Greetings friends and family! Here's a glimpse into my life from this year. Hope you are all well and best wishes in 2016!
Family:
It's been an eventful year in the Peterson household. In late December 2014, my grandmother (mother's mother) went into the hospital. She passed away in March 2015. She lived a good life and was well loved by her family and friends. In the months leading to her passing, my family spent many hours in the car together and many hours with each other in Centralia. Given that I had gained a new Sister-in-Law in 2014, it was a sweet and solidifying time of bonding for this Peterson Family- New Edition. We also got to spend a lot of time with my Grandma Codie (father's mother), as she lives in the same town in which my grandmother was hospitalized. She was certainly a blessing and a bright spot during this spring. And I'm thankful for the other times we've gotten to spend with her this year, laughing and telling stories. She's awesome and I'm so thankful that she's my grandma.
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| My brother and cousin Chelsea and I with my late Grandmother. |
Closer to home, my mother closed the door to her 5th grade classroom for the last time in May, as she retired after 32 years of grade school teaching. She was stern and fair and passionate and loving and dedicated and all of the things you want in a teacher. Retirement was a difficult decision for her; May and August (when she would have been prepping her classroom and having her first day of school) were both bittersweet months. By the fall though, she got into the groove of substitute teaching and is enjoying the freedom from planning/grading while still getting to hang out with the kiddos and her friends every day. I'd say she found the best of all worlds. Check out the video Tim and I made for her retirement party.
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| Mom and I at her retirement party.
My brother and Charlie celebrated 1 year of marriage and are still living in Dogtown, less than a couple of miles away from me. It's been really great having them so close. We've gotten to spend a lot of time exploring St. Louis in the warm months and having game and movie nights when it's cold. Love that I get to be friends with them! (In case you missed it, they got married on May 24, 2014. I officiated. Check out their wedding video here. )
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| Charlie and me at the Star Wars premiere |
Living:
I've been in the same apartment for over 3 years now, a little two bedroom in Shaw, just north of Tower Grove park in St. Louis. My friend Angela lived with me from Feb 2014 through March of 2015. While I'm glad to live solo again, it was definitely nice having someone to come home to and share your day.
Work:
2015 has been the best year of my career, by far. I'm STILL with Ameren Strategic Sourcing (7 years!!), but have moved around quite a bit, working on purchasing different types of things, allowing me to interact with different technical skills and different people. Since I've started this job, I've been saying what an amazing blessing it is and I'm so thankful that I still feel that way after all this time. I adore the people I work with, which makes it easy to go in every day (and stay for happy hours most Fridays).
This year, I am working on implementing a new Supplier for all our gas materials (Ameren services natural gas to most of Illinois). We are basically taking 15 or so Suppliers and moving all of the material they provide to one Supplier and having that Supplier do a lot of extra services for us. I actually started this event in late 2014; hope to finish implementation by fall 2016; my boss jokes that it's the longest sourcing event in history. While not glamorous, this project has led to some travel this year. Mostly, it's been car trips to Decatur, IL (where some of my engineers are), but I did get to go on a bigger trip in April to visit potential Suppliers, flying into Columbus, OH, driving to Charleston, WV, driving to Washington DC, and driving to Raleigh, NC along with 3 engineers. We gave ourselves a night on the beach in Carolina beach before flying back out of Raleigh, NC.
This year, I am working on implementing a new Supplier for all our gas materials (Ameren services natural gas to most of Illinois). We are basically taking 15 or so Suppliers and moving all of the material they provide to one Supplier and having that Supplier do a lot of extra services for us. I actually started this event in late 2014; hope to finish implementation by fall 2016; my boss jokes that it's the longest sourcing event in history. While not glamorous, this project has led to some travel this year. Mostly, it's been car trips to Decatur, IL (where some of my engineers are), but I did get to go on a bigger trip in April to visit potential Suppliers, flying into Columbus, OH, driving to Charleston, WV, driving to Washington DC, and driving to Raleigh, NC along with 3 engineers. We gave ourselves a night on the beach in Carolina beach before flying back out of Raleigh, NC.
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| Hanging out with Thomas Jefferson at Monticello; Isn't he handsome? |
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| Carolina Beach |
This project has challenged my presentation skills, project management skills, persuasion/negotiation skills, and so much more. I have laughed, cried, drank too much, and been stretched to the limits. I'm working harder than I have at anything ever. I'm so so thankful for a job that I care enough about to be emotionally invested in. I've learned so much and am looking forward to the finished result and what lies on the other side.
In March, I spent a ton of time studying for my PMP (Professional in Project Management) and passed in April. Spent lots of time with my friends Kelly and Molly during that time in coffee shops around the city (which close far too early some nights!) to study!
