Favorite Firsts of 2021

 

Yesterday I shared with you some of my favorite pictures (and a video!) from 2021, and today I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite firsts from this past year. How amazing is it to be 43 and still enjoying firsts? What a blessing to always find new things to experience, no matter how old I/we get! 

* Okay, so this one is Ryan's, but it was one of my favorite things he did this year. He found out he could reupholster the panels in Abby the RV! Goodbye, purple velvet!! I really appreciate all the skills he discovered he had throughout that renovation project. Saved us quite a bit of money!

* I had always wanted to try out one of those pottery painting places, and this year, we were able to do just that! We took WillowBridge there for a tenant's birthday, and we had so much fun creating! Ryan and I made a Christmas ornament, and I have enjoyed seeing it on our tree this year!

* I was 42 years old when I went sledding down a hill for the first time! Terrifying for a girl who doesn't like going fast, but so much fun! I was so glad the hill was mostly empty the day we went. Made it easier on my embarrassment. LOL!!

* Another thing I'd wanted to try for a long time? Rolled ice cream. The construction of it is FASCINATING to watch, and it's delicious to eat! I'm so glad we went.

* We can now officially say we have renovated an RV! I honestly never thought I'd be able to say that, and it's definitely one of my favorite memories of 2021. Seeing it all DONE for the first time was pretty amazing.

* One of our marriage favorites from this year? Landing in triple digits! We took our 100th monthiversary off work and had the best day celebrating!

* And of course, there was one of our biggest firsts of the year! Our first official camping trip! It took place in April, and we went to a state park in Ohio!

* At 42 years of age, I received my first Mother's Day greeting:

* Our trip to our friends' ranch provided many firsts for me! They included...talking on a genuine (working!) old fashioned phone, churning butter, making rope, taking a wagon ride while being pulled by oxen, and being close to oxen in general! It was also our first time to have genuine campfire coffee!

* Our first time to see land formations like those in Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park? Amazing and breathtaking. Seeing what God has done inspired worship in our souls!

* This year was definitely the first time we ever stood inside a mailbox. :) 

* I went back to being a brunette for the first time in about half a decade. ;)

* 2021 brought our first ER visit in a while! Ryan's massively sprained ankle warranted some x-rays to check for a break. No break. Just the worst possible kind of sprain. Days of ice baths. Weeks of elevation. Months later and it's beginning to be normal again. Still not fully healed! (This may not have been a FAVORITE first, but it was a notable one.)

* First time camping with a dog!! We knew when we went on this trip that we would be getting a dog of our own, so this was a great trial run. We had such fun with Phoebe. It was a first for her too! She'd never been camping before. Handled it like a champ!

* Ryan's first pie eating contest. He came in second (on a technicality. Should have been first.)

* We became godparents for the first time this year. Being chosen to be part of his life has been one of our greatest joys.

* Ryan's first candy-making lessons took place this year, and he had so much fun learning from Mom! It was fun to watch him take in everything she taught!

* This year was the first time we went to a proper small-town tree lighting. It was just like the Hallmark channel. 

* Our first taste of Crumbl Cookies! SO GOOD!!!!!

* We explored Nashville, Tennessee, for the very first time. Beautiful city! Too big for us, but so pretty.

* After months of praying, prepping, and planning, we met our first ever dog!! We love our Lexi. She's not home with us yet, but it was so fun to have a face to put with the name we chose!

I'm so looking forward to many more notable firsts in the year to come!