A year in review

Ever since I first watched Rent, there’s something about the New Year that puts the tune “525,600 minutes” in my head. I love the lyrics of that song because it reminds me that every day we have a choice of how to spend our time, each of our minutes.

So today, instead of sharing a system, I wanted to share a little bit of what made up my 525,600 minutes over the past 12 months. There are a lot of pictures, some stories, and a peek into what’s coming in 2016!

The year started off with bringing home Big Red, my new/old 1970 Cadillac convertible which previously belonged to my Grandpa George. Here he is driving the car home from Montana around 1995,

And in my driveway in 2015:

While I’ve been in and out of the shop (new tires, electrical work, brakes, brake fluid distribution thingy, more electrical work…), I am truly glad to have this piece of my family history (barely fitting) in my garage.

I even took Big Red to the Piedmont 4th of July parade to shuttle some dignitaries along the parade route.

While I didn’t get to take a grand road trip this year, I had plenty of North America travel. It all started in March with a trip to Tulum, Cozumel and Cancun.

The resort in Tulum was gorgeous and I fell in love with the Riveria and so enjoyed hanging out with Natalie MacNeil during our trips!

I had perhaps the most terrifying experience snorkeling off Cozumel when a fellow diver experienced a seizure in the water. I was left in the water with a stranger’s 8 year old kid while the captain of the boat tried to stabilize her. Thankfully they let us back in so we could get her to an ambulance to receive treatment.

While I love taking my camera on trips, I’m no where near the skill of a professional photographer, which is why I loved traveling to the Pacific Northwest with my good friend Angela Pan, who is such a professional.

We toured Rosengaard to see the incredible variety of tulips they plant:

We also took a tour out on Puget Sound to follow the humpback whales which was in equal parts gorgeous and freezing cold. The small island we stayed on remains one of the most peaceful places I’ve been.

And no trip to Washington would be complete without heading across the border to Vancouver for the day and the sunset didn’t disappoint!

At home there were big changes with the impromptu decision to take out 1,000 sq ft of carpet and lay down laminate tiles throughout the house. After hours and hours of work they turned out beautifully (thank god for knee pads!).

Another big change was taking out a gorgeous sugar maple tree that had been planted entirely too close to the foundation of the house that was creating havoc on my sidewalk.

In June, I made another trip to Canada, this time to Toronto which was thwarted when the worst airline ever cancelled my flight after 2 hours of taxiing on the runway, then refused to give hotel or food vouchers while putting me on a flight 48 hours later.

So, in the spirit of adventure, I met some friendly Canadians similarly stranded, rented a car, and drove through the night and Michigan to reach Canada only 12 hours after our flight would have landed.

Thankfully my next trip, back to Mexico for the Retreat, was much easier travel wise and I made it to gorgeous Cancun without any trouble. Here I attempted to conquer my fear of heights by parasailing, spoke to entrepreneurs about the systems they need for their businesses, swam in the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and enjoyed mucho tacos.

It was amazing to spend so much time with the Conquer Club members in Mexico and throughout the year – teaching them each month was amazing and being available to give support and inspiration has been a blessing to me. In December, we honored our members and gave awards to just a few of the ladies who have really shined and conquered this year.

It’s been an amazing 525,600 minutes that were (mostly) healthy and happy. In the business we are growing strategically with new team members, clients and projects that we can’t wait to share. In addition to new websites coming online, I’ll be publishing my first book, launching a program that’s been in the works for nearly a year, and adding more client launches and events to the schedule.

No matter how your year has played out, we wish you the best for 2016 and beyond! Share with me in the comments what’s coming up for you in the next 12 months and what you’re most fond of from 2015.