Wrapping Up 2013

In the grand tradition started two years ago, and continued last year, I am going to finish 2013 by looking back at my favorite twelve pictures and twelve posts to give you an overview of my year.

Pictures of 2013
Looking through a person's pictures is a great way of seeing what is important to them, and what they love.

These are some of my favorite pictures from this year.

January

I found this spoon on the side of the road while reading Shades of Grey. It was a perfect moment. I actually found a few more spoons throughout the year, and need to take a picture of all of them together.

February

Trampoline Jumping

Attending the Tuskegee Airmen Symposium,

and meeting Col. Charles McGee. 

March

Having a rainbow day with Katarina.

Laina. So many years; so much laughter.

April

Leigh Anne. Best friend forever.

May

My favorite picture of Thomas ever.

June

New Kids On The Block - The Package Tour concert.

July

Eleven years.

Thomas and I forgot our anniversary this year until facebook reminded us.

August

Waking Katarina up on her birthday.

I shared my favorite picture from each year of her life so far.

September

Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Tracie

October

Peruvian Primrose Willow.

Some people call it a weed. I choose to call it a flower. 

November

Anna, Tracie, Katarina, and Elsa - the princesses of Frozen.

Thomas loves his coffee, and makes me laugh.

December

My kid is Rainbow Loomy.

Blog Posts of 2013
These posts are not necessarily the ones that had the most traffic, comments, or shares. They are simply my favorite posts from each month. The ones I really enjoyed writing.

January: Moments of Perfection - They are the small moments that make this life beautiful.

February: Field of Peace - Fiction that is the emotional truth of my heart.

March: Merry Go Round And Round - Childhood fears and joys on the merry go round are a perfect picture of adult life. Doesn't Everyone Use Scissors To Change Their Baby's Clothes? - This was a guest post at The Mommy Mess about the steep learning curve of motherhood.

April: Possibilities - More real than the blanket wrapped around me. They are the stuff of souls; the things that live with us forever. Fixing Holes In The Story - This moment with my daughter and stepfather warmed my heart.

May: Strings Of Peace - I can feel the strings of peace stretched over my day. They weave a net over and around me. I measure those strings of peace in hours, sometimes minutes.

June: Most of my favorite posts of the year happened during June, including fiction from a dream, a trio of bookish posts I will talk about in my 2013 reading recap, and a great collection of spam comments, and my 800th post.

But without a doubt, A Letter To The Girl Who Is Hurting And Confused was one of the most important things I have ever written.

July: Watch Out For The Quicksand - A reminder of the time when we all thought everyone had a 72% chance of being stuck in quicksand at least once in their life. How To Use Overlays To Highlight Your Text On Pictures - A tutorial to help you jazz up your pictures.

August: It Is Time To Stop With The Role Models - Please don't put your trust in a celebrity to show your kid the right path to take in life. Do not hold them up to your kids, and say, "Be like this person."

September: Art In The Shire - One of the best Thomas and Katarina conversations of the year, inspired by art day and Lord of the Rings.

October: How Not To Pick A Halloween Costume - Where I learned that part of trying to find a decent costume for your tween girl involves not encouraging her to dress like an actual prostitute. I Want To Know All About You - a checklist for making an awesome about page.

November: This November I participated in NaBloPoMo, and actually completed it. With so many posts to choose from, I'm going to point you to my last offering of the month where I chose my 5 favorite NaBloPo posts.

December: My Cartwheel Is Worse Than Yours - I showed you my really bad cartwheel (I'm not kidding, it is REALLY bad), and asked you to do something that makes you happy even if you aren't good at it.

Candy Crush: This year was, without a doubt, the year of Candy Crush for me, and these posts brought in some of my highest traffic - This Is The True Candy Crush Saga, Someone Needs A Candy Crush Intervention, Level 265 Is Trying To Blow Me Up, and It Is All Sweet Until The Candy Won't Crush.

This has been 2013...from Tracie.

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