Time for some reflection on the year that was. Overall, I’m not that sad to see 2016 go.
I spent most of my last day of the year preparing and making a fancy dinner for myself, specifically steamed mussels in white wine with fennel. Seemed like the most appropriate dish to break in my Christmas gift (Le Creuset).
It was so good. A bit more work than I initially anticipated — have you ever bearded mussels? I didn’t even know they had beards. Trying something new at the end of this crazy year seemed like a fitting way to end it. Also, the Le Creuset worked beautifully! Super happy with this gift. Thank you Santa!
Anymore, with my handy dandy google photo assistant, it’s pretty easy to review my year in pictures. In taking a look back, I noticed a few trends. For starters, I got a lot more creative with my pie crust designs. Below are a few examples. It was really fun to start putting new twists on them in a decorative way. The three that I think are the prettiest (as pictured below) are apple pies. The top left is cherry pie, and the bottom right is a dark chocolate cream pie. These were not all the pies of 2016, but these were the fashion stars.
Second, I got to do some really fun things. Going to Sporting KC games and Royals games, seeing Florence and the Machine perform, going apple picking (multiple times), visiting one of my best friends in Salt Lake City, going to the Kansas State Fair with a friend who had never been before, going on an insane last minute trip to Colorado with my brother in a ridiculous attempt to hike a 14’er (I got altitude sickness and failed, he of course got to the top), getting to stand on the Kauffman Stadium infield and sit in the dugout, going to the Royals Spring Training, and going to the opera in KC. Those were just a few of the highlights, and they are what are reminding me that 2016 really did have a lot of merit to it.
Then there’s family. We welcomed a new little guy into the fold this year in March, Theodore Martens. Getting to hang out with my little niece and nephew has become one of my favorite things to do. I got to spend Christmas weekend in Omaha with the Martens clan this year, and it was wonderful. Being around little kids always makes me feel so much younger, I get to play again! My little niece, Zoe, has a great imagination. She’s 2 and a half, and seems to be quite the negotiator. Seems about right when both her parents are lawyers. Here’s the family montage:
For some reason I couldn’t find any pictures of brother Ben holding the kiddos…hmmm. You’ll also notice there is a pictures of dear Olly, who is my fur baby, with her nose trained on a laser pointer. Yes, that is a cat toy, and yes, she loves it.
Politically speaking, this year was shit in my totally unbiased opinion. So I am not going to sully this lovely post kicking that dead horse. I’ll just say, I hope it turns out much better than what my nightmares are suggesting.
This year was rough in the relationships department as well. Met a lot of interesting people though. Another area I don’t really feel like talking about. So there.
It has been a busy year career wise. But that is a boring topic, so I won’t go there either. 🙂
I have high hopes for 2017, perhaps despite a lot of reasons that would suggest I shouldn’t. That’s what hope is though. Seems a little strange to pin so much hope for change on the cycle of the calendar. But I have always loved the idea that I can, in some respects, start a new chapter each year. Turn over a new leaf, what have you. This year has made me, once again, very thankful for my friends and family. I can only hope that I can maintain those friendships and strengthen the bonds I have with my family in the coming year. I love them so much!
So here’s to 2016, and all that it was. Cheers!
Sagacious Student 