10 in 2014 {looking back}

It may be January 22, but it's still January...which means it's not too late to do a recap of 2014, right?

2014 was quite a year for our little family. We certainly had our share of highs and lows. Here are ten pictures to help remember the year:

{1}

In January 2014 I chose the word quiet as my word for the year. I wrote about my desire to be still and listen more. Looking back over the year as a whole, there were times I succeeded, and many more times I failed with this. But the times of greatest peace in my heart were - surprise, surprise - the times when I was spending the most time in the quiet with the Lord. Let's hope I can carry that lesson with me into this new year and always.

{2}

Also in January was my sweet husband's birthday. I love this picture of the two of us. It was taken before we entered into some crazy seasons of our marriage, all of which we got through together. As a team. I don't know how I would have made it without this man.

{3}

On Valentine's Day 2014 we found out we were expecting our first baby. Our joy was overwhelming. After our first ultrasound in March we found out our sweet baby had a weak heartbeat, and on St. Patrick's Day 2014 we found out our Thomas Gianna had been born into eternal life. The physical, emotional and spiritual cross of miscarriage sent me into the darkest season of my life thus far. But, praise God, you all prayed for us. Oh, the power of prayer! With the love and support of our dearest family and friends, we found hope.

{4}

In April many of you joined me in praying a novena to Saint Gianna. These were some of my most popular posts of 2014. St. Gianna is a saint I grew to know and love well after our miscarriage, as she suffered two miscarriages herself. She is a great saint for life - the gift we celebrate and honor in a special way today on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. St. Gianna, pray for us! 

{5}

Summer was spent in the heat and humidity of Houston, Texas. We celebrated our two-year anniversary with a little getaway to Austin, which is where this picture was taken. I also wrote my second most-viewed post of the year over the summer: Father's Day with a Child in Heaven.

{6}

In the fall we raised over $2,000 for the National Gianna Center for Women in honor of our Thomas Gianna. I have never done anything like this before, and it was such a special way to remember our baby and to give back to those who gave so much to Michael and I when we were going through our miscarriage. We couldn't have done this without your help, generosity and prayerful support. 

{7}

In September we shared our joy with you that we are expecting our second child. What a gift and blessing to be just over 32 weeks pregnant with our son today! We are so grateful for the gift his life already is to us.

{8}

Y'all loved seeing pictures from our gender reveal party {it's a boy!} - and I loved sharing with you!

{9}

One of the greatest blessings of 2014 was getting to be a part of the beautiful Blessed is She ministry. I love writing a reflection each month, and reading the other devotionals has been an inspiration to my prayer life. {Side note - have you seen the new Lent journals yet? So exciting.}

I also expanded my etsy shop to include some inspirational prints, which is something I had wanted to do for some time. The "Blessed is She who believed" print above is one of my favorites.

{10}

The last picture in my collection of ten sums up my year perfectly: gift.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..."

{James 1:17}

While our year had ups and downs, laughter and tears, trials and triumphs, each and every day was a gift and a blessing. And I am so very grateful.

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Thanks for reflecting back on the year with me. If you haven't already, be sure to click on over to see more 10 12 in 2014 posts! Thanks so much for hosting us, Dwija! And thanks for leaving your linkup live for slowpokes like me. :)

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And on another note - somehow, even with my lack of blogging as of late, at least three of you dear readers nominated me for a Sheenazing Award! Thank you so much. That was so sweet of you!

I'm nominated in the Best Under-Appreciated Blog category, along with some other wonderful women. If you'd like to cast a vote all you have to do is click over to visit our gracious & sheenazing host, Bonnie. :) Voting ends Friday (tomorrow!), so don't delay!

Wishing you a beautiful day, friends...and here's to a blessed 2015!

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5 Favorites {no. 12} & WWRW - First Trimester edition

Today marks sixteen weeks with this sweet blessing in my belly. So I wanted to share five of my favorite things - must haves, I might say - that helped me through that dear first trimester.

{1} Camelbak water bottle // Momma's gotta have that H2O! Having a water bottle helps me stay more hydrated. I also use my fitbit app to keep track of how many ounces a day I'm drinking (and I needed a lot of ounces that first trimester in Texas!).

{2} PsiBands // These not-super-fashionable bands were a lifesaver for me with the nausea and all-day sickness I experienced for several weeks. Totally worth it.

{3} Tums // Heavens to Betsy, hello, heartburn! Oh my goodness, friends. I had horrible heartburn during the first trimester. It didn't matter what I ate. And may I just say, heartburn is not a nice thing to have in combination with anxiety. Yikes. But these Tums did the trick! Something tells me I may be needing these later on, too...

{4} Rainbow Light prenatal vitamins // These vitamins are awesome. They have not given me nausea a single time. And they're really not too bad to swallow either. Winning at all the things!

{5} A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy // This book has been such a blessing. Each chapter is a different week of pregnancy with information, prayers, and a mystery of the rosary for the week. It's truly a beautiful way to "walk with Mary from conception to baptism," as the subtitle of the book says. Highly recommended. Would make a great gift for a newly pregnant momma, too.

What were your key pregnancy survival items? Let me know! I'd love to hear from you!

Linking up with Mary Kate for five favorites and Jessica for WWRW.

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Full of Grace: A Marian Linkup

Happy Monday, and happy Memorial Day! Thank you, God, for all the men and women who have given their lives in service of our country. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them. May the peace of Christ be with all those who miss them. Amen.

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As my dear readers know, I have been writing a post reflecting on Mary each Monday this month. This week I made a video to share with you! The song in the video is called "Blessed One." It was always one of my favorites at my church in college. (Maybe you sing it at your parish, too?) This particular recording is from the CD my choir recorded in 2009. I hope you will enjoy it. 

{click here to view in a separate window}

Isn't the refrain beautiful? I especially love the harmonies (always wish I was a tenor for this song!). The melodies are simple, yet so lovely - which is fitting for our Blessed Mother, I think.

To finish my series of posts on Mary, I am hosting a Marian linkup beginning today. (It's my blog's first linkup! Exciting!) It will be open through May 31, the Feast of the Visitation and the Queenship of Mary. I invite you to share any of your posts on Mary (new or old, and you may share more than one if you like). My hope is that as we share these posts we will also be able to encourage one another and grow with one another in faith as we honor the mother of Jesus. 

To join me: Click the "Add your link" button below. Be sure to enter the URL of your specific Marian post, not just your blog homepage. If you're writing a new post, please include a link back to this post to encourage others to join us. Feel free to include the Full of Grace linkup graphic in your post, too! 

Thanks so much for linking up with me - I look forward to reading your posts!

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