(huge shout-out and thanks to my friends at the Ultimate Coffee Date for motivating me to get my blogging booty in gear in 2016! Check out the link and read all the other great posts!)

2015 was quite a year. Not necessarily in all good ways, but quite a year, nonetheless.

At 45 years old, one of my goals was to do things I’ve never done before. You know, really put myself out there and venture out. And boy, DID I EVER. So here we go:

5 Things I did For The Very First Time in 2015

I Worked a Cash Register

That’s right. I had never done that before. But shifting gears into an entirely different career path meant new skill sets galore. I had never driven a pallet jack, unloaded a truck full of merchandise off a loading dock, used a cutting station (complete with safety goggles) or worked a sales floor, either. My new job introduced me to a whole new skill set, a whole new AMAZING group of people, and a whole new appreciation for how hard people work and that they can have fun doing it. This one was a win.

I Bought a House on The Internet

Yes, this happened. The market here in Georgia was pretty hot and we kept having houses sold out from under us before we could manage a trip to look at them. So we made an offer on an house based solely on the pictures on the internet and our realtor, Maria’s, recommendation. And I’m writing this post from the kitchen of said house so yes, it worked out. Also a win. BTW, Maria, you’re the best realtor in the world. Thank you.

I Became a Brand Ambassador

So, when I started this blogging thing I never dreamed what doors it would open. One of those doors was with my favorite running apparel company, Skirt Sports. I became an ambassador, went for a run with the company’s founder, Nicole DeBoom (who is now totally my friend, btw, not to brag . . .)and got a new set of sisters that I adore. Definitely a win. (btw, remember you can always use my discount code SSRPM20 for 20% off your purchase!)

I Got Mugged

OK, so this one isn’t fun but the story sort of is. I was walking to lunch and had my purse snatched by a desperate man. And another man, older, by the way, in work boots, came running to help. He chased down the bad guy and got my purse back and another woman who saw what was happening followed them in her car and brought the hero back (ya know, since he was really tired from running so fast to chase down a bad guy). It was a very dramatic day and I’m still sore but mostly I’m grateful because there’s a lot of bad in this world. But there is also a lot of good. Thanks Smiley and “girl in car” (as you’ll be tagged in the film;) for being about more than yourselves. This world is filled with amazing people. Let’s not let the bad guys overshadow that.

We started over in a new state with our 3 kids

We’ve started over before (a couple of times), but never with 3 teenagers in tow and never quite this dramatically. As I sit here I still can’t quite believe we pulled it off. So many things could have gone awry. But God gave us great community and support, and the kids start at their new high school on Wednesday (prayers for that would be appreciated). And although it’s not been easy, we know we did what the Lord called us to do. And we are grateful

I must admit that I would be OK if there were less “firsts” in 2016. I would like to get my running back on track and have some nice, boring routine established. Because 2015 was very difficult but never boring. And we learned a lot. And, as we always say around here, we will now Keep Moving Forward. I hope you and your family find yourselves safe, dry, warm and grateful as we greet the New Year.

Happy Running

Jen