Today marks another year older. 

I woke up in a slight funk – unexplainable, a little shameful, and more than anything: confusing. 34 is not a huge birthday, and after all, everything in my life has been great. 

And then I realized that this birthday marks the end of a really great year. 

When we moved back to Medina in the summer of 2016, Scott promised me to just wait. 2017 is going to be it, he said. It’s going to be better than you have ever imagined, he said. And my darling boy was right. 

During my 33rd year, I: 

Got married. 

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Started a new job back in the classroom. 

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Bought my childhood house, and made Fox Cross Farm my forever home. 

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Watched my little sister say “I do” to the love of her life. 

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Bought the Shirt Factory. 

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You see, in the last 34 years, I can honestly look back and remember 33 as being a once-in-a-lifetime kind of year. And it was so good, so beautiful, that I guess I wasn’t quite ready to leave it yet. 

But 34 is going to be a year of personal transformation. 33 granted larger than life events, but this year I am excited to regroup, rethink, and reexamine the quieter side of life. More writing. More photography. Stepping away from work and remembering to be a good friend and family member. Life has never been as chaotic, but in order to be everything I need to be as an owner of a small business and a teacher to 120 students, it’s vital that there is balance. 

And Scott. No one person in the world deserves time and attention like this guy does. And so 34 is going to be about getting back to OUR reality. Our dream come true at the Factory. Our date nights around WNY. Our time with our pup and our goats and trail rides on our horses. 

Time is fleeting. This life is going by fast. And I’d hate to follow up year 33 with a dud. 

So 34, I’m in. 

Cheers, all.