Church:
Somehow, I've blinked and been at The Journey for 8 years. I was just talking with my current Community Group about how life changing this church has been. But that's a post for a different day. This was definitely a year of much needed rest for me as far as church activities go; I decided to not be a Journey Youth leader in fall of 2014, which I've missed but has been a good decision. I've been consistently leading Journey Kids Preschool (3 & 4 year olds) during this time and love my time each Sunday morning as "Miss Michelle". I've been enjoying getting to know the parents of my kiddos and building community with them and with my fellow leaders!
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| The Preschool Journey Kids team |
I've been in the same Community Group for a year and a half and have really enjoyed it. I've some good friends and have gotten to love on my leaders' kiddos (4,2, 7 months), even getting to take the two older ones when they had the baby in June. And a big accomplishment this year was managing to get all three of them to the YMCA for swim lessons for the two older ones. All fingers and toes made it home! And I love that Evie, the oldest, loves the Sound of Music as much as I do. We actually got to watch it on Art Hill together (and she stayed awake much longer than I did that night!).
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| Evie and I getting ready to watch Sound of Music on Art Hill in July |
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| Baby Katie and me the day she came home from the hospital |
Non-Profit/Volunteering:
I've been involved with Mission St. Louis in some capacity almost as long as I've been at the Journey. This year, I was nominated to be a member of their Ambassador Board (a junior Board of sorts), where I currently serve as secretary. It's been fun figuring out exactly what this board's purpose is and creating systems and processes and figuring out the best ways to support Mission: St. Louis. We have planned a couple of happy hours to meet needs (school supply drive/toy drive) and have done some volunteer recruiting events. We are hoping to throw a big fundraising event in 2016, but details still need to be worked out. I'm looking forward to use my contacts through work to help with all of their programs in 2016.
I've also been serving as an academic mentor at South City Prep each week since September through Mission St. Louis. I'm currently working with a couple of 6th grade boys who never cease to make me laugh and keep me on my toes. We work on their homework together and are reading a book to increase their literacy.
Travel:
2015 was a banner year for me in traveling, as I got the last three states I needed to complete my contiguous 48 states and got another continent! I started Jan 2 with a solo trip to San Diego. I had spent New Years with my friend Rachel and her family in Phoenix. I figured I was so close to CA that I had to take advantage of it; I decided to fly to San Diego to check CA off my list. I spent two nights on the beach in Encinitas, did some hiking at Torrey Pines State Park, and explored downtown San Diego, mostly Coronado Island and Old Town. Yes, I ate the fish tacos :). I met some local color at a bar one night in Encinitas, an Oscar winner for Animation Technology in the 1970s and a man who insisted on showing me his story boards for his new animated film. While it was a little weird, I'd deem my first solo jaunt a smashing success.
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| Pics from my bike ride around Coronado Island in San Diego |
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| The first time I'd ever seen the sunset into the ocean. Worth the wait. |
In May, over Memorial Day weekend, my friend Kelly was attending a small conference in Seattle. I met her out there and spent the day exploring Seattle solo while she presented at the conference. We met up that night to eat sushi and ride the Ferris wheel. To this day, that day holds my Fitbit steps record at 40,000. The following day, we rented a car and drove to Portland to see our friend Sarah, who moved out there last year. If you're keeping count, Washington was my 47th and Oregon was my 48th State!!! We did some hiking, drank local beers, explored a giant bookstore, ate amazing ice cream, and went to Cannon Beach (where the Goonies was filmed, if that rings a bell), where I saw my first wild Starfish (are starfish wild?) among other things in the tide pools. So cool! We drove back and flew back out of Seattle. It was a pretty amazing trip, but was too quick!
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| Ferry Ride in Seattle (with coffee, obv) |
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| Oregon Hiking |
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| Tidepool on Cannon Beach |
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| Kelly and I on Cannon Beach |
In June, I had the privilege of going to Kenya with my sister-in-law and my friend Katie from Community Group. You can read about that trip here.
In August, I skillfully combined a work (gas technical) conference in Rochester with a weekend visiting the bestie in Minneapolis. Mom tagged along and had a great time. I think she thinks that all I do for work is drink, as that's the only thing she saw, lol. We did a lot of river walking, making me jealous of how both those cities use their rivers and St. Louis can't figure this out...
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| Jadah, me, and Mom outside the Guthrie |
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| Minnehaha Falls |
Now that I'm almost done with my states, I'd like to polish off my continents. Really, I only need South America and Australia. But of course I'd like to do more of Asia than just Taiwan. If anyone is interested in going to either Australia or South America, let me know. I'd be in for planning a 2016 trip.
I polished off my 2016 traveling with a LOVELY trip to New Hampshire with my high school bestie Betsy to visit another high school friend Kiki in mid October. We made a grand tour of the Northeast, including visiting Ben and Jerry's and the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont, visiting the Maine coast, and the Man on the Mountain in northern New Hampshire. The leaf-peeping was breathtaking. The trip was filled with much needed love from friends who know me inside and out.
