What a wonderful, beautiful, crazy, emotional year. So so many good things happened this year, as well as some not so fun, but this definitely has been a year that has been completely full of life. When I think back on this year, all I can think is “I’m so lucky”.

While looking ahead to the new year is always encouraging and exciting, I love looking back at all that was accomplished and experienced over the past 12 months. For those of you who are new to this corner of the internet, I’m sharing a review of my 2017 (ahem, the best year ever). And for those who have been following, I hope you enjoy looking back at my year, and seeing about a handful of other things that I hadn’t shared!

January We kicked off the new year by checking wedding tasks off of our to do list, like mailing our save the dates and cake tastings. We hosted a fun cousin-friend visit, full of wine, cake and seafood (friends, we always promise seafood if you venture our way for  a visit!).

February In February, we booked our honeymoon to Jamaica, as well as purchased our wedding bands, which made this whole experience even more real. Jody and I celebrated Valentines Day with a low-key afternoon of bowling and dinner at Olive Garden before heading home for a relaxing movie night on the couch. We even met our friends for a day of wine tasting in St. Michaels.

March We kicked off the month of March by celebrating our 100 day mark to the wedding with dinner in Annapolis. We travelled to Virginia later in the month to stand by one of my best friends as she said “I do”, and had the best weekend celebrating their love. On the way back, we stop in Richmond for a mini surprise birthday party for Jody with our friends at his favorite brewery in the city. On his birthday, we went to dinner and came home for cake and celebratory drinks with my family and some friends.

April This month started off in the sweetest way. My family and friends threw me a bridal shower that so many special women in my life were able to attend. It was extra sweet to see so many people all in the same room — a taste of how our wedding would feel! A few friends and I surprised one of my bridesmaids with a bachelorette weekend to celebrate her upcoming wedding with a trip to the National Harbor in Washington D.C. I finished out the month by celebrating Easter with family and traveling to Pennsylvania to watch my sister’s Senior Day for her college’s tennis team.

May Life threw a few curveballs at us this month. Just two days before my grandfather’s memorial service, his wife — my grandmother, passed away suddenly. We were able to celebrate their lives together, and were able to spend some time with family in Pennsylvania and Ohio that we don’t get to see that often. My family and I attended my sister’s graduation from college, while Jody was the best man in one of our good friend’s weddings that same weekend. Towards the end of the month, just four weeks shy of our wedding and the day after we signed the lease on our apartment, I unexpectedly lost my job. This month was challenging, but I’m grateful for family and friends that sent their love and support all throughout this month!

June This may be obvious, but June was most definitely my favorite month of 2017. My bridesmaids threw the best bachelorette party I could have imagined. Jody and I got our marriage license, and then we celebrated my 24th birthday with wine and pizza. We welcomed our family and friends to the Shore for wedding weekend. On June 24, I said “I do” to my best friend and then celebrated on our honeymoon in Jamaica. I would repeat this month every single day, if I could!

July After returning from our honeymoon, we celebrated the 4th of July with some family for a cookout and fireworks. I started a new job and Jody became a manager at one of the stores he was working at. We went on a weekend getaway with family friends to Kerr Lake, which was one of the most fun weekends of the summer! At the very end of July, after a brief illness (and overcoming a stroke to attend our wedding!) my great-grandmother Nettie passed away at the age of 99. She lived such a full life, and I am forever grateful to have her in my life as long as I did.

August Due to our opposite work schedules, Jody and I didn’t see a whole lot of each other this month, but we made the most of the time we got. We had dinner together every time it worked with our schedules, including Jody as the chef a few of those nights! We tried a new winery, and relaxed for a few days by the pool, and took a weekend trip to Richmond where we planned most of the trip around trying out a new place for brunch!

September Over Labor Day weekend, I took a trip to the Big Apple to visit my sister, who moved there in late June. Later in the month, we also went to Ohio for one of my cousin’s wedding and completed the trip by swinging through our favorite wineries on Lake Erie. Jody and I also started making real progress on our porch update, and enjoyed a few last days of the summer breeze.

October After many prayers, I started a new job with Maryland Business Roundtable for Education. I went on my first overnight work trip for training, which was fun and rewarding! We spent a weekend in Pittsburgh to celebrate my cousin’s wedding, where we were able to finally able to convert Jody into the “Steel City” fan that I always knew he would be. 😉 We returned to our Alma-Mater for homecoming and completed the trip with a swing through Carter’s Mountain for apple picking — a four year old tradition!

November Jody and I hosted our warm and cozy Housewarming Party on what was most likely the warmest day of November. We took a short weekend trip to visit some friends in western Maryland (check our Big Cork Winery if you are ever in the area). We spent most of Thanksgiving week in Richmond with Jody’s family, but was back home with enough of the weekend left to cut down our first Christmas tree the old-fashioned way!

December With the holiday season in full swing, December is always a favorite month for me. I had so much fun decorating our home for the holidays, baking Christmas cookies, and choosing new traditions for Jody and I to start together. We took a quick trip to Richmond to celebrate one of my beautiful bridesmaid’s birthdays and say “see ya later” as she and her hubby prepare to move to Arizona for her new job. Christmas brought us so much joy to celebrate our Savior’s birth with family and friends, and we had the best Christmas as newlyweds. We hit the six-month of marriage mark on Christmas Eve, and we took a weekend getaway trip over New Years weekend to Charleston, SC to celebrate the best six months (and year!) that we could have ever imagined.

We can’t wait to see what’s ahead in 2018! What was some of your favorite memories in 2017? Let me know in the comments below!