Year in Review 2014

It's time again to do my year in review that I post every New Year's Eve. The year of 2014 was filled with so many memories that it will be hard to not write a book for this post. I'll try and just capture some of the high points.

The year began with construction. We decided to remodel our basement to better accommodate the ages of our kids. Having boys in the teenage years of life requires more space, and so we added two more legal bedrooms. They turned out really nice, and come spring we put in the required egress windows, which totally changed the character of the space. We also took the opportunity to get a new floor in our kitchen, and replace an aging and broken dishwasher this year. Because we may not stay in this house once the kids all graduate, we're trying to weigh the options for how much work we want to do, and how much money to invest.

My year in beer was mostly uneventful. I didn't bother entering many competitions this year, although I did volunteer at one. We did partake quite frequently of the new taprooms that are springing up around town, and I enjoyed trying a lot of new brews, and filling out my Untappd check-in list. I did complete my keg collar project, and it turned out great, and I've loved having fresh beer on tap at any time. My final project for this year was trying a cider, which is currently fermenting in my basement.

As I talked about in a previous wrap-up, this was a great year in running for me. I managed numerous races, including my second full marathon. My training this year was markedly better than previous years, and I managed to avoid injury for my entire season. My times dropped, and I was running slower for much of the year, but I felt good and felt strong, so I'm not going to worry about pace. I'm really hopeful for my 2015 running year. My goal for 2015 will be to run a race every month of the year.

On the travel front, we had a couple of big trips. We headed to Las Vegas to visit my wife's parents, leaving behind a snowstorm for a much warmer experience. Then we drove to Michigan for a 25K race with some good friends, stopping in Chicago on the way there, and taking a car ferry for part of the way back. The rest of our travel for the year involved quick trips to the North Shore along Lake Superior, or little visits to St. Cloud to visit family.

The boys have been doing well in school and work. My two boys are in schools that fit well for them, and have helped them get over their perceived bad experiences with middle school. Lisa's son has started working, and making decent money, learning how to be an adult. All three boys are growing into fine young men, and we're proud of all of them.

In the world of education, Lisa had some major accomplishments in 2014. She completed her Fitness Specialist certificate, got accepted, and started, her Physical Therapist Assistant program, and completed the final classes to get her Bachelor's of Elective Studies degree from Saint Cloud State University. I also completed a program this year, finishing my Graduate Certificate in Leadership from Capella University.

Our jobs have been going well, and our major marital strife's have all usually been around hugely major issues such as what to eat for dinner ;-) . So on the whole, life is good and we're happy and healthy. Here's looking forward to an exciting 2015, and all the awesome adventures that are to come.