For the Spin Cycle this week, we are sharing our highlights from 2013. This year has been a great year, and it has been hard for me to decide what to write about. Especially since I have blogged about all the good things that have happened to me this year and anything I write will be a repeat of something you have already read!
As I was thinking about my Spin, I realized that there was one common element in all the events I was thinking about.
I can’t help but think about warm summer days as I write this in cold and snowy January. Last June, we sat under our willow tree in the back yard with Ed’s family, celebrating Father’s Day with a barbeque. The cousins played T-ball while the adults relaxed in lawn chairs.
For my aunt’s 60th and my cousin’s 30th birthday, we traveled to Iowa for a barn party. It was hotter than heck, but we danced the night away anyhow.
Over the summer, my cousin and her kids came over to the States from the United Kingdom, and I was able to visit with her. I think it had been over ten years since we last saw each other. It was such a joy to see her in person again, and to see my kids playing with her kids!
In October, I hosted a family reunion for my dad’s family. As the guest list grew, Ed and I got a little nervous. The final count was 40 people. And then, despite our hopes for a nice October day, it rained. No one cared about the rain, thank goodness! The house was bursting at the seams with family; playing cards, eating, drinking, with plenty of kids for Emmy and Lily to play with. My aunts complemented me on how relaxed I looked!
My sister from California flew to Chicago for Thanksgiving, and my brother and sister from Illinois drove to my house. We spent the day hiking in the forest preserve and watching movies. It’s hard to get all four of us together at the same time.
Christmas dinner with Ed’s family was particularly nice this year. I felt much more relaxed in the company of my in-laws than I usually do when cooking a holiday meal. Perhaps having 40 people over all at once makes only 9 people over for dinner seem like a piece of cake.
Various posts on Facebook and on some blogs ask, “What’s your word for the year?” While I don’t know what my word for 2014 is yet, my highlight of 2013 is definitely Family.
What was your highlight of 2013?
Link up your Spin below or over at Second Blooming! Your blog post will be linked on both our blogs!
Happy New Year! 2013 flew by fast, didn’t it? Here’s recap of some of my “favorites” for 2013, and how I’m looking forward to 2014.
Favorite blogging moment: I submitted my blog post about the loss of my mom and grandma for consideration for the BlogHer 2013 Voices of the Year on a whim. I was completely and totally shocked when it was chosen! I still feel very honored the be a BlogHer VOTY.
Click the photo to read my Voice of the Year blog post.
Blogging in 2014: First, a little history. Jen from Sprite’s Keeper started giving writing prompts for The Spin Cycle back when all blog hops were called memes and when links were entered manually into blog posts. It’s the place where I met many wonderful bloggers who are awesome writers. Unfortunately, many of them don’t blog any more. Jen, who had been blogging every day, decided she needed a break and passed The Spin Cycle on to Gretchen from Second Blooming. Gretchen has been doing an awesome job of keeping The Spin Cycle going! Recently, I’ve noticed that many blog hops have grown by being hosted by more than one blogger. In 2013, Gretchen and I teamed up to bring you The Spin Cycle. I hope that together we can continue to provide you with writing prompts and help the Spin Cycle grow! If you’re blogger, we’d love you to join us each week! (Click here for more Spin Cycle details!)
Best realization: I actually am a writer, and I was published in two books this year! I’m hoping that I will be able to contribute to more books in 2014.
Best Breast Cancer Moment: I know, this just sounds weird. Bear with me for a minute! At the beginning of December, I had a video call with a researcher in the United Kingdom. I was contributing to her research on breastfeeding after breast cancer. Helping young breast cancer patients is one of the reasons I started this blog, and being part of a research project makes me feel even more helpful. It’s such important research; I definitely could have benefited from more information when I was trying to breastfeed my children. Jan, the researcher and a midwife, is having trouble finding participants. If you know anyone who was diagnosed with breast cancer and then went on to have children, please let me know!
Breast Cancer research contributions in the future: I’m already planning over two years into the future for this one! In 2016, it will be 20 years since I was first diagnosed with breast cancer. I really want to walk in the 2016 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Santa Barbara, if the walk still exists. I’ve walked it in Chicago twice, and it is an amazing, AH-MAZING experience. I also want to put together a team to walk with me, including my sisters and cousins. We would make an amazing team!
Now for some less heavy, more frivolous favorites!
Favorite song: I can’t get enough of Counting Stars by OneRepublic.
Least favorite song: I can’t stand listening to We Can’t Stop by Miley Cyrus. The video is even ickier.
Favorite movie in the theater: This one is easy, since we don’t go out to the movies very often. And of course, it’s a kid’s movie. I think Lily and Emmy would agree that Frozen is the best movie of the year. That we saw. In the theater. The only movie we saw in the theater!
Movie to see in 2014: I really want to see the second Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire. Of course, it’s too violent for the kids and my husband has no interest in seeing it. Maybe I’ll go by myself!
Favorite movie on DVD:The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’m a huge scifi/fantasy fan, but my husband is not. So I borrowed these DVDs from my brother and watched them over a couple of weeks when I was doing laundry. Those were the only two weeks of the year that I actually folded and put away the laundry in a decent amount of time!
Most disappointing movie on DVD:The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I loved the book as a child, and this movie was not a movie for children. The dwarves were too intense and the goblins were too scary. I still want to see the next Hobbit movies, but I will always love the book more.
Favorite book: This is a hard one; I read so many good books this year! My favorite was Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.
Most surprising book:Wild, by Cheryl Strayed. I didn’t have high expectations when I read this book; I actually thought I wouldn’t like it. But to my surprise, I loved it!
Most disappointing book:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larsson. I know, I’m that last person to read it. I really enjoyed the writing, but there was a little too much “ick” in it for me, with the relationship between the main characters and the violent ending. Normally I’m not squeamish, but just…ick!
Book to Read in 2014:Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes. Everyone I know has been raving about this book!
What are some of your favorites from 2013? Is there anything you’re looking forward to in 2014?
SPIN CYCLE THIS WEEK: Write about a highlight from 2013, and link up your post any day this week! Click here to link up!
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