And what a year it's been! It included my divorce finalizing, my dad dealing with a variety of health issues, me finally coming to terms with who I am and how I want to live my life, putting down roots once again in the Michiana area, embracing my new role as the medical power of attorney and primary care coordinator for my Great-Aunt Dorothy, falling in love with a wonderful woman and subsequently coming out to my friends and family, my parents putting their house on the market in the spring and having it sell 24 hours later, their move to Minnesota after living in Indiana for almost 40 years, going on an epic 5,000 mile road trip to California to close out that chapter of my life, completing my first 5K race, and ultimately realizing that the best things in life are often hidden in plain sight.
I want to thank those friends and family who've known about and helped me through all these changes this past year! I'm blessed beyond measure to have your unconditional love in my life. To those of you I haven't seen or talked with in a while, I carry many happy memories in my heart and look forward to making more with you in the coming years.
As usual, I feel like pictures say it best. Here's a compilation of my adventures over the past year...
Hiking at the RES, a local preserve where I attended girl scout events when I was little girl
Rum Village Park - a new favorite hiking place right in South Bend
Finding happiness
My mom lost in the petunias at Varner's Greenhouse
Sunset over the Rockies near Denver with my cousins
My reward for a long day's drive from Denver to southern Utah
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| Visiting the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park with my friend Alysia and her little boy |
A bit of silliness with family at my goddaughter's high school graduation party
Fourth of July fun
Warren Dunes State Park along Lake Michigan
Go Boilers!
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| Celebrating my nephew Andrew's 4th birthday |
Discovering the jazz scene in South Bend
Pond reflections on the Notre Dame campus
My first 5K race on Thanksgiving Day up in Niles, Michigan
Celebrating Thanksgiving with Aunt Dorothy, Uncle Jeff and Michelle
Happy holidays and best wishes for 2016!
