Chipper. For the fourth year in a row, I've dedicated myself to filling up my "happy jar" - a glass jar where I put little slips of colored paper containing a reason why I'm happy. It can be something as small as a bubble bath, or as big as getting married to my best friend. 2017 has been a good year for me, and my jar is more full this year than it ever has been, filled with every day occurrences and major life changes that have brought me joy. Take a few moments to browse through my reasons for being happy and see if you have reasons to be happy like my own.
First and most important, Jared became stuck with me forever. We were originally suppposed to get married on June 23, 2018 but decided we couldn't wait any longer and held an impromptu wedding surrounded by our families on July 2nd this year. It was an absolutely perfect day that you can read about here, if you feel like getting into a sloppy love story.
This personal accomplishment of overcoming physical and mental limits is one that I can't wait to do again. My sister and I hiked the Grand Canyon in May, and although it tried to kick both our butts we came out of it all the better. Read the first part of our adventures here.
Another huge part of my year is this big win for Jared and I: We bought a house! We are set to move into it in January, and so the packing begins!
You all know how much I love animals, and how attached I am to squirrels in particular. Well, this year two little baby grey squirrels fell into our laps and Jared couldn't say "no" to me... Sebastian and Kachina are now almost 9 months old and I adore them!
Quite a bit of my happiness this year stems from someone other than myself. For example, I am so incredibly happy for and proud of my sister for making her dream of being a teacher a reality. Way to go little sis!
This year Jared and I saw a lot of new movies, but by far my favorite was the newest Star Wars, The Last Jedi. I absolutely loved it, and saw it four times in theaters between the day it came out and the 31st of December, though there is nothing quite like seeing it for the first time. Jared and I squeezed each other's hands during the entire showing so hard we had to check that we hadn't left bruises on the other's fingers. No shame.
I've touched on this homecoming feeling before, but it really struck me again hard this year. I've traveled more than ever (stay tuned for my 2017 Wrap-Up post), and while it is never easy being away from my furry and scaley kids, their greetings when I get home melt me. Seriously, I usually end up on my knees in the doorway hugging my pets hard enough to choke them. And end up with a paw in the face because of it. Which is perfectly fine with me!
I've never felt such a giddy sense of relief and excitement than when I found out my sister and I had received a lottery permit for hiking the Grand Canyon. Those things are so incredibly hard to come by, and we got our desired route and time on the first try!
We adopted a puppy!!!
And a new cat!!!
Now, I admit that most people wouldn't exactly be thrilled if they encountered a bear in their campsite, but I'm not most people. I hope we see a grizzly next year!
2017 was a good year for me, and I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store. I can forsee quite a few things in the upcoming year to make me happier than ever, including moving in to our new house, grand adventures with friends and family, movie dates with my husband (husband!!! it still feels so weird to call Jared that!) and lots of time with my pets. What is the happiest memory you have from 2017? What are you looking forward to in 2018? Let me know so I can be happy for you too!
Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018!
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