2025 was undoubtedly marked by grief. I felt as though I walked through my days in a haze, and there is now a weight of grief knowing that an entire year has passed since we lost Michael. Grief is complicated, and it's a difficult thing to navigate as you balance life with kids and ministry, figure out the day-to day, and just try to find your new "normal." The Lord has been with me through it all, and I am beyond grateful that I do not walk this journey alone. As always, He has been faithful and good.
Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
In January, I wrapped up my job at Independent Bank after 13 years; it was the end of an era! We also got to enjoy several fun snow days, the first of the year. Since Christmas was a little overshadowed, we did our drive to look at Christmas lights a little late. We were still in the midst of grieving, as we headed back to Texas for Michael's Celebration of Life service. It was good to be with family and honor his life, but it was definitely hard to walk through all the formal steps of grief. We did our best to kick off school, and I had an MR Enterography.
We celebrated Chinese New Year in February with our church family, had several snow and ice days, and Aiden got to watch the Super Bowl! I turned 40, and got to celebrate with my family, a mammogram and a shingles diagnosis haha. The kids got to participate in the Pinewood Derby Race at church, which was so fun :)
In March, I had a colonoscopy {fun}, Maddie and I got to attend a baby shower together, and we got to serve at Generosity Feeds again. We had to say goodbye to our Pilot, and bought a new-to-us Kia Telluride. Our community group had a Pi Day event, and we got to make homemade pizzas together. Mike and Maddie attended a Father-Daughter Dinner, and it was so fun to see them all dressed up. They had a blast! My parents came to visit, and we got to enjoy Build-A-Bear, Harper's Ferry, cuddling baby goats, and Mount Vernon.
April was filled with a lot of the normal day-to-day. Mail from Texas, flowers from my love, snuggles with my babes, Pioneer Girls, nightly dinners, Perler beads and Yoto cards, dress up, haircuts with Maddie, park days with Daddy, glimpses of Spring, and learning how to crochet. We celebrated Easter with fun baskets and services at church.
We celebrated Mother's Day in May, and I coached soccer for Aiden's U8 team. Mr. Jesse came to visit, and the warmer weather meant s'mores! I got to attend a women's conference to hear Kelly Minter speak, and the boys wrapped up their father/son program with a Citizenship unit. We wrapped up school and went on our annual strawberry picking trip. We kicked off our summer with a visit from Mr. Drew, a water balloon fight with friends, and building living room forts. I also wrapped up our women's ministry year with an end-of-year brunch.
In June, we welcomed family to town over Father's Day and what would have been Michael's birthday. We went to the National Zoo, Old Town Alexandria, the National Mall, and the Natural History Museum. The weather ranged from the 40s to 100, which was absolutely wild! On the warmer days, we enjoyed some time at the pool. We got to have friends from Texas over for dinner, and our church picnic featured a fire truck again.
We celebrated the 4th of July with a picnic and fireworks with our neighbors. Aiden was losing teeth left and right, and he also got to wrap up his eye-patching journey! We got to enjoy and serve at VBS: True North, and Mike and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. A sweet lady in our church allowed us to stay at her beach house, and we got to take the kids to the beach for the first time! Mike got to go on his pastor retreat, but not before seeing my parents and going to the TX Whiskey Ranch with my dad.
In August, I ended up doing a sleep study and seeing a cardiologist {thankfully all is fine}. We kicked off a new school year and celebrated Aiden's 7th birthday with an Avengers-themed day. Grandma and Papa were able to be here for his birthday, which was extra fun. We also got to enjoy the LEGO Discovery Center, the Bear's Den Park Trail, and apple picking at Stribling Orchard. We started The Wingfeather Saga, which has been a nightly family read. Maddie wrote her first book, and we enjoyed a cookout with our community group.
We were soaking up the beautiful weather in September. We took a drive out to Bluemont for ice cream, we were in the thick of school, and we were enjoying all the wildlife in our neighborhood. I got to attend our annual women's retreat.
In October, I went on a girls trip to West Virginia with Laura to celebrate our 40th birthdays. Despite months of fighting, I lost a battle with insurance to cover my Stelara and was forced to switch to a biosimilar. I began taking Wezlana and struggled with the side effects. Fall was definitely here, with cooler weather and the changing of the leaves. We attended the Oakton band competition, I took the kids with me to vote, and we trick-or-treated with Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee, and a green M&M :)
Eli and Maddie turned 9 {!} in November, and we celebrated with LEGOs and chipmunks! We had a game night with some friends from church, and we were excited to celebrate Daddy's 44th birthday. It was all hands on deck to prepare a full Thanksgiving feast, as we enjoyed the company of a couple of friends from church this year.
We started December with our Advent countdown, and I shared for Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week what "IBD Looks Like..." I also shared about my struggle with the biosimilar and the side effects I have been experiencing, but also how the Lord unexpectedly moved mountains to put me back on my original medication. I shared a bit of my heart on the one year anniversary of losing my brother, how moments shape so much of our lives. While the holidays have been tough, I have tried to make the best of them for the kids: finishing out school, a Christmas band concert, homemade peppermint hot chocolate, Christmas crafts, and gingerbread cookies. We took the kids to see their first movie in the theatre, enjoyed Christmas Eve service with our church family, and got to spend the last week of the year with Grandma and Papa.
-------
I wish I felt "refreshed" and ready to take on a new year, but I feel like I am still wading through a lot of emotions, trying to find my way. I don't necessarily feel lost, but I also don't feel invigorated and ready to tackle a whole long list of new things. Maybe it's still a protection factor for my fragile heart, but I feel...steady and at peace. Almost like this past year has forced me to slow down, reevaluate, and refocus on my main tasks. In a lot of ways, I'm not sorry that I find myself in a simpler phase, even though there still seem to be so many question marks.
So I'm stepping into 2026, trusting the hand of my Savior, knowing that His faithfulness will lead the way through what is ahead. I only need to remain faithful to what is right in front of me.
