I turned 26 yesterday, which got me thinking about the past 26 years of my life. I have so much to be thankful for! I have amazing family and friends, I'm healthy, and I couldn't be happier.

Year 25, going on 26, was pretty incredible. While there are always ups and downs, overall it may have been the best year of my life so far.

• Shay and I moved to Chicago last July and have absolutely fallen in love with our neighborhood every day since.
• I started a new job last August that continues to challenge me and even took me to Africa!
• Shay and I have had a lot of opportunities to travel to new cities together, including: St. Louis, New York, and Portland.
• We've been lucky enough to have family and friends come to visit us, by car and plane.

25 will be a hard year to beat, but 26 is off to a good start! At the moment, Shay and I are headed to Barcelona (yep, sitting at O'Hare airport right now).

I can't wait to share pictures and stories when we return!