We Survived!

2016 was a good year for our little family. Chuck and I both ended up going back to our previous employers and have been happy with our careers. Clark moved up to pre-k while Aurora continued in the gifted & talented program and joined choir. Now that the kids are getting older, I've been able to take night classes, train for more half marathons, and plan our first real family vacation. Chuck took on some freelance work and rebuilt his computer to include a virtual reality headset, and we were able to complete some big home renovations before my parents moved back to Florida full-time. We ended the year with a magical trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and were home in time for Christmas. Aurora got her Kindle Fire and Shopkins, Clark got some new Transformers and an awesome Power Rangers sword, then Grandma Nancy and Zeland showed up on Christmas day.

I had a lot of fun activities planned, and while I would say it was a struggle keeping everybody on the same page, happy and entertained - we did some cool stuff. We went hiking and explored Austin, went to the Lakeway Trail of Lights and Mozart's light show, saw "Sing" in the theater, played at several parks and a bounce house, and hung out a home playing video games.

Next year we may try to combine our vacation and family visit together... we'll see! We survived the week then had a very nice, low key New Years party with friends, and we're all glad to have a couple days to ourselves to get everything back in order before heading back to work and school.

While I'm uncertain about what 2017 will bring for our country, I have high hopes for a great year ahead personally. I hope to get more involved in the Austin Runner's Club and want to plan next year's running season to include a couple out of state half marathons. Of course, I still have a few local races coming up, a couple more night classes and a big test, and foresee a busy few months ahead for all of us. I will continue to organize my thoughts and photos on the blog and hope you'll continue to follow along. Happy New Year!!!