turning 16 in May.

(My shoes are Converse from Journey's, my pants are from Forever 21, my gray shirt is from Cotton On, and the vest was a present to me)

I'm not sure they could get much cuter and that made the age 16 very scary to me.

The next big one was my other, not-so-little, little brother graduating high school and from college with his associates, simultaneously.

(Shoes are from Target, skirt, shirt, and necklace are all from Forever 21)

This kid is going to do great things. He's taken a year off from college & he's been living with my husband and I. It's been good and bad for our relationship. I've bonded with him in ways that I hadn't before, but half the time I want to pluck his eyeballs out... Typical siblings. He'll be starting at the U in the fall.

(Shoes are from Journey's, socks, jeans, and tank top are from Forever 21, and the denim shirt and headband are from H&M)

Next step was leaving my best friends behind to start a new job. I LOVED working with Kaeley and Kimber more than anything, but I knew that there was something better for me. I love my job now. I work with a lot of my family which makes me feel comfortable, but it also challenges me because I have more incentive to not let the people down. My aunt and uncle are truly the best bosses ever and it's been a huge blessing to start working with them.

(Shoes are from Forever Young Shoes, jeans are from American Eagle, tank top is from Hope Ave, and the cardigan is from H&M)

I couldn't really call getting pink hair a big step, buuuut... I loved it and it was one of my favorite parts about this year. I've been highly considering giving it another go. In my mind summer is just around the corner. Poor me though, because we're hardly even close to spring.

(My dress is from Forever 21 and my white shirt is from H&M)

This one was a biggie: Laws were passed that made it so my sister could get married to who she loves. I love both my sisters a lot. I couldn't imagine not having Sondra in my life. We frequently butt heads but I wouldn't have it any other way. Their wedding was beautiful and I love seeing my sister so happy.

(Shoes are from Journey's, pants and jacket are from Forever 21, and pink tank top is from Victoria Secret)

We pretty much went on my sisters honeymoon with them. They go to California every year and this year we got to go with. We left pretty much a week after their wedding and our vacation was for nine days. It was so wonderful. It was Mike's first time seeing the ocean and that was really fun for me to experience with him. It was pretty cold the whole time we were there so we didn't get in the water much. It was wonderfully relaxing. We aren't going with this year, but we're making plans to go with them in 2017.

(Left picture: Boots are from Forever 21, skirt is from Urban Wear, and denim shirt is from H&M. Right picture: Boots and pants are from Forever 21 and the shirt I got at Tai Pan but the brand is Cara Loren)

By far, the biggest and best thing that happened to us this year was getting sealed. When Mike and I met the idea of us getting sealed would have made both of us laugh out loud. About a year and a half into our relationship (yes I was still in high school) I started thinking about the possibility of it. Mike was the first person I had ever met that made being with someone forever sound good. Ever since then our goal was to get sealed. We struggled for many years and finally when we decided to get married civilly instead of trying and trying to be married in the temple, things got better for us. Everyone always told us that getting married wouldn't fix our problems. That might have been true for lots of other people, but it wasn't true for us. Being married has been a breeze compared to our dating years.

When our stake president told us this past May, that we were ready to get sealed... For one, it came out of nowhere and surprised me. It scared me at first. I started wondering if I was really ready for this step. Then came incredible happiness. We had met a goal that we had been working on for years. I'm so grateful that Mike and I were able to get sealed in 2015. It will be a year that I'll never forget.

(Shoes, tank top, and denim shirt are from Forever 21 and my skirt is from Bella Ella Boutique)

In August, another big step came for our little group. Lauren left on her mission to serve in Peru. We miss her like crazy, but we're also so proud of her for this choice that she's made. She will be blessed immensely throughout her life for this choice.

(My pants are from Aeropostale and my sweater is from Forever 21)

The last big event in 2015 was Kaeley having a baby. Little Hadley Shae was born into this crazy world and took a piece of all of our hearts. Kaeley is such a good mom and I loved watching her prepare for this incredible event in her life.

This year has been so big for all of us and I'm not sure if it can be beaten, but here's hoping.

As we leave 2015 and enter into this new year, I, like everyone else, have some goals for myself. I have the typical ones like lose the last 10 lbs that I've been fighting with the past six months, go to the temple more often, drink less soda (she says as she sips a Swig soda), read one book every two weeks, and write in my journal at least weekly (I use to be really good at this one).

My one goal that isn't so typical, is to get back into MMA. My love for Ronda Rousey is no secret. I'll never forget the first time I watched her fight. I hadn't slept at all the night before and I was kinda grumpy. I almost cancelled on my sister. I didn't want to go into public at all. I'll forever be grateful that I went. I'm a passionate person in everything that I do. I don't do things in a halfway manner. Ronda created a passion in me that scared even myself, which is hard to do. I wanted so badly to be just like her. For about three months after this all I did was talk about Ronda and how I wanted to be like her. Everyone told me that I was crazy and couldn't do it (except my husband). It shouldn't have, but eventually it all got to me and my passion kinda died. I still love and respect Ronda more than anything, but I've gotten lazy when it comes to my own goals. So in 2016 I resolve to get back into MMA.

We have most of the gear needed at my house already. Now all I need to do is push myself. Feel free to check up on me to make sure I'm sticking to my guns. I need someone to answer to.

Finally, I think I need to shop less. I'm not sure I'm gonna make that a goal but it probably should be. I spent my entire New Years weekend cleaning and then I rewarded myself with some shopping. That's always what I reward myself with. I took some pretty awesome photos in the H&M dressing room. They have the best lighting. So here are my first selfies of 2016:

I got lots and lots of compliments on my hair throughout the day and I think it got to my head a little (no pun intended). Really though, what's wrong with liking the way you look? Absolutely nothing. 

Here's to an incredible year!