Our 2016 in review | My view from a new year
Wow, 2016 ended with a bang. I've been trying to give myself a break from the internet for a while because I had a hard time dealing with all the negativity post-election. Whether they were joking or not, a lot of my contacts were choosing to focus on the low points of the year. In thinking about it, yeah, a lot of bad things happened globally, but so did a lot of good things. And when I narrow my focus to life here in northern Idaho, 2016 was actually a pretty fantastic year and personally, I accomplished a couple major goals and experienced some pretty cool stuff.I wanted to keep the positive vibes rolling and Kyle suggested writing a letter to accompany our New Year cards. Writing down our accomplishments, trips and celebrating good times made me remember how important it is to keep the things you're thankful for top-of-mind and remember that no matter what happens nationally or globally, it's possible to stay optimistic and see the good that's happening right in front of you.I thought I'd share highlights from 2016 and relive the best parts of our year before we get too far into 2017. Happy New Year everyone, I hope you're already making good memories.
Work
Kyle applied and got a promotion as a credit analyst in the commercial lending department of the bank he works at.
I completed a major goal of starting my own business, Northward Creative, offering services to small businesses and individuals in writing, photography and web presence.
Life and Travel
This year Kyle helped to manage a road bike team, through the Coeur d’Alene Bike Co., coordinating and leading group rides from the shop and keeping everyone in the know about local biking events and races.
In June, Kyle celebrated his 29th birthday and completed his second Ironman 70.3 here in Coeur d’Alene. The first was two years ago in Boise with his brother, Kendrich.
Weekend trips were plenty, including wine tasting in Lake Chelan and Walla Walla, Washington, biking the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, and a motorcycle trip to Jerry Johnson hot springs outside of Lolo National Forest.
We celebrated our sixth wedding anniversarywith a backpacking trip outside of Missoula, Montana (blog post coming soon!).
In July, Kyle and two of his friends made a 17-day motorcycle trip from Idaho to Alaska and back. I flew up to meet them in Denali National Park and rode with Kyle on a very rainy journey down to Anchorage and Whittier (blog post coming soon!).
We both trained for the Coeur d'Fondo, a bike race over Oktoberfest weekend at the end of September. Kyle completed the 108-mile distance going all the way around lake Coeur d’Alene. This was my first organized bike ride, I signed up for the 37-mile distance and was successful (despite illness), ending in Harrison, Idaho.
Our fur-babies Juneau and Zooey both turned 5 this year! It’s amazing how quickly time flies by.
Happy New Year from Stuck in North Idaho
In all, 2016 has been another great year with plenty of fun memories and time spent with great friends and family. We are incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful people and look forward to plenty of adventures in 2017. Cheers!Andrea, Kyle, Juneau and Zooey