2023 recap

2023 has come and gone, and our family has spent the past couple days reflecting on our highlights from the year. We traveled more than we ever have, I turned 40 and read 54 books, Rooney started middle school, Finch graduated vision therapy, and many more wonderful things:

JANUARY

• Eric took a few friends to our home in Okoboji and went ice fishing for the first time

• Rooney played volleyball

FEBRUARY

• Eric and Rooney went to the Daddy Daughter Dance

• Rooney and I went to Winter Jam

• Finch and I went to the Mother Son Dance

• The kids and I tagged along on Eric’s work trip to Orlando!

MARCH

• Rooney turned 11

• Eric turned 39

• We went to the boys’ state basketball tournament with friends

• We spent spring break in Okoboji

• We got to watch two March Madness basketball games in person, and cheered on the Iowa women’s team from afar

• Eric and I went to the Brandon Lake concert in Kansas City with our friend Garrett (and got to meet Brandon and hang out with his crew on their tour bus for a few hours!)

• Finch did Bricks 4 Kidz

• Rooney played spring softball

APRIL

• Finch started baseball

• Rooney played volleyball

• Rooney had a music concert

• Finch promoted to orange belt in taekwondo

• Finch had a poetry parade at school

MAY

• Rooney had her hip hop dance recital

• I chaperoned Finch’s field trip to the zoo

• Eric and I celebrated 20 years together

• Rooney graduated elementary school with an emotional clap out

• We celebrated Memorial Day in Okoboji

• Summer with our nanny, Abby, started!

JUNE

• Finch graduated vision therapy!

• We took a family trip to Chicago

• Rooney and I saw Taylor Swift in concert!

• Finch turned 8

• Rooney went to summer camp for a week

• Finch went to summer camp for two nights

• Rooney brought a friend to Okoboji for two nights

• Eric biked 200 miles in one day

• We took our annual time capsule photo

JULY

• We went to Wisconsin Dells for a family reunion

• We went back to my hometown for July Jubilee

• Two weeks of Vacation Bible School + Taste of Hope

• Eric biked a day of RAGBRAI

• Finch was diagnosed with ADHD and started medication

AUGUST

• Our favorite week of the year: summer vacation in Okoboji

• Rooney and I went to a softball pitching clinic

• Finch went to grandma camp

• Eric, Rooney and I went to the Iowa State Fair

• Rooney went to nana camp

• We went camping with Eric’s dad

• Rooney played fall softball

• Rooney started middle school

• Finch started 2nd grade

• We flew to Colorado for my cousin’s wedding (post coming soon!)

• Finch started flag football

SEPTEMBER

• We kicked off my favorite month with a family adventure: Rail Explorers

• Rooney participated in quiz bowl and math counts at school

• Finch did Bricks 4 Kidz after school

• Rooney started confirmation class at our church, and I v0lunteered as a leader

• We went to several football games and the homecoming parade

• We spent a weekend at Jester Park with Eric’s family

• Eric and I went to the Lauren Daigle / Brandon Lake concert

• I turned 40 and took the week off work to celebrate

OCTOBER

• Eric and I celebrated 17 years of marriage

• We all went to the Eras Tour movie

• Eric went to a Hawkeye football game with friends

• We had fall family photos taken

• I went to Palm Springs with two friends to celebrate my 40th birthday

• Rooney did a show choir camp

• A fun night of trick-or-treating

NOVEMBER

• Eric and I went to the first concert ever at Vibrant Music Hall — NEEDTOBREATHE — with friends

• Rooney joined student council at school

• Eric and I had our annual family meeting

• Rooney had a band concert and choir concert

• Rooney did HitTrax

• Finch started taekwondo again

• We rejoined the YMCA

• We volunteered as a family with Meals from the Heartland

• We celebrated Thanksgiving in Okoboji

DECEMBER

• Many fun Christmas celebrations with family and friends

• Eric and I went to the Dominican Republic — a trip he earned through a chamber of commerce committee

• We volunteered as a family at Christmas Eve services at our church

• My dad, siblings and our families went to the Dominican Republic on Christmas Day

GOALS FOR 2024

• Eric turns 40 in March and wants to run half and full marathons

• Finch hopes to promote to green belt in taekwondo

• I want to read at least as many books as my age (41 next year)

• More volunteering as a family — we had so much fun both times!

• Get back to therapy (we’ve taken a couple months off)

• Celebrate Rooney’s 12th birthday at Disney World!

Here we go!