13. Surviving year 1 of teaching
 |
| June 5th |
Last school year was the busiest year I've ever had! But after a school year of not knowing what was going on, learning the procedures, getting to know the students, parents and other teachers, I finally survived! It was definitely a year of learning for me. When June finally rolled around, I was the first to say how glad I was that I made it to the summer!
12. Starting year 2 of teaching
 |
| August 21st |
In August, I went back to Christ the King School for year 2 of teaching middle school! This year I added 6th grade reading/language to the roster and picked up a whole new crew of students! But with a year already under my belt, I feel like year 2 was off to a much smoother start than year 1 ever was. This year...I'm in the driver's seat!
11. Ringing in 2013 with friends and family
 |
| January 1st |
I started off 2013 right by having a New Year's party at my house! We celebrated with my closest friends and family (the coolest ones...of course!) and ate and drank until the clock struck midnight (and then some!). Our theme was "blingin' in the new year" and we all got bedazzled up. It was a great way to start off a fantastic year right!
10. My birthday
 |
| August 24th |
I turned 26 in 2013! Hardly a milestone birthday, but it was definitely one to remember. It was on a Saturday, which was amazing. I coached middle school volleyball this fall and of course we had an 8am game on my birthday! But after that, I came home and my wonderful brother (see above!) took me to Joe's Crab Shack and shopping! For dinner, I went with my parents, Jonathan and Amber (see above, picture from the restaurant) to my favorite Italian Restaurant, Bravo Cucina Italiana, where I had fabulous food and a cute birthday ice cream dessert thing (last time...see above). After that, Jonathan, Amber and I headed to our favorite rooftop bar to meet a few friends. We had some drinks and plenty of laughs, then headed to a friend of ours' house to end the evening. Perfect way to turn 26!
9. Meeting Peyton Young
 |
| December 23rd |
One of my best friends in the world, Ashley, had a baby on December 4th! Her name is Peyton and she's adorable! I finally got to meet her and hold her for a few hours! I'm so happy to (unofficially) be Aunt Lauren!
8. Al and Steph's wedding
 |
| September 6th |
In September, my cousin Al got married to an awesome girl, Steph! The wedding was very fun! My family rocks, so dancing and drinking with them is always a good time. Jonathan and Amber ducked out early because she had to work early the next morning (oh yeah...the wedding was four hours away in Wisconsin), but even without them, it was a blast! We danced, took silly pictures in the photo-booth (see above), and had long, in-depth conversations that none of us probably remember. Oh, family time...
7. Wicked number 5
 |
| November 9th |
This was the fifth time I've now seen the amazing Broadway musical, Wicked! I went with my mom to the Civic Center on Des Moines (the third time I've seen it here), and of course, it was just as good as the first four times! Minus the very first time I saw it in New York, but still. It was uh-mazing!
6. Bo Burnham
 |
| May 7th |
I've already blogged about this one (like twice) so I'll make it brief. In May, I took a day off work and drove up to Iowa City with Jonathan, Amber, and our friend Logan. We saw the concert, met Bo Burnham, got his autograph and got a picture with him. So fun!
5. Going to the lake alone
 |
| August 12th |
In August, just before school started up again, I drove up to our lake-house in Wisconsin by myself. It's like a six hour drive, but went quickly with good music and audiobooks. When I got up there, I spent time with my awesome cousins! And the rest of my family, but they come first. Duh. We swam, went on a paddleboat ride (see above), went out to eat, played many games and chilled on the beach with our books. It was a great way to end the summer!
4. Seattle
 |
| July 25th |
I talked about this one in my 30 before 30, so I won't make this super long either. In July, I spent a few days in Seattle with my dad. We took a ferryboat ride, toured all the tourist sites in downtown Seattle, rode the ducks, toured a brewery, climbed Mount Rainier (not the whole thing...) and ate amazing seafood! It was one of the best vacations of my life!
3. Pink concert
 |
| November 8th |
Lexie and I (along with her mom and sister) went to see Pink in concert! It was amazing! I was worried she would play all her new songs and I wouldn't know most of them, but she basically played all of her hits from over the years, and I knew like all of them! It was insanely fun. She was a great performer! She even flew over the audience! We sang along the whole time. Classic.
2. Lexie and Ryan's wedding
 |
| September 27th |
In September (three weeks after my cousin's wedding), my best friend got married! I was a bridesmaid in her wedding, along with her two sisters. It was a crazy whirlwind of a weekend, from our actually-very-tame bachelorette party (with boardgames and very little actual drinking), running around the city picking up and dropping off many different things, getting our nails/hair/makeup done, taking pictures, taking pictures, taking pictures, getting ready, the actual wedding ceremony and the wedding reception. But the night turned out to be perfect, and I'm so happy for my best friend and her awesome new husband Ryan!
1. Jonathan proposes to Amber
 |
| June 29th |
This moment is my favorite moment of 2013 and maybe in my life so far. This summer, my baby brother proposed to his girlfriend, Amber, at our lake-house in Wisconsin. This, too, I blogged about, so I won't go into super detail. He set up this elaborate concoction filled with a candlelit pier, music, fireworks, and like three months of planning. They are getting married Saturday, August 9th, 2014! Love you both!