Hi friends! 2015 was a long, interesting year that had a lot of great moments.  As is my tradition here on the blog I thought I would go over some of the personal highlights.

To begin with it started off with a very enjoyable visit from my friend and former mission companion Julia Graves.  We had a blast catching up and ringing in the New Year together.

Then in March I went to NYC for a RHAP Survivor event, met some great people and spent several days with my sister touristing around the Big Apple!

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In April I was called to go to Georgia for work and took a very productive work trip and stretched it to an excuse to see Atlanta and all it offers! Yay for solo traveling!

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Right around that time I got my 50oth subscriber on my youtube channel.  I now have nearly 700 so if you haven’t subscribed check it out! https://www.youtube.com/user/smilingldsgirl

And I posted my 1000th post on this blog!

In the summer started my new open water season which was a real thrill because I had my season truncated in 2014.

First there was Great Salt Lake

Then I did Bear Lake for the first time

And then in August I completed my 10th open water swim race at Deer Creek.  This time I got to do it with my Dad, which was really special.

Next up I finished my review of all the Pixar films and shorts which was an amazing experience.  Check out those reviews http://54disneyreviews.com/pixar-reviews/I also got the treat of 2 Pixar films this year!

I did a series on my youtube channel I’m immensely proud of called Did the Right Film Win?  Where I looked at the animated Oscars and decided if the right film won.  Through this and other projects I really improved my channel and gained new skills in editing and using Adobe Premiere effectively (a colossal task I assure you!)

In the Fall I had the treat of seeing Idina Menzel in concert and she was fabulous.  My friend Heidi went with me and we had a such a great time.

In November I was able to go to California and visit my nieces which meant a lot to me.  I don’t get to see them very much as they live in Portland and it meant a lot to me to hang out and get all the hugs I could!  I don’t have a picture of me with my niece Olive but here is me and Sparrow.

I also completed Nanowrimo for the 4th time in November!  I didn’t think I could do it but I pulled it off somehow.

In December the highlight was seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens with my brother, roommate and Aunt Kate.  It was one of the most fun entertainment experiences of my life and the film did not disappoint.

I also loved doing podcast style videos with my friends Abby and Jeremy where discussed all 7 Star Wars films and then a review/response video with my brother Sam. If you are looking for something to listen to on a commute or something I think you will really enjoy them. Our last one was just recorded yesterday and we had a blast!

Then the final highlight of the year was having my sister and the rest of my nieces come for a visit.  What a treat to be able to see all 5 nieces in under 2 months time.  I miss them so much now they are gone back to DC.  (The one girl in the red is not my niece but the others are)

I also had a great time at a new book club.  Thanks to Suey’s Books and company for being so welcoming.  It’s helped me read more and expand out of my comfort zone.  I’ve really tried to do that this year seeing films like Max Max: Fury Road or The Visit that I might not normally see.   The movie pass really made a difference to me in the number of films I can see and I recommend it for anyone that goes to 3 or more movies a month.

It’s funny as I sat down to write this piece I was thinking 2015 was a bit of a boring year but look at all the cool stuff I did! It was a great year!

For 2016 I hope to keep improving in everything in my life.  I hope to improve in my job.  I hope to improve in my relationships.  I hope to improve on my channel and both blogs. I hope to come up with new and exciting projects that people will like but more importantly I will like doing.  I hope to improve in my callings and in my daily devotions to God.  I hope to be more thoughtful and find ways to serve more than in 2015.

Either way I look forward to sharing it with all of you.  Thank you for all your support and for paying any attention to my content this year.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!