Keeping Up With The Clancy's: 2015

Thursday, December 31, 2015

A Look Back At 2015

In 2015, I only posted about half of the number of blogs as I have done in the past few years, so this recap was not as easy to create.

Here is my best attempt to recap 2015. I can't wait to see the good Lord has in store for us in 2016!

Whether you are a friend or family member staying up to date with our lives, or a lurker on the other side of a screen, I hope you enjoy my little space here on the internet. I started this blog for myself so that one day we could look back and say "remember when...", but this blog has enabled my loved ones near and far to keep up with us in a way.

Perhaps this blog will be the future bed time stories that I read to my children or even the stories they read to my grandchildren. Whoa! Let's not get carried away! This blog is nothing special except for the fact that it is special to me -- my little space on the entire world wide web to write my perspective on this thing called life.

It has been fun to look back at the annual survey to see how our lives have progressed and evolved.

Enjoy!

Making video montages is my new hobby.
Cooking new recipes has been fun (and sometimes frustrating) but at least I am learning.
Drinking with the neighbors is a regular occurrence.
Reading --- ugh... I don't really read, but I would like to start doing a daily devotional.
Wanting my Mama to move next door! I love my parents!
Looking forward to another long weekend.
Playing guitar is just one of Shane's hidden talents!

Wasting money is what Shane thinks I do best :) He is the saver, and I am the spender.
Sewing is on the to do list --- I need to hem the curtains in the living room. I also want to make a teepee.
Wishing my dogs could live forever!
Enjoying our home with just the two of us and our pups :)
Waiting is not easy for me. I am a bit impatient.
Liking my convertible! It is so fun!
Wondering why people do the things they do. Ugh --- don't get me started!
Loving my family and all of the memories that we share!
Admiring all the men and women that serve our country! .
Needing a new hobby. Maybe I will take a photography class for fun...?
Wearing business casual to work has been a nice change of pace!
Following wherever my heart leads me.
Noticing that Shane gets more handsome every day.
Knowing I should probably eat healthier

Thinking about out next trip. Perhaps Hawaii??

Listening and watching videos of my nieces and nephew makes me smile.
~~Bookmarking~~ Pinning some new recipes and crafts.
Opening the door to two dogs jumping with joy is what I look forward to all day long!
Giggling all the time. I like being silly.
Feeling content. And loved by those that matter most to me.

Missing lazy days in the hammock in Jamaica.

2013 Survey

2014 Survey

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Squad Goals

When I first met Shane, I was in awe of his friendships. I knew he was an incredible man to have such great life long friends. In college, I had friends that were fun (let's be honest --- they were A LOT of fun!!) but it didn't take me long to realize that most of my relationships were circumstantial. I am a big believer that people are put in your life for a reason --- some are meant to be there forever, and some are there for a short time to teach you a lesson. At some point in college, I reunited with my middle school buddy and she introduced me to my "squad". I am forever thankful for my sweet Lauren! She introduced me to my forever friends... my squad.

2015 Christmas Card

One of my favorite traditions is sending Christmas cards to our friends and family. It forces me to keep and updated address list and also enables us to stay in touch with those we love.

This year was our 4th married Christmas (OMG!! Can you believe it?!) You can take a look at our past cards here.

Shane and I took these pictures at Papa's 85th birthday party, and the picture of Rocky and Polly was a random snap on my phone. Even though it isn't professional, it is exactly how Rock-o and Paw lay together all the time. Rock always lays smack dab on top of Polly :)

Monday, December 28, 2015

Sadie Kay

On Black Friday, my oldest sister gave birth to the sweetest little baby girl! I know everyone says every baby is sweet, but y'all THIS baby is a doll! She only cried once while I was there, and she is just so cuddly! Despite her good disposition and adorable lips, I do not have baby fever! She (and all babies) are still a ton of work! Sadie Kay was 7 lbs and 14 oz, and we first met over FaceTime since my sister lives in Kansas City. Tina moved out there after graduating college, and has been there ever since. In the past 10 years, she has earned a very successful career, and my other sister and her husband work at the same company and live just a few minutes away from them! My heart is always divided with my parents and brother's family in Georgia and my sisters and their growing families in KC.

Wrapping Up 2015

Like most of you, these past few weeks have been so busy and chaotic. My last post was just before our trip to the mountains to celebrate my birthday, and since then I have roasted marshmallows by the fire pit on a regular basis, traveled to a wedding, drank too much at neighborhood festivities, enjoyed time with our family for the holidays, traveled to KC to meet my newest niece (Sadie Kay), enjoyed the abnormal warm weather with our pups, earned my CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management), recovered from bronchitis, suffered with terrible back problems ... and the list goes on and on. Here are a few pictures to get everyone up to speed.

