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Wow, 2018 already… it is amazing how fast time goes! I am excited to see what 2018 has in store but I am sad to see 2017 go, let me explain why.

On New Years Eve of 2016, my boyfriend, (now husband) Shane and I recorded a personal video of us explaining everything that had happened in 2016. We also included a short recap of the years prior since it was our first video. At the end, we included what our goals for 2017 were and everything we wanted to accomplish.

At the time we had been dating for over nine years and were renting a two bedroom townhouse in a suburb of the Twin Cities. Our goals for 2017 were pretty big! We planned to get engaged, married and even buy our first home all within the year. Unfortunately, I believe the video was deleted. I upgraded to a new phone this summer and it appears the video did not get backed up. Luckily, we do still have a few bloopers which are pretty fun to watch. Even though we no longer have the video, we both remember the goals and are happy to have made the video. It is fun to think back to the goals and realize how much we have accomplished in a year!

Fast forward to New Years Eve of 2017, we can honestly say it was our best year yet! In June, my brother got married. I have an older brother, Cory and older sister, Heidi and now sister-in-law, Paula. We also had a few of our friends that got married this summer as well.

My husband and I also bought our first home in June. We bought a two bedroom townhouse in different suburb of the Twin Cities and we love it! It feels amazing to finally own a place of our own. Our summer was filled with various household updates and DIY projects, we even built a farmhouse dinning table, and it turn out great!

The biggest news from last year is that in mid-August we finally picked a wedding date! We had been seriously talking about it for almost a year prior and with all that life had for us this year, we just kept pushing it off so, we finally just picked a date and started planning!

We had an intimate ceremony on a pier over looking a small pond (photo above) behind one of our favorite restaurants. We invited only our immediate family with just a couple of friends and my sister-in-law was the officiant. It was a beautiful 70+ degree day in late October (which is almost unheard of in Minnesota) surrounded by the people who love and support us most.

For the dinner, we reserved our favorite restaurant’s private dinning room which is beautiful with exposed brick, rustic wood floors, a private patio filled with fall flowers and twinkly lights. I created a slideshow of photos from our ten year relationship with music that fit each phase perfectly. We mingled with guests until we finished the night with a first dance on the patio to our high school sweetheart song “Strawberry Wine” by Deana Carter. When we returned home, my husband and I stayed up till 3 a.m. simply because we did not want the day to end!

To cap off our amazing year, we took a honeymoon to Monterey, California. We flew into San Francisco, California airport rented a car and drove down the coast on Highway 1 while stopping at various places along the way. The breathtaking views were like nothing we have ever seen before! We spent the week at a hotel with beautiful ocean front views, and explored the surrounding attractions hiking, exploring and trying new things.

So, on New Years Eve of 2017, we followed our new annual tradition. We made another video recapping our amazing year and we set our new goals for 2018 which I will share with you next year.

After 2017, I can honestly say I have never felt more blessed and grateful for the people I have in my life and the countless blessings! To say 2017 was an amazing and unforgettable year is an understatement and I am sad to see it go but I am excited to see what 2018 will bring!

Do you have any end of year traditions? What about goals or resolutions for the new year? What are you grateful for from 2017? I would love to hear what they are!

xoxo – Katie

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“The struggle ends when gratitude begins.” – Neale Donald Walsh