End of Year Overview 2018

It’s hard to believe that it’s almost time for 2019. I thought that Reed and I had experienced many changes in the past couple of years, but 2018 brought another big life change when we moved to a new state. This year has been filled with lots of effort towards school and our careers, but it’s also been filled with adventures across the globe!

Here are a few of our highlights from 2018

• Ran our 3rd Half Marathon in January
• Traveled with Reward points to French Polynesia
• Bear turned 4 years old. I don’t want him to ever get older
• Ike turned 7 years old, and I hope he makes it to his 25th birthday.
• Visited Canada for the first time, and vacationed in Banff
• Changed Jobs
• Got My APICS certification
• Moved to Colorado
• Sold our first house
• Hiked our 2nd 14er
• Improved our skiing abilities

and here’s a detailed look at some of our biggest moments from 2018:

Another Half Marathon

Reed and I continued running through the year and decided to run the Fort Bend Kia Half Marathon in Sugar Land. We ran this race previously in 2017, and another half marathon towards the end of 2016. Half marathons are a great challenge, but I’m not planning on running another one any time soon. Reed and I still enjoy jogging with Bear, and I could see myself doing a 10K in the future, but I’m wanting to try other activities aside from running in the new year. I am proud of us for finishing the half marathons, but I’m ready for more hiking and skiing now that we’re in Colorado.

The Island of Moorea in French Polynesia

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We knew that our main vacation this year would be shorter than our trip to Europe, but weren’t sure of where to go. Reed had acquired enough points to cover several days in an IHG hotel, and we both earned enough miles to cover a flight across the globe. We researched IHG resorts and found that we could stay at the Intercontinental Resort and Spa Moorea.

Our visit to Moorea was the most luxurious trip we’ve ever been on. The resort was romantic and the island was like being on a different planet. I was amazed by the abundant aquatic life. We swam with blacktip reef sharks and stingrays. I snorkeled with colorful fish and endless coral. I’m not sure if any other beach trip could top Moorea. I am forever grateful to have been able to visit such a beautiful and isolated place.

Mountain Getaway to Banff National Park

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Reed and I were looking for an affordable long weekend getaway and came across some cheap flights to Banff just in time for Labor Day weekend. Neither of us had been to Canada, and we wanted to try out something different from our previous travels. We weren’t exactly sure of what we were getting into with a trip to Banff, but it turned out to be an incredible destination.

While staying in the mountain town of Banff, we drove to tourist sights during the day and walked around the town in the evening. Canada was stunning in the late springtime. I kept thinking about how much our parents would love activities like the Banff Gondola and seeing Lake Louise. I really hope to visit again!

A Major Move

Reed had found a lot of success during his first year with his company. He was traveling back and forth between Denver and Houston, doing consulting work in the oil and gas industry. I hated him being gone so much, but Bear would keep me company in the evenings and we would go running together almost every night when Reed was away. We would discuss him having a job one day where he wouldn’t be traveling all the time. Reed even started applying to some jobs in Denver since he had become familiar with the city and I was on board with the idea of living there.

After a few interviews, Reed accepted a new role in software development. This would allow him to be able to grow as a software engineer while completing his Masters in Computer Science. The entire process of moving felt like a whirlwind of packing and trying to finish things up in Houston. Our lives were very chaotic during the move, but we held onto the excitement of living near the mountains and starting a new life together in Colorado.

Job Change and Professional Certification

I ended up accepting a job offer during my first week in Colorado! I also studied incredibly hard to pass my APICS exam! I passed the exam just one week before starting my new job, so it was a great boost of confidence. I am now an APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional.

My new job in supply chain management has been challenging at times, but I am thankful for the opportunity to learn and develop new skills. I really hope to go places in my new company as I gain experience. It’s also in a convenient location, so I no longer have a commute!

Selling our First House

I have my mother-in-law, Cyndi to thank for helping us sell our house in Sugar Land. The house received multiple offers after 3 weeks on the market, and we were able to successfully sell! It was strange to leave behind our first home together. I felt that us buying that house was a dream come true.

I have so many memories of us running around the house with Bear, playing with him and laughing a lot. I loved our times spent hanging in the backyard, watching Reed throw a frisbee for Bear and me sitting with my bunny, Ike. It was sad to leave our first home behind, but we’ve already had some fun moments in our rental house in Colorado.

Fun Beginnings in Colorado

We are so excited to be living in Colorado! The home we’re living in now is in the town of Lafayette, which is very close to Boulder. It was so neat to watch the seasons change this year from summer to winter. We love the dry climate and are happy to be in a place where it’s not raining all the time. The air is so dry that we’re always shocking each other with all of the static electricity around us.

Still Running: One of our favorite things we did in the summer and fall was taking Bear running on the Coal Creek Trail. We often see a large owl on the scenic trail and plenty of wild geese. Now that the sun sets early, we run with Bear on the trail during the weekends and run in the neighborhood on weeknights.

Ike’s at Home: My bunny, Ike probably got the best life upgrade out of all of us from the move. He went from living in our garage in Texas to a small bathroom in Texas (due to the garage being too hot). Now he has a full setup in our basement. The basement is always a great temperature for him and he gets natural light from the windows. I bought him a new rabbit house, so he’s a happy bunny.

Cooking Habits: Some of the foods we like cooking are Panda Express style string bean chicken and stir-fry dishes. We love our baked Tex-Mex chicken breast with cilantro lime rice and black beans. I also enjoy making baked potatoes for us and turkey sausage patties with egg and bell peppers. Bear loves all of these dishes too! We really miss the Mexican food we had in Texas, but I’ve found one restaurant, Otra Vez, that can help make up for the lack of Tex-Mex in Colorado.

Outdoor Adventures: We spent some time hiking over the summer and fall, and these places included Eagles Nest Wilderness near Vail and a couple shorter hikes in Boulder. Another great hike for us this year was making it to the summit of Mount Elbert! This was our second mountain to summit that’s over 14,000 ft. in elevation, and it’s the highest point in Colorado. Bear did a great job on the hike, although he loves hiking more in the forest.

Reed and I also like to go skiing. We’ve been skiing several times since the end of November, and are working hard to improve. We are very fortunate to have received lots of ski gear for Christmas! For Christmas this year, we flew from Denver to Dallas, Dallas to Atlanta, and Atlanta back home. It was very busy but we did it!

Looking Back: We are thankful to have healthy family members this year. 2018 has been a wonderful year of change, and overall a positive year filled with happy moments. With all our the new experiences we encountered this year, 2018 will be a year I never forget.

Wishes for Next Year

My wish for next year might be for a little less change in 2019.  I’m looking forward to spending time on road trips around Colorado with Reed and Bear, photographing the scenery and enjoying the outdoors. I also want to visit Red Rocks and learn more about Denver.

It might be a while before I write a Travel Plans post for 2019. We are really interested in going to Europe in the Fall and are wanting to visit the United Kingdom. There have been a few other destinations discussed in the new year, but no confirmed trips yet. I plan to write more posts about activities in Colorado and the interesting long-distance trips we take next year.

It looks like 2019 is bringing more change for us, in a good way. I can also confirm that we will be moving again next year. We are really excited about the move! I’ll explain more in the next blog post!