The Van Gelder Family: 2013 in Review

Every year since my freshman year of high school I have made a 'yearbook' for that year. That means I have 15 yearbook albums and I am finishing number 16 today. As I have done 15 times before, I pick a single word to describe the year in review and this year is no different.

My word for 2013: TRAVEL

Dare I say, 2013 has been my favorite year to date! 2006 was a close second because of the major milestones and life changes (that was the year I got engaged, ran my first marathon, bought a house, graduated from college and got married!) but this year has been my favorite. The travels we experienced were incredible, but more importantly, I truly feel like this has been a year of personal and spiritual growth, realizing who I am as God designed me and becoming more comfortable with myself. I might share more on that later, but for now, here are

My Top 10 highlights of 2013

(in chronological order since I truly couldn't rank them):
(click on the blue links to read the full story)

1. San Clemente, California Trip
January: We had a wonderful time with all of my family spending a week at a beach house.

2. Maui, Hawaii
February: We went on a week trip with Phil's company to Ka'anapali and Kapalua in Maui.

3. My 29th Birthday
March: For my final year in my 20's I wanted to be more spontaneous.

4. Jamaica
August: Just Phil and I took a trip to Jamaica to relax and enjoy time together.

5. Sprint Triathlon
August: I competed in my first sprint triathlon and LOVED IT!

6. Disneyland
September: We went to Disneyland for the first time and Emrie met Cinderella as soon as we walked in.

7. Tony and Rowena's Wedding
October: Phil's brother, Tony, married his wife Rowena in Los Angles and the girls were flower girls. The whole trip out there was so much fun. The wedding was great, and spending time with my family was a blast.

8. Visiting Aunt Torrie
October: Our entire October was a blast, but driving 10 hours to see Aunt Torrie in Lancaster, PA was like right out of a storybook. All we did was eat, play and eat. I can't wait to do it again.

9. Phil's 30th Birthday
December: I can never pull off surprises for Phil, so his 30th birthday trip to Vegas was the BEST present I will ever be able to give him!

10. Bundle Up Buddy
This year was my first complete year running my Etsy shop. It has been a blessing in more ways than I could have EVER imagined. I am beyond grateful for this experience.