twenty sixteen in review

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Eeeek! I thought 2015 went by fast and then 2016 happened. Sheesh. Last year was just as chaotic, busy and full of change as the last, and whatya know? We survived. We played in the snow, baby-mooned in Charleston, celebrated Mikey's last year in his twenties, welcomed Ezra (our littlest arrow), worked on our white house a lot, ran races, celebrated weddings and babies, mourned with friends overs losses, vacationed with family, (I) tromped around RI on our girls trip, celebrated birthdays and our lucky number 7, we drank in the holidays with our boys and celebrated my 30th birthday as we waved goodbye to the year. 

I mentioned last year that Mike and I took time to reflect on things that we loved about the year, things that we did well, things that needed improvement and what we wanted for the next year. This year that conversation has been a little more choppy - in between chasing kiddos, bed time, traveling to families houses for showers and laundry (we still have no hot water), and the daily humdrum of life in the Martin household. We haven't been able to settle on a word to represent this new year yet. Mainly because everything I've come up with so far has been uninspiring. So, here's to hoping for a few quiet minutes with Mikey to really think about this year and what we want it to look like. We already have big plans for travel and change, growth and new ventures. 

welcome, twenty seventeen

Allons! the road is before us! 

It is safe—I have tried it—my own feet have tried it well—be not detain’d! 

Let the paper remain on the desk unwritten, and the book on the shelf unopen’d! 

Let the tools remain in the workshop! let the money remain unearn’d! 

Let the school stand! mind not the cry of the teacher! 

Let the preacher preach in his pulpit! let the lawyer plead in the court, and the judge expound the law. 

Camerado, I give you my hand! 

I give you my love more precious than money, 

I give you myself before preaching or law; 

Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me? 

Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

[song of the open road, walt whitman]

 i read this excerpt from Song of the Open Road at alexa and chris' wedding in november. this is our anthem this year. gimme all the open roads we can find. adventure, be it near or far, is what we're after. my soul is itching to take the boys places. to travel. to see all that this world has. so, twenty seventeen, let's do this.