It's amazing what one day and a swift kick in your own butt can do to change your attitude and outlook on life. I'll admit, just yesterday I was feeling the blues, as I've been a little bit down on life lately. I've had a lot of big changes over the last year, and I suppose it's been a bit more challenging for the queen of change than I realized. I've been settling into my new role of fiancé, I moved away from Denver (again), and the job situation has been up and down {lately down}. I think I've been getting a little antsy; I haven't been able to book a trip anywhere as we are scrimping and saving for our wedding, and I guess overall I've just been feeling a little stressed and not like my free and easy-going-self. You could almost say I kind of felt like my life has become a little bit dull and status quo, which frankly scares the hell out of me. But last night as we were coming back home from a NYE celebration with the finest friends I know, I started looking back through the year's photos and I saw everything and anything but ordinary and dull. It was so wonderful to look through photo after photo on my iPhone and see what a truly wonderful and fantastic year I'd been having all along.
I turned thirty this year, and not only did I have the best celebratory weekend in San Francisco with my sister, but Colin and Sisterface threw me the most amazing surprise birthday party! I still can't figure out how they pulled it off, but so many family and wonderful friends were there to celebrate and love me that day. I'll never forget it as long as I live!
 |
| I felt so honored to have such a wonderful surprise party! |
In May I took my annual mission trip to Mexico, where now the little kids know us and are excited to have us come and clean their teeth! It's quite an amazing team, and we continue to educate an underserved community to improve their overall health. (It starts with just a seed).
In May, we added a new member to the family and Bella got a new sister when we brought Cuddles home! She just the sweetest girl has brought us so much joy. We love to watch the two of them play together and take road trips with our traveling dogs. Yes, I think I've graduated to crazy dog mom!
 |
| Bella & Cuddles |
 |
| Cuddles got her first haircut! She loves it! |
Colin and I spent our summer tending the amazingly fruitful garden we made in our custom built bed. We were very proud of ourselves! We learned a lot about gardening, and how to NOT plant so many tomato bushes in one teeny tiny little corner :)
In June, last minute scheduled work trip took us to Charleston, South Carolina. I tagged along thinking it would be a fun weekend getaway, but Colin had something else in mind and took the opportunity to propose and ask me if I'd like to be his wife. The first official day of summer became my first official day as a fiancé! It was the happiest and most joyous time in our lives as we were showered in love and support by all of our family and friends.
The end of summer and fall was filled with concerts, hikes, camping at the Great Sand Dunes, hot air balloon festivals, and trips to Crested Butte where we plotted and planned our dream wedding. Happy Happy Happy.
 |
| Death Cab, Foo Fighters, Echosmith, Twenty One Pilots |
 |
| Our camping trip to the Sand Dunes in September |
 |
| We visited the Alligator Farm and Alien Watch Tower |
 |
| Hot Air Balloon Festival in CO Springs! |
We had a great time celebrating friends' weddings this fall, and one of them included a fantastic trip to Portland, which was Colin's first time there! In Portland, we got to celebrate Alexe & Eric, and I got to catch up with one of my dearest BFFs since middle school, Ms. Marianne Baca. Back in Denver we got to celebrate the marriage of Sarah & Christiaan, and now Colin can proudly say he knows "Too Legit to Quit". I love a good wedding, and I'm honored to have been a part of so many special days.
 |
| Monica & Chad's wedding, Arapahoe Basin, CO |
 |
| Oh, Portland. How I love thee. |
 |
| Fun at Eric & Alexe's wedding, and Sarah & Christiaan's weddings in October! |
Thanksgiving was spent in Lamar with my family, where we got to spend precious time with my sweet Great Aunt Fina, and Christmas was spent with Colin's family. NYE just brief moments ago will go down in the books as one the best, with the best folks I know.
 |
| Thanksgiving at Dad's |
 |
| Christmas with Colin's Family. I learned to play Canasta! |
 |
| NYE with my CB gals and their dudes. |
 |
| Merry Christmas from Bella & Cuddles! |
This year was not without hard times, though. We've had some hard family issues, and in November we lost Colin's Grandpa Ed Cox. We were fortunate enough to spend a lot of quality time with him throughout the year and in his final days. I never knew a grandfather growing up, but Grandpa Ed and Colin's other Grandpa Wayne are the best grandfathers anyone could ever wish for. Grandpa Ed was such a wonderful man and I feel blessed for the short amount of time I got to know him. He loved God first, and his family more than anyone I've ever known. He prayed over us continually, and he treated me like his own granddaughter. I'll never forget that beautiful smile and those great big bear-hugs. Family dinners and prayer time won't be the same without him, but we know he is happy and healthy and whole again in Heaven with Jesus and his lovely wife, Donna. The only good thing that comes with dying is the family time spent together. We were happy to spend so much time with Colin's sister Randi and her sweet Hannah & Connor. For those two kiddos being only 2 and 1, living in Florida, we sure are lucky we get to see so much of them! I've been in love with my new role of becoming "Auntie"! Lots of beautiful kiddos in the Cox/Siegmund family that I now can claim as my own. This winter we were also blessed with two new little nephews, Bentley & Ronan, born just a week apart. Nothing but tons of love to go around in this new family I'm joining :)
 |
| Colin & Grandpa Ed Cox |
 |
| Fun @ the Royal Gorge with Hannah & Connor |
Flash forward to 2016, and already this is shaping up to be a fantastic year! I'm training for my next marathon, planning our dream wedding, we have lots of other weddings to attend, and hopefully we can take a little trip here and there. How silly of me to think for a split second that my life was becoming dull. I have more love than I could ever hope for, more to look forward to than ever before, and I have a partner that stands by me and encourages me to live up to my full potential. I know that though Christ all things are possible, and I will continue to {{TRY!}} to live each day thankful for all that I have.
Here's to 2016 becoming the best year, yet!
