This year has been full. We are abundantly thankful for the blessings we have received and for the time spent enjoying life with family and friends.
As we look ahead to the excitement next year is sure to bring, Justin and I want to take some time to reflect on the moments that made 2016 special.
We welcomed new puppy Lucille (Lucy) Mae Schaefer into our home early this year. Named after Lucille Ball, Lucille Bluth, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” and most importantly Kenny Rogers’ “Lucille,” our Lucy has proven to be an excellent — and energetic — addition to our family.
Hali visited New Orleans and learned that it’s true what folks say about NOLA — Bourbon Street always wins.
We celebrated 6 years together and Justin’s 28th birthday at Walt Disney World. This was our first long-distance road trip together. While we enjoyed the 8 hours spent together in the car driving from Charlotte to Daytona Beach before arriving at the house of mouse, we decided that air travel is our preferred mode of transportation for long trips.
We toasted to another Southern summer on the lake with friends.
FINALLY!
To everyone’s surprise, we announced our engagement …
With some help from Caddy and Lucy.
And zero help from Brutus.
And Justin tapped into his inner mountain man to explore Mount Mitchell for the first time.
In October, we celebrated our engagement with a party hosted by Justin’s mom and dad. It was a beautiful day full of laughter, love, family, and friends.
Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, it’s back to the mountains we go. It has become tradition for us to take a weekend trip to Asheville with friends for the release of the coveted Cold Mountain Winter Ale at Highland Brewing. This year, we spent an entire Saturday brewery hopping and sampling delicious seasonal beers from some of Asheville’s finest.
Also in November, Justin surprised Hali with tickets to see her idol, Stevie Nicks.
Hali will begin classes to start working toward a master of arts in liberal studies degree. And in September we officially become Mr. and Mrs.
Thank you all for your love and support in 2016. We look forward to seeing you in the new year!
