A Look Back at 2014

2014 is a year that had been on my radar since December 2009 when I received my letter of acceptance welcoming me to the College of Dental Medicine Class of 2014. For four entire years we were referred to as "CDM 2014" and we talked about this year probably daily since starting school. In 2009 it seemed like it would be an eternity before we made it to 2014 and finished dental school. Now, 2014 has come and gone, CDM 2014 graduated 71 of the most wonderful people I know, and, in some ways, dental school already seems like it was a lifetime ago. Here's a look back at how 2014 shaped up!

January

The beginning of 2014 saw us continuing life in our long-distance marriage as Adam was continuing his new job in Easley while I finished up my final months of dental school. We made the all-too-familiar drive back and forth more times than I want to count as we persevered through just a few more months of long-distance. We did our best to enjoy the time we had left in Charleston with plenty of bike rides and scenic views. We also celebrated sweet Ruthie girl's third birthday!

Over at the project site we were still busy, busy, busy with renovations. With the ceilings, painting, and cabinets finished, we had some major trim work done and also installed new door knobs.

February

In February I took the first section of my state licensing boards which was the beginning of a stressful few months of licensing and boards. We continued to enjoy unseasonably warm weather at some of our favorite Charleston spots and also celebrated Adam's 29th birthday! February also brought the great snow storm, "Winter Storm Pax", which gave Adam an entire week off of school and us a surprise 10 straight days together in Charleston! It was such a sweet time together and was just what we needed in the midst of a somewhat stressful time. Meanwhile, B St looked beautiful covered in the snow!

Also in February our Handy Randy transformed our plain, non-functional, small closet into a space that is fully-functional and holds as much storage as our large walk-in closet in Charleston!

March

In March we continued to have many a FaceTime dinner date and entered the homestretch of our long-distance marriage! I took the last section of my state boards and Adam weaseled his way into a few rounds of golf in exchange for sitting as one of my boards patients. A few days later I got the news that I had PASSED all sections of state boards and was officially on the fast-track to graduation. Oh what a celebration we had! I spent a week on rotation at the Greenville Free Medical clinic doing mobile dentistry and also watched Clemson in the NIT tournament in a packed house on a Sunday morning. Later that month I got to spend a weekend in Pawleys Island with some of my most favorite people celebrating one of my best friends as she got ready to become a wife! We had the best weekend laughing and catching up and celebrating our bride-to-be!

In the renovation world Handy Randy delivered again on a beautiful window bench and Adam and Robbie installed beautiful can lighting in our den/dining room. 

April

April was a busy one! We started off the month celebrating at my dental school senior banquet. It was a great night celebrating 4 years of memories and hard work. Then, through a stroke of luck, I got placed on a week rotation in Hilton Head the same week that Adam had Spring Break so we got to enjoy a whole week together at one of our favorite places. We enjoyed the Easter holiday with family and I attended my very last day of dental school! My mom and I made a trip to the big city of Elberton, GA to pick out a granite slab for our kitchen. We also traveled to Aiken, SC to watch my best friend marry her love, and at the end of the month we moved out and said goodbye to our first newlywed home! Also in April I officially accepted a job offer that could not have been a more perfect opportunity!

April was a pretty quiet month at the project site as we worked on some final touches to the projects we had been working on. 

May

After moving out of Charleston we dumped everything we owned into my parents' garage as we made every attempt to get the house move-in ready. We enjoyed living life in the same city again, and I spent a weekend with Ruthie while her parents were out of town. We spent a quick weekend away in Myrtle Beach and then enjoyed a long weekend with family at Kiawah Island to celebrate graduation! And probably one of the biggest moments of the year, I walked across the stage and officially become a DMD! After returning home we FINALLY got to move in and spend our first night in our new house over Memorial Day weekend! At the end of the month we celebrated our third wedding anniversary, and I got the best surprise by receiving my dental license about a month earlier than expected! This meant I'd been given the all-clear to begin work as a dentist!

Also in May we had all new hardwoods installed as our final major project to make the house ready for move-in!

June

At the beginning of June I spent a few days on the west coast visiting one of my college roommates that now lives in LA. We had the best time catching up with her and her hubby and touring all things LA! After returning home, I jumped right into the working world! For the first two months I was only working 2-3 days a week which was a really nice way to get into the swing of things and also enjoy some time off with Adam over the summer. At the end of the month we welcomed the newest member of the family, my sweet niece Amelia Leigh, or "Millie". 

July

July brought more summer days and soaking up our days off while also getting adjusted to my new job. We spent lots of time poolside, celebrated July 4th at our house with family, and made a quick overnight trip to Atlanta for my birthday to stay at our favorite spot, the bed and breakfast we stayed in right after getting married. 

August

At the beginning of August I got to spend a few days in Hilton Head for the family beach trip although I was sad to miss out on the full week due to my new job. We settled into a new routine of Adam back at school and me transitioning to a full schedule. We continued to fill and decorate our home with a closet door project and new couches. We enjoyed the final few days of summer squeezing in an ice cream trip or two, and we fully embraced and welcomed the start of football season with a trip to Athens for the first game! 

September

In September we submersed ourselves into everything that is football season, spent more time with sweet Millie, and Adam's self-declared "bow-tie Tuesday" became a hit as some of his students started wearing one with him!

October

In October we celebrated the life of my beautiful, sweet grandmother and then capped off the month with a long weekend in Kiawah with the whole family. The weather was pretty much perfect and it was just the best weekend.

November

In November we made a trip to Atlanta to witness quite the disappointing showing by our Tigers but had a fun visit to the College Football Hall of Fame to make the trip a little more worthwhile. We enjoyed many cozy, relaxing nights by the fire and attended a few more home football games. We spent WAY too many hours raking leaves and hosted a successful Thanksgiving dinner! And, finally, we capped off November and football season with a huge win against the gamecocks! 

December

December was jam packed with fun. We decorated our space and got deep into the Christmas spirit. Adam went as the grinch on the Keowee Smiles float in the Seneca Christmas Parade.. what a sport! We had fun at my office Christmas party, hosted a successful dinner party, and soaked up everything the holiday season had to offer. We capped off the month celebrating the birthday of my sweet Mom, our beloved Sue-Sue!

Most of all, we were extremely blessed all year long. We have both been blessed with wonderful jobs that we are so thankful for, a house that we love and are proud to come home to, and we continue to be blessed by the presence of those around us: our families, our friends, our co-workers, and all of the other people who come along the way.  It's amazing to look back and see how God had all of our plans laid out perfectly and how he executes everything in his own perfect timing. 2015 here we come!