This post has sat in my drafts for a year, but I decided I should actually post it and one day might even add in all the corresponding photos. Some years are harder to look back at, and this was one of them. So many of the good times were spent with people that ended up hurting me—which makes it weird to recap. But at the time they were good, so I guess I will leave them, it really did feel like one of my best years while it was happening…
This year has been full of ups and downs, travels, different jobs, house projects and stealing other peoples babies and dogs.
2018, the year of:
House projects.
Started Projects:
Totally rebuild laundry room—I hired my cousin to do all the hard work, now I just need to finish the inside.
Guest room—it’s currently half demolished. I need to finish ripping out the closet, rebuild it on a different wall, assess damage I uncovered in an exterior wall, sheetrock two walls and repair patch jobs in the floor.
Landing—I ripped out the many layers of flooring, replaced the panelling with sheetrock, painted, and put up AMAZING animal wallpaper. I need to touch up the paint, sand/paint the floor and add baseboards.
Finished Projects:
Family Room—patched, painted and hung curtains.
Stairs—carpet removed, wood filled and painted, cleaned up the edges, painted the walls and made a runner from Ikea rugs.
Dining Room—Painted and hung curtains.
Porch—new house numbers and mailbox.
Traveled to California as many times as I could to see my tiniest nephew ever.
Finally made it to the Magic Castle in Los Angeles.
Sarah came to help me start on house projects.
Worked on the photo crew to redo all the images for the Little/Grand America Hotels in three different states.
Lost someone very special.
Transitioned to other jobs at Sundance.
Looked for a hidden treasure in Yellowstone. Walked around a bear, stepped on a wasps nest, came home poorer than when I left.
Drove 900 miles in one weekend to see my brother’s family and then my uncle’s family.
Lost my biggest client who made up most of my income
Traveled to Scotland, England and France with 6 siblings, 3 in-laws and my mom.
Flew to Philly for Thanksgiving
Took a day trip to Manhattan to see one of my favorite people
Gained back all the weight I lost.
Had 20 different overnight visitors.
Flew on a private plane for work and of course made a photo shoot out of it.
Gained more confidence in my photography and started shooting with a new co-worker/friend.
Mastered the cherry pie.