2014 Year In Review

I always like to do a quick little recap at the end of each year before we start a whole new one. I can honestly say 2014 was really tough, but I would never categorize it as a "bad year". Heartbreaking, difficult things happened, but joyous things happened too. You have to take the good with the bad, and this year had its share of both. We received many blessings in 2014, and I am very thankful for so many good moments! A lot happened, so if you make it through all of this, you are a trooper! Let's see what we were up to this year...
Parker started the year off with a little promotion! Ensign Phelps became LTJG Phelps, and I loved getting to be at his ceremony and pin on his new ranks. 

Parker went to Key West, Fl to get carrier qualified in the T-45. Landing on the boat was definitely a high for him this year!

We moved from Kingsville, TX to Corpus Christi, TX. Though it was just an hour up the road, a move is a move and doing it ourselves was quite the adventure. 

I turned 25 years old and celebrated with my family. Since I have a twin, we make it a point to make sure spend our birthday together. We haven't missed a year yet!

I ran my first half marathon with my twin sister! What an amazing, exhausting experience that was. We were sore for a week, but it was the coolest accomplishment. 

We saw the Blue Angels perform in Kingsville. AKA, I had a very happy husband. 

I shared my little sister's story of how she lost eye sight unexpectedly in her right eye and used her story to glorify God. Though her sight was never returned to her in that eye, she remains so faithful and such an inspiration to me. 

We visited our alma mater one last time before leaving the Lone Star State. We will be back one of these days, Aggieland!

We fell in love with Corpus Christi and really never wanted to leave. We had so many fun adventures there and wanted to freeze frame time and savor every moment of daily walks along the water, sunny weather, and wonderful friends. 

Parker's winging date was moved with very little notice (I would say we were shocked, but it's the Navy. We should have seen it coming), but my family kept their reservations and came down to spend a weekend with us before we moved to Virginia. So much fun being back on the beach where I vacationed as a kid. 

Parker became a winged aviator, a goal he worked towards for two years and dreamed about his whole life. Words can't describe how proud I felt then and now!

Parker and I celebrated 3 years of marriage in June. This was our first anniversary being apart, but we celebrated as soon as he returned home with a getaway to Colonial Williamsburg! 

While Parker was away, my mom and I roadtripped from Texas to Virginia to move Jenny and me in and had so. much. fun. I will forever cherish the fun week we got to spend together! She made 22 hours in the car enjoyable, and that's saying something. 

Our household grew by four furry feet! Life got a little more interesting when Darla, the pup who we rescued back in 2012, came to live with us while her mom was away serving our country. It was a big adjustment for me especially, but it has been so much fun having her with us. Jenny loves having a sister!

We found out Parker is going to fly the C-2! This is the plane he had hoped to fly, so we were over the moon!

I flew to Texas to surprise my twin sister at her graduation from nursing school. She cried. I cried. It was wonderful. 

I didn't reveal it on the blog for a couple of months, but Parker and I found out we were expecting a baby! August 11th, 2014 is a day we will remember forever. We couldn't believe it! 

My twin, mom, and grandmother flew out to spend a weekend with us in Virginia, and then a month later, Parker's parents came out to see us. We love hosting family in our new home!

We went to the Norfolk Zoo and successfully earned the title as the only adults there without kids. We didn't care- we had a blast! The zoo is for adults too, yall. 

We finally announced our good news to the world! Letting our secret out made everything that much more real. There really was a baby growing inside of me! So surreal, such a blessing. 

We attended the E2/C2 Ball in October. This was our eighth military ball together!

We visited the pumpkin patch and celebrated Halloween as Tony the Tiger and Parker Robertson, respectively. 

We drove to Annapolis for a wedding and loved exploring such a unique town. If you ever have the chance, go spend a weekend in Annapolis. Such a cool part of the country!

We felt the greatest heartbreak we have ever experienced when we learned our baby girl had triploidy. We shared her story and treasured each beautiful day we were given with her inside my tummy. We loved that little girl so fiercely while she was here, and on November 23, 2014, God took her home. 

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Texas with family. Though it was a tough holiday knowing we had lost our baby just days before, we made it through and were very grateful to be surrounded by family. 

We finished off the year with Christmas in Texas and a memorial service for Taylor Grace. Taylor Grace's memorial service was more than we could have ever imagined, and we loved getting to celebrate her short but meaningful life. 

Like I said at the beginning of this post, it's been a year mixed with joy and heartbreak, but it was another blessed year nonetheless. Thanks for being a part of it and going on this journey with us! We love sharing our lives and our story on this blog and look forward to new journeys in 2015!