2013 in Review

I sort of hate all of the compilations that come out at the end of the year (except that news bloopers of 2013 video. It’s awesome. Check it out if you haven’t already. If you have, watch it again!)

But, ya know, I started thinking about it, and I realized that it would be kind of cool to post some of the major events I experienced this year.

I Found Love

I Dislocated my Shoulder

Quite frankly, one of the dumbest things I’ve done in recent memory. If I hadn’t been the recipient of pain, and was just an observer, I probably would’ve laughed until I had tears in my eyes. It was so dumb and so clumsy… and so painful! Just look at this poor bathroom.

The aftermath.

The shoulder injury really set me back. I ended up gaining back all of the weight I had worked so hard to lose over the previous year. I was so disappointed with myself, which later led to one of my most ambitious events for the year:

I Started This Fitness Blog

I’m not sure who is reading the blog, but I know I have neared 1,000 views (and that’s not counting my page views). Thank you for reading and allowing me to express myself/share a piece of me with you.

I Visited 4 Countries, 3 of Which I’d Never Visited Before
First, I visited Canada. I absolutely loved it! I went with a group of friends to Niagara Falls and Toronto. What a great experience! I had a blast, and fell in love with Toronto. What a beautiful city with such nice people!

Next up, I went with The Boyfriend on our epic Euro Trip. We visited the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Belgium over a 3 week period. To adjust to the EST, we flew to Cape Cod, and enjoyed a lovely and relaxing time on the Cape with his parents.

While in Europe, we did a ton of walking, and we even went on a bike tour of Brugge (or Bruges) and the Flemish countryside (we biked for about 5 hours with a group). If you’re ever in Brugge, definitely check out QuasiMundo. You’ll get the best tour of the city and/or countryside (we signed up for both, after really enjoying the city tour). From this experience, I learned that it’s very important to incorporate fitness into your travels — especially if you’re going to be gone for a while. We sorta-hiked, walked a TON, biked, walked some more, climbed a Belfry, and lugged suitcases all over the place.

I Played a TON of Volleyball


Seriously, I don’t know who I think I am. I played volleyball like it was going out of style (it’s not). I started out with just one league night a week. Then, I added a second league to my schedule, in a totally different part of town, playing on a team with complete strangers. Then, I started playing with yet another team from Gym #1 on a different night. Did you lose count? That’s 3 nights/week. Well, apparently that is not enough for some people. So, what did I do? I organized a USA Volleyball team for our region. Yep. 4 teams. Because I’m clearly insane. (Or maybe the bathroom incident dislocated my brain?) Or maybe because it felt good to win?

Two of My Teams Won Our Leagues


The Monday and Tuesday teams (Gym #1 and Gym #2) won first place in our leagues! Woohoo!

I was so excited that our Monday team won that trophy, man. AND we got our picture on the wall at the gym. You’d think I’d never won anything before in my life the way I was so excited and corny about the whole thing! Anyway, it was a blast, and I really enjoy playing with the ladies on my team. Such a fun, caring, and confident group of women. I was so glad to have made some new friends at the end of it all. Oh! And we’re still playing together, and kicking major butt again!

The Tuesday team got sweatshirts as a prize, which is definitely more practical, but then, I can’t go on the blog and brag like a child about a sweatshirt, can I? Hmmm… The women on my Tuesday team are just as awesome. They were so kind to take me on the team without ever seeing me play. They made me feel like I’d been on the team all along. Plus they’re all so nice! I couldn’t beat myself down when I messed up because I never had an opportunity to. They picked me up before I’d even gotten down.

I Tried Three New Sports/Activities, and I Actually Enjoyed Them!

I tried CrossFit, disc golf, and climbing for the first time ever. I detailed my experiences on this very blog. I really enjoyed all three, and I am looking forward to trying out more new things in the coming year. I think it’s really important to learn and try new things — no matter your age.

There were plenty of other major events that happened in 2013, but I thought I’d focus on the fitness/health events. I’ve bored you enough already, haven’t I? What are some of the major things you experienced in 2013? What did you learn from them?