Thanksgiving, Sadie Kay and Christmas deserve a post of their own... so stay tuned! :)

I plan to do a video montage of our weekend at the cabin. My girlfriends and I love taking funny videos of one another, and Ashley and Lauren sent me their collection from that fun weekend. The montages are simple but very time consuming, so now that things will slow down a bit I hope to create the video. :)

Quick Update

Hello all! I am going to the mountains this weekend with my best friends and our hubbies, and I need to free up some storage on my phone for more pictures... so here is a quick dump.

Makenzie is getting so big! She will be a great big sister to Sadie Kay just like her Mama is to me!

My sweet Polly lays with me like this while I do my yoga at night.

Papa is 85!!

It was so fun celebrating our sweet Papa! He deserves every single birthday wish to come true ---

he is the sweetest and most generous soul!

He loves corny jokes and martini's, and he definitely loves his family!

Sisters :)

Hadley Quinn & Sadie Kay

The week that Shane and I got back from Jamaica was CRAY - ZY!!!! I crashed back into reality getting the house ready to host a baby shower and have tons of family spend the night at my house. Here are some pictures from the fun (but exhausting) weekend!

Shane and I picked up Tina, Lissa and Jason from the airport on Thursday night. I had to work for a bit on Friday morning, but I got off early to take them to get a prenatal massage. I am a member at Massage Envy, so I saved up some credits to transfer to them. It was a fun way to kick off the weekend and spend some sister time together.

Friday night we cheered on the Royals and ate a big pot of chili (that I almost burned) :)

Saturday morning, Shane and I treated the girls to a maternity photo shoot in our neighborhood. Lissa wasn't quite far enough along to rock a huge bump, but they both looked gorgeous!

I bought a bunch of supplies and everyone made bows for HQ and SK.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to my aunt's house for Papa's 85th birthday party. It was great to see family. That evening, we ordered pizza and made s'mores by the fire pit.

Sunday morning was the day of the shower.

Mimosas

Yogurt bar

Donut tower

We also had a coffee bar that said "Hadley is Brewing"

I made this for Hadley's nursery, but it was a perfect wreath for the door!

People had fun guessing the due date. We also had people sign baby books and played a fun "shoe game".

Sunday evening we were all spent! We played a game and ate tortilla soup (that I also nearly burned) and then watched The Little Mermaid! How precious is Tina with a big bowl of popcorn on her belly?!

Shane was a good teammate and took everyone to the airport on Monday morning before work. He is the best!

Lissa requested that we ask the guests at the baby shower to write a memory of she and/or Jason for Hadley to have one day, but I decided to make a video montage instead.

Enjoy...

I gave my sisters a few decorations for the nurseries and their favorite animals that we bought in Jamaica. I also gave them a bottle of wine from Three Sister's Winery so they have a bottle handy once the babies come!

Sadie Kay will make her debut any day now, and Hadley Quinn is officially in the third trimester! I am so excited to fly out to KC in December to meet Sadie Kay and spend time with Makenzie!

I love being Aunt C!!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Jamaica 2015

Jamaica was nothing shy of incredible. We had a wonderful time at the resort and learning about the island and culture of Jamaica. It was so nice to step away from reality and turn off our phones for an entire week. We stayed at the Jewel Paradise Cove in Runaway Bay. The food was delicious!

We loved snorkeling and hiking up Dunn's River Falls. I also loved the leisurely pace of the island life! We slept 12+ hours every night and were treated like royalty all week!

Carlyle was one of our favorite bartenders! We will also never forget Patrick and Pearson.

They say to go to Jamaica for the marriage you wanna :)

Climbing a waterfall was such a cool experience!

We are so grateful for the incredible memories that we made! It is so humbling to have the chance to travel this beautiful world of ours!

^^Typical

I made a video montage of our Jamaican adventure. Lucky for Shane, I left my phone in the room the night he was called on stage for the Mr. JPC contest. He had to dance, do push ups, flex and confess his love for Taylor Swift in front of over 100 people! He is so shy, but he was a super good sport! I am sure the rum helped!

Shane also dominated a cupcake eating contest one night, and we won a couple's massage at the spa. How cool is that? The guys had to decorate a cupcake and then the girls had to guess which one our husbands decorated. I knew Shane's as soon as I saw it!

Then the guys had to eat it to win the massage!

Friday, October 9, 2015

Quick Update

All is going well in the Clancy household! We are doing a lot of little projects to get the house back in shape. We found some patio furniture that we liked, and decided to spray paint it a fun bright color!

We originally looked for a high top table, but we decided regular chair would be better to use around the fire pit when we host larger groups. Now we have 10 chairs available (not including lawn chairs). We have the 6 adarondack chairs and these 4 wrought iron chairs... perfect!

