2019 In Review

Each year I take a moment to reflect on the year; to remember all that we endured. The good, the bad and the ugly. We have been fortunate that most of our years are less filled with the bad/ugly and mostly with good.  With that being said, let's look back at the Hills' 2019 year!

January brought the Create Hope Gala by Dell Children's Medical Foundation in which Harper was the honored guest. It was a moving experience to see her story shared with everyone in attendance, to listen to Craig give thanks to the hospital and team of doctors that saved her life and gave us hope, and to be a part of a fundraising event that helps so many families and children in the Central Texas area!  It was a great way to star the year - HOPEful!

Early Spring brought baseball and a lost tooth! Trevor lost his second tooth (which would ultimately bring #3, 4 and 5 before this year ended). He won't lose many more due to his condition and though he's a bit old for the tooth fairy, it's still a moment of fun celebration for us.

Trevor was a part of the Brewers team this Spring and he had a great time growing as a player and getting some wins under his belt! It may not be his passion but he sure is good at it! 

March also brought the Twins 2nd birthday - Minnie and Mickey themed! It was a beautiful day full of family and friends, and we had a special guest from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Alyssa) , who wanted to present the team and Harper's parents with a special award for being the top fundraisers (team and individual) for the 2018 walk! It was definitely a day of celebration.

Trevor finished up his 6th grade year and we celebrated with our annual Memorial Weekend Camping Trip. It was our 3rd time camping out at Lake Travis with the Harr, Griffin and Gonzalez families! Each year brings new fun and memories, so it is now truly an annual tradition! It's our own little family reunion and a fun way to say goodbye to the school year and hello summer! Thankfully this last year brought great weather (unlike the downpour flooding of the first year!)  Looking forward to it again!

The summer brought lots of SUN and celebration! Trevor turned 12 with a "Venom" inspired party ( including a failed Panic room escape) with some of his closest pals. 

We went to Cabo much later in the summer due to my work schedule, but this time we had some friends and family tag along! My parents and Bill and Suzy Denby (friends of Justin) joined us as we relaxed in Cabo for a week!

Harper also got to Ring the Bell this past July and we are so thankful to watch her do so!  Goodbye cancer and goodbye chemo!

August brought the end of summer and our last excursion, which included the Harr family as we joined the Denton's in Surfside; our annual beach trip before school starts! Again lots of fun and memories were made with our toes in the sand.

Trevor, my mom and I also ventured to Missouri to visit family we (Trevor and I) had not seen in 10 plus years! We got precious time with my Grandpa, Grandmama and my grandma's family (cousins galore!) It was nice to visit and reminisce all those summers of family reunions growing up.

Then Trevor began 7th grade and was placed in the Wind Ensemble for Band (ultimately the highest band in middle school and he is one of only 4 other 7th graders in it!)

For my birthday we went to Houston to see Carrie Underwood with family and friends. It was a great concert and has now become a birthday treat for myself to see a concert. Music heals the soul and live music is even better!

The fall months bring a lot of planning and organizing for me, as we build our team and fund-raise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).  This year to honor Harper's end of treatment we had a "Kissing Cancer Goodbye" event at a local brewery - complete with a cornhole tournament, silent auction, 50/50 raffle, live music and good food/drinks! It was a great success and we came in second place for top friends/family team raising over $20,000 again! Three years in a row is amazing!  We had so many great events that you all helped us with to achieve that goal! Each year I am in awe of your support and love.

I got to visit Nashville in November for work and enjoyed some of the sights and sounds the city has to offer. Work has been going well and keeping me busy.  I am blessed to love my job and feel as though I am making a difference in the lives of young children across the state.  Justin is still with his job and though the physicality of it is tiring he still enjoys the job. He's been talking a lot of starting a side business with his brother, so maybe 2020 will be the year of new adventures for him.
We also attended our first COTA formula 1 race, seeing Imagine Dragons, Pink and Kool and the Gang perform and watching Lewis Hamilton clinch his 6th world title and Valtteri Bottas win the actual race.

We ended the year with celebrating the holidays with family and then adventuring to Taos, New Mexico for some winter, snowy fun! Trevor has always wanted to see "real snow" and this year we just decided to do it! Driving to Taos the day after Christmas, we were able to spend 4 great days and even endured quite a snow storm!  Trevor tried out snowboarding, picking it up fairly quickly, and numerous sledding hills!  We might make this an annual thing as well (haha). 

But ultimately the year brought us many adventures - new and old; with family and friends (also new and old). It was a year of happiness and celebration. We can only hope that 2020 brings the same joy, laughter and memories.

Happy New Year!