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We finally made it to the end of the year! And BOY, has this been a year!

There is so much that has happened this year..

First, I moved out of my parents cabin and into an apartment!
(BEFORE PICTURES)

(AFTER PICTURES)

There is so much room to do whatever we want here, except of course, to garden.. The cats are loving all of the room to run and play, especially with all of their new Christmas toys from my Grandmother this Christmas.

This apartment has been a game changer for both me and my Fiancé. It has allowed us to live together without family ‘too’ close, but still close enough that we get to see them on almost a daily basis. We have gotten our first taste of how to manage money with Bills and Insurance, which has been a fun learning curve. And we are also learning the harsh realities of rent increase..

Another thing this apartment has done for us was giving us the kitchen space to cook and bake! This has certainly been the highlight of our year, as I have had to learn how to eat healthier goodies and less candy. My Fiancé also LOVES to cook, so having a kitchen of our own has produced some really good meals out of it!

Life Update; New Apartment!
A Look Inside my New Apartment..

Oven Cooked BBQ Chicken Recipe
Healthy Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Cookies
How to Make Sweet Potato Chips at Home
Rainy Day Autumn Cookies

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Second, my boyfriend moved up to Michigan and we moved in together!

It has been an amazing journey to move in with my best friend. Endless sleepovers, staying up all night talking, watching TV shows together (Lucifer and Vikings have been our favorites), and getting to spend the holidays together were the highlights of my year. 🙂

Which brings us to the third thing that happened this year, I GOT ENGAGED!

I started planning for it the second I got engaged (maybe a little before that, but we’ll keep that between us 😉)! We aren’t having a big party, just a small little get together with some of our closest friends and family after getting married at the courthouse with a few witnesses. If you would like to read more about that, check out the links below!

Morning Announcement: I’m Engaged!
Wedding Planning (Part 1)
Wedding Planning (Part 2)
Why I’m REALLY Getting Married…
How I asked my Best Friends to be my Maids of Honors

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The fourth amazing thing that happened to me this year was working in the Greenhouse for the Summer! Okay.. Maybe saying that it was an ‘amazing‘ thing was a stretch.. It sucked! I was stuck in a hot and stuffy greenhouse all summer with 110 Degree temperatures and a manager who wouldn’t let me come inside because ‘what if someone has a plant question?’ Not only was I hot and sick all the time from the heat, but I was the ONLY one there to water the plants, which meant that the two days I wasn’t at work, the plants would die, and I would have to bring them back to life. On the plus side though, I got really good at bringing plants back to life from near death!

I Work In A Greenhouse Now..
What it’s Like to Work in a Greenhouse in the Summer
To the Man Who Yelled at Me in the Greenhouse:

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And finally, the last great thing we did this year (sorta) is that my Fiancé and I started looking at houses again. I say that it is ‘sorta’ a great thing because we weren’t going to start looking at houses until next year. However, our apartments have a new owner, and said owner wants to increase rent every six months.. That being said, by next year it will have been cheaper to pay a mortgage on a house, than to stay here and keep losing money we could be saving for a house.. So yeah, we started looking at houses.

The houses around here SUCK! There are holes in the floor, holes in the walls, sever water damage, or termites in the basement eating away at the beams.. People don’t take care of their houses like they used to, and we pay the price. Literally! We have seen about 10+ houses so far, and there is nothing that is even livable in while we fix it up..

Anyways, there will be more about that later.. 😉

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So that’s been 2023 in a nutshell! A lot has happened this year, and I have a feeling that a lot more will happen in the next few years to come.  Until then, remember to Smile, have an amazing day, and take some time to reflect on this past year. ❤ (Also remember to think about what your new years resolutions are for the next coming year!)

If you want to look back at past years, look below!

Goodbye 2022.. Hello 2023!
My New Year’s Resolution of 2022
2021; A Year in Review
‘Springing’ Forward Into A New Chapter And Reflections On Past Years
My NEW New Year Goals for 2020
New Year Goals for 2020!
New Year, New Me..?

6 Ways to Stay Motivated in the New Year
6 Steps for Accomplishing Any Goals in Life