Shane and I sat by the fire for hours last night just laughing and catching up. I love the quality time we have around the fire!

^^^ This is the table before.

We knew we wanted teal or bright green, and clearly we chose the latter of the two. It is called Green Apple, and it is BRIGHT! It will fade a bit in the sun, and once we add cushions it will not look as "glow in the dark" as Shane calls it!

I like that it is small and doesn't take up too much of the patio space.

Shane went out of town on business this week, and I let the dogs sneak up on the bed while he was gone. Hehe! They love on me so much when he isn't around, but when he is home they are all about Daddy!

Polly laid across my lap and wouldn't let me get up to get ready for work.

^^^ I sent this picture to Shane, and he said Rocky looks so old. Aww... he does sorta look like a grumpy old man!

This weekend is filled with chores, errands, a birthday party, a facial, a hair appt... the list goes on! We have a lot to do before flying out to Jamaica! I am so excited to take a vacation with my Boop!

We are so thankful that our friend Yon will be house-sitting and taking care of the dogs while we are out of town. He is such a great friend!

As soon as we get back from Jamaica, I will be in full baby shower mode and getting everything ready for my sisters to come stay with me! I have so many surprises planned for them -- they are BOTH pregnant, and I am so thrilled that they are staying with me!

I am going to pamper them all weekend!

.xoxo.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Wedding Anniversary #3

Three years -- I can't believe it!! What a ride it has been! Above all, I have learned that I am so incredibly blessed to have such a loving and supportive husband!

I love the idea of taking pictures of our hands every anniversary so we can compare how our hands change throughout the years. No significant changes yet except for the fact that I need a manicure :)

^^ One Year

^^ Two Years

^^ Three Years

Leather is the traditional wedding anniversary gift for year three, and I was determined to find something for Shane. He is in desperate need of new flip flops, so I thought leather sandals would be a great gift since we are going to Jamaica soon!

Call me crazy, but I have wanted a canvas tee pee for a while now so that is what I asked for. I found one on Etsy that I loved! We recently went on a mini-vaca to Blue Ridge and we found this incredible sign at Mercier's Orchards, and I couldn't leave the store with out it.

I told him the tee pee could wait, so he gave me this sign that gives me chills when I read it.

// I believe in the sun even when it is not shining.

I believe in love even when I cannot feel it.

I believe in God even when He is silent.\\

| Written on cellar wall during Holocaust |

Our anniversary fell on a rainy Tuesday this year, so we skipped our weekly Monday night date and went to the Marietta Fish Market on Tuesday. It was so delicious!

The atmosphere is very casual, and the food is so yummy (and very reasonably priced)

Shane came home from work a little early so he could finish the fire pit. Then we shared a drink before reading our cards and heading to dinner.

I couldn't find a card that said everything I wanted him to know, so I wrote him a love note and folded it inside.

He is always so thoughtful to get me flowers!

He had mentioned he wanted this bourbon, and luckily I was able to find it!

^^ Sweet mirror notes!

Cheers to a lifetime of happiness with this hunky husband of mine! I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Firepit

Our yard has come a LONG way since we moved in just two summers ago! Shane has done such an incredible job. As my Mama says, there is not a thing that Shane is not capable of doing! I love being married to such a handy man!

He recently added a tin roof to the pergola, so we were no longer able to use our fire pit under that space. We decided to build one, and Shane immediately started researching and creating plans.

He mapped out how he wanted it using the garden hose. He seemed to considered everything including centering it in the kitchen window.

He traced where he wanted to dig up the grass. He decided to salvage as much as possible for our neighbors to use and a few pieces for the side of our house that could use it. What a great idea!

Shane was determined to work (even in the rain) and Rocky sat by the window and watched him all day!

Our neighbor Steve came to help Shane dig up the grass (which was so incredibly kind of him) and Angela and I went shopping and drank spiked cider. That's my kinda yard work!

We ended up needing 3 tons of rock for the space. I drove Shane's truck to work twice so I could go pick up the rock for him. I went on our anniversary to pick up the last load, and I jokingly told him that is not the type of rock I expected on our anniversary! Haha!

I know we will have so many incredible fireside memories, and I look forward to the cooler weather so we can enjoy the fire pit and make s'mores!

Check out this snap shot of the years transformation. Shane is so talented!

You can see more of our yard transformation here.

Monday, September 28, 2015

The Bradford Pair

This past weekend, one of my dearest friends got married. It was such a fun weekend filled with love and laughter. I couldn't be happier for Ashley and Seth! Ashley is the most incredible step-mama to two beautiful littler girls, and they think "my Ashley" hung the moon. It is the sweetest thing to watch them follow her around everywhere and hug and kiss her! What a blessing!

Here are some pictures from the weekend.