I didn’t blog much in 2018, in part because I felt like I didn’t have time, in part because I felt like I didn’t have much to say, and in part because I was working on my 2018 word — connect— and trying to connect with people in real life. I won’t try to catch you up on all the ups, downs, and in-betweens of 2018, but here’s a highlight reel.

January must have been pretty boring; I don’t have any pictures or remember anything remarkable. Things started picking up in February. We got a new nephew (number 4!)

and I ran and J walked a frigid 4-mile race (the Sweetheart Classic, one of my favorites).

I also spent two days at an English-teacher conference, working on my “word” and connecting with some colleagues.

March was a whirlwind of work and visiting family at spring break, and April brought several adventures. I ran the Horsetooth Half Marathon

We marched on the Capitol with educators from all over the state

and we took a quick weekend trip to Bellingham, Washington, to watch Jordan’s cousin get married (and visited a tulip farm while we were there).

May flew past, and June brought the beginning of an adventure-filled summer. I won the Skirt Sports 13er after a weekend of bonding with my Skirt sisters,

climbed my first fourteener (Quandary) with my friend Kelly (see? Connecting)

and spent a four-day weekend in Cabo with my BFFs.

June is also our anniversary month, so we camped, hiked, and biked, including a moonlight bike ride on our actual anniversary.

July and August run together in my mind, so suffice it to say that I spent a lot of time in the mountains and made some great new trail running friends.

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Summer ended and my twelfth year of teaching (third at this school) began. I was excited to be back in the building (I was in a modular last year), and I felt like I was finally settled into my “new” school. The start of the school year meant less mountain time, but I  still managed a few high-altitude training runs before the Sourdough Trail Marathon in September.

I won the race, which would be a lot more impressive if I didn’t tell you that it was a free (donation-based) race with 35ish participants. But it was beautiful, and I had a great time running it.

September wrapped up with the 5k graduation race for Running Start, the nonprofit that helps women who are “stuck” overcome barriers to fitness. I was a personal motivator, and my beginner, Zaira, rocked the socks off the program. She’s going to be faster than I am, methinks

The last quarter of the year brought a lot of work (of course) and a lot fewer adventures. J and I have made a point to do some sort of date night every week, though, whether that’s a nice dinner out or driving around to look at Christmas lights

(or going to the lights display at The Gardens at Spring Creek in Fort Collins).

My final race of the year was a local Jingle Bell Run 5k, a fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation. One of J’s colleagues has arthritis and formed a team. We were Griswold-themed; J is Cousin Eddie and I’m supposed to be the cat after its run-in with the Christmas lights.

The year ended with visiting both families over Christmas and a quiet night at home for New Year’s. I’m not sure yet what 2019 has in store, but I’m ready to face the challenges, embrace the adventures, and make 2019 a fantastic year!

(P.S. You’ll notice that I’m wearing Skirt Sports in a lot of these pictures. I’m planning to continue my ambassadorship in 2019; if you’d like a 15% discount, click here or  use code 841SONN at skirtsports.com).