Born in the SEC...Bred for UT: 2014

When reflecting on the past year, the first thing that comes to mind is that the 4 of us deserve t-shirts that say "I survived the Chicago Winter of 2014." I know for months, and months you had to read (and listen) to me whine about how miserably cold we were in Chicago. But, in my defense, I need to emphasize that December 2013 through March 2014 were the coldest 4 months in Chicago on record. Like colder than it's ever been there before. Ever. And we were there. We LIVED there.

But in all seriousness (not that I'm ever not serious about weather), 2014 was quite a year.

Brent and I are really big on goal planning. We love to put pen to paper (yes, the old fashion way!) and write down what we plan to accomplish within a time period. A year ago, as we looked ahead to 2014, we agreed to "take it easy" on the goals. We were coming off of an incredibly life changing year (Brent left Liberty Mutual, worked for a new company, we moved to Chicago, Brent went back to Liberty Mutual, Mary Grace started Kindergarten, we bought a new house, etc.) In all honesty, my most ambitious goal for 2014 was to completely stop drinking all soft drinks...which, for the record, I did!

This year is ending on such a high note. But I will say, not everything this year came without pain. While we were extremely excited to move to Charlotte, leaving Chicago didn't feel good. We loved our house. We spent a lot of time making it perfect for us. We loved living closer to some of my extended family. We loved Mary Grace's school. And, despite the cold, we loved Chicago.

Our other bittersweet (and painful) story-line of 2014 was selling our Knoxville house ("The Forest Oak House") We purchased that house in February 2006. 1 short year later we found out we were pregnant with Mary Grace and moving to Florida. At that time we attempted to sell the house, but we ended up renting it out. We moved back into the house in December 2008, and then out again in August 2009. Since then we've been able to rent the house, but after some particularly destructive renters this past year, we made the decision to put it on the market this summer. Just last week when we received the phone call saying the closing was official, Brent and I looked at each other not knowing whether to celebrate or cry. It was a costly, headache of a house...but it was our house. And over the years, it was loved.

At the end of the day, though, we've accomplished, achieved and seen our dreams become reality in 2014. We've been blessed with health, friendships, memories and opportunities.

Right now we're in the process of finalizing our 2015 goals. And if I learned anything this past year, it's to never say never. But I will say, I HIGHLY doubt we will be moving in 2015!

Here are some family pictures we had taken back in October-