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| On the Maine Coast |
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| At the Trapp Family Lodge |
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| At the Trapp Family Lodge |
Hobbies and Working Out:
I signed up for the YMCA in January and have been pretty consistently taking morning spinning classes there.
I signed up for the Newtown Triathlon in July. Meaning... I needed to learn how to swim long distance. I was pretty faithful from March through July in swimming at the Y every day I could for 30 minutes. I learned a few drills and tips and tricks along the way. And there were open water training swims we took advantage of leading up to the race. I bought a fancy new bike in April. And by July, I put it altogether and swam .6 miles in New Town, biked 25, and ran 4. I didn't do it fast, but I did it. So, I'm a tri-athlete!
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| Olivia and Katie and I at one of our training open water swims. One has not truly lived until one has put on a wet suit. |
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| Olivia, Katie, and me before the Triathalon |
I signed up for the 50 mile Pedal the Cause in September, which was further than I'd ever ridden. I spent many Saturday mornings leading up to that ride finding long bike rides on the IL and the MO side. It's a neat and different way to see the city. I'm looking forward to much more biking in 2016. If anyone is interested in doing the MS 150 (or any other fun rides) with me, let me know.
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| Barb and Sam and I before our 55 mile ride. |
I've also spent a lot more time at Southtown Yoga, as I have grown to LOVE it. It's a warm, fast-paced yoga that makes you sweat. In April, my friend Kelly and I did a 4 hour yoga boot camp. It's the longest I've ever consecutively worked out (walking aside); it was more mentally challenging than I anticipated. For January 2016, I signed up for a 31 day yoga challenge. If I go every day in January, I get Feb for free! So if you need me in January, you can find me at Southtown! That may have to be another post.
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| Kelly and I after our 4 hours of Bootcamp |
Spring of 2015, my friend Lauren and I committed to learn how to use our sewing machines. Many, many evenings later, I had an apron and half a dress... While I still want to get better at this hobby, she did tell me that I "did not have the level of tenaciousness that sewing requires". We shall see. I wound up with a lot of fabric from my grandmother, including some half-finished projects. I'd like to get better to honor her memory and finish her projects. I'm looking into quilting classes for 2016. That sounds like ANOTHER blog post!
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| Lauren and I in our aprons |
I'm also dabbling more and more in cooking. I had the opportunity to feed my brother and sister-in-law and some friends multiple times as we watched the Star Wars movies leading up to the release of the new one, so I got to try out some new recipes this year. Hoping for many more dinner party opportunities in 2016 to continue to cook. I love turning ingredients into something edible and pretty and making a mess in the kitchen for hours on a Sunday. And it's fun getting more and more adventurous! And I'm taking a cooking class starting this week! (another future blog post!)
Weddings:
Feb 2015 I got to see my friend Ryan marry Matt. I've known Ryan for several years as a fellow Journey Youth leader. We had fun dancing.
In November, my dear friend Katie got married to Riley. Katie and I have walked together through struggles and joys of singleness for many many years and it was a joy to get to watch the culmination of God's answer to our prayers for her. It was a cold and beautiful and perfect day. A perfect, intimate wedding full of love and sweetness and laughter, just like her.
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| Katie and the ladies at her wedding in November |
And we rung in 2016 with Olivia and Matt's wedding, a dance party to end all dance parties. I've known Olivia for many years and we've lamented singleness and online dating together and it was so fun to get to watch as God answered her prayers.
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| Me with Kelly and Kristen at Olivia's wedding |
Friendships:
As I'm looking back on my time in St. Louis, I'm so so thankful for the community I have here, specifically friends I've made over the years. It's funny to think that I have "old friends" in a place that, in my mind, I just moved to. But I do. And they are wonderful women to walk through life with. It's funny how God puts the exact right people in your life at the exact right times. And through studying for tests, training for the triathlon and the many many half- marathons over the years, traveling around the country and the world, or tearing up a wedding dance floor, I've had ladies that I've loved there with me. And sometimes, they are there to cry and pray with impromptu on a walk. God has used the Journey and this city to bless me so, so deeply.
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| Kristen, Molly, Kelly and I |
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| Liz Jenny and I at the fundraiser gala for Mission St. Louis in September |
2016 Goals:
In 2016, I hope to be calm and content that God has me where he needs me. To fully embrace that singleness is not necessarily a preparation for anything, but a time to serve God and be a part of his Kingdom. To create my own opportunities to travel and learn new things and to seize those opportunities that come my way. Maybe even take another solo trip or another mission trip. To relax, blog, and read more. To never stop learning. To have people over for food more (and do more cooking). And to enjoy every moment this city has to offer. And lots and lots of yoga and biking. Cheers to 2016 and another year of new beginnings.
