It’s time to look back on this past year with my annual post about our year in review. Here is my post for 2022! Because I already shared my ten favorite moments from this past year on my birthday, some of this may be a little repetitive, but here is my yearly wrap up with 23 things that happened in 2023.
1. In a similar style to 2022, January 2023 started out with sickness – Zachary had the flu and Gabbie had lice. Health wise, the kids continued the year with various colds and coughs. I’ve continued to struggle with weight gain this whole year and I’m almost back to the weight I was before I lost 50 pounds in 2019. I keep saying I need to figure it out but it’s not going well so far.
2. Gabbie had her last competition showcase and her last competition season.
3. My dog sitting business stayed active with lots of dog visitors throughout the year. I also started walking a few dogs, one of which I am still walking twice a week.
4. The Chiefs won the Superbowl and we went to the Chiefs parade.
5. Zachary traveled a lot this year with his youth groups – to New York, Chicago, and to Morocco and Israel! He also went to Washington DC in November.
6. Gabbie went to prom.
7. Dave and the kids went to St. Louis on a final college visit for Gabbie.
8. We renovated our living room and it came out amazing!
9. Gabbie turned 18, chose a college, and finished out her senior year of high school. She danced in her school dance show and final recital. In both she was celebrated as a senior.
10. Zachary was in the play Radium Girls.
11. Gabbie graduated high school. We had a party and celebrated her. She went on her last high school youth group weekend. And she went to NJ to see Taylor Swift.
12. Zachary turned 16 and after his summer trip, he got his license. Dave was in a car crash and we lost our Nissan Rogue, which was the car Zachary was using. We replaced that car though, and Dave was thankfully just fine.
13. We took a family trip to Oregon and California.
14. Gabbie worked at the camp she’s been working at for the past few years. Towards the end of the summer, she got her wisdom teeth out.
15. Simon didn’t do a lot this summer aside from finishing up his bar mitzvah preparations. He turned 13. His bar mitzvah was the weekend after he started 8th grade. We had a great time celebrating him.
16. Gabbie and I cleaned out her room, shopped for dorm supplies, and packed for her big move. We moved her to UMass just after Simon’s bar mitzvah.
17. We had a great time as a family at the Billy Joel concert!
18. We finally had Simon tested and diagnosed with a learning disability and he now has a 504 plan. I am proud of how well all three kids are doing in school.
19. In October, our extended world turned upside down after the terrorist attacks in Israel. I was supposed to be there two weeks after that occurred, so my trip obviously did not happen. It’s been a daily struggle since then to think about anything else and to watch the world once again turn against anything related to Israel and by extension, Jewish people.
20. Instead of my Israel trip, I went with Dave and the boys for a quick weekend in NJ. Gabbie came from school to meet us and we had a nice visit. We also went to NJ for Thanksgiving. We got to meet our newest great niece and great nephew. The boys enjoyed time with their cousin. We also took Gabbie back up to UMass.
21. Gabbie came home for winter break and we went on our yearly family trip to Florida.
22. I’ve continued to occupy myself with reading this year. I read a good chunk less this year than in 2022, but I still read quite a lot and I enjoy sharing my reading on my blog.
23. Overall, although we had a lot to celebrate and had a lot of fun this year, these last few months have put a damper on things. We continue to pray for a peaceful resolution in the coming year.
