By the Numbers: 2015

12.31.2015

^^^A sunset from this year. No filter.

By some miracle, I actually hit my goal of reading 20 books this year. Admittedly, 20 is not a very large number for me, but considering the fact that I had a baby in August, I'm very okay with it. My final two reads of 2015 were rereads! I am all about rereading my favorite books, and I definitely ended the year on a high note after more than a few duds (find me on Goodreads to read my reviews).

The last two books I read were rereads, but everything else was new. 
Of the 18 books I read this year for the first time, here are my two favorites:

All the Light We Cannot See. A-mazing. I know some people who didn't like this one, and while normally I'm all about personal preference, I just don't get how anyone could read this and not love it. It's so good.

The Husband's Secret. This one is a good travel book for reading on a plane (which is exactly where I read it). It was interesting but not super intense, so it didn't need a lot of concentration.

Here were my top two duds:

The Girl on the Train. I'm sorry, but I could not handle this one. I know it was all the rage, but just no. I literally wanted the main character to get HIT BY THE TRAIN so the book would end and I could move on with my life.

Faithful Place. This is one of Tana French's murder/mystery books, and it was by far my least favorite of the four I've read. I found the story pointless and just kind of wished I hadn't wasted my time.


Last year I logged every single mile I ran in Daily Mile. This year I didn't do nearly as well logging miles, and I ran a ton without my Garmin watch, so it's hard to say exactly how far I ran this year. I logged officially over 200 miles, and then there's a bunch that weren't logged, so maybe 250 miles this year, I'm guessing. Not too bad! I ran consistently until 24 weeks pregnant (and ran 2 half marathons at 10 and 18 weeks!), and then I took a break until 6 weeks post baby. I've blogged about post-partem running here and also some here if you're interested.

In 2016, I have one race lined up so far: the 2016 Oklahoma City Half Marathon in April. This will be my 10th half marathon! I also would really like to run a few local 5ks, and there is a 10k in early April that I might do as well. I hope to find a way to fit running into my schedule but also be realistic about it, and I plan on keeping you updated on any progress!


Blog posts written: 129 
That's the lowest of any year since I started blogging in 2010.

Here are a few favorites:
Why We Tithe
An Elbow to the Face
Then the Cops Showed Up
He Saw Us
5 Things I'm Obsessed With
The Fear
R's Birth Story

Tweets: 1,867
Fun fact: that's about 1,000 tweets less than each of the previous two years!

Instagram photos posted: 300


US States visited: 3 (5 if you count layovers)
Atlanta (on a layover), California (on a layover), Illinois, Texas, Utah

Trips to Texas: 8 (same as last year!)

Stamps in my passport: 1 (Bahamas)
Jordan got 2! He went to Nicaragua on a missions trip and the Bahamas

So, I actually totally forgot about our Bahamas trip until I was putting this recap together. 
How could I forget this happening?! 
You can also see more pics and read about our Atlantis adventures here.


Spent on gas: $1,070.45
Spent on clothes (just for me): $222.63
Average monthly spent on groceries: $275
Average monthly savings: $1,113.21* 

*Our monthly savings is a bit lower than last year, but we did have a baby, so there's that. Our savings will be even lower next year now that we have to start paying for daycare, so we will see what happens!

compare to 2014


30x30 list items completed: 3

I am really excited about this! 
I didn't think I crossed anything off this year until I was looking at my list. 
Here's what I did:

-Buy a bedroom dresser
-Organize my recipes
And the big kahuna: 
-BUY A HOUSE. That happened.

Also....


I cannot forget to mention the fact that I spent the majority of this year pregnant. From announcing Baby Bum on the blog to sharing a few baby bump updates to writing out her birth story, it's been a heck of a ride. Everyone talks about it, and I've discovered for myself that it's cliche but true: you just cannot imagine the love you feel for your baby. I look at her and cry because she's so beautiful and she's for me to keep! I still can't believe it.

I'm looking forward to settling in a bit, both with our baby and in our new house and in our new routine with me back at work. I have been so incredibly blessed, and I am so thankful for all God has entrusted to me.

Thanks for sticking with me this month as I took some time off from the blog. I hope to get back to posting 2x a week in 2016. I realize that I can't expect you to keep coming here with such sporadic posting, and I definitely do not want to just pop in once a month with an R update. My plan is to try and post every Tuesday and Friday, just so you will have some idea of when to check back for new material. Of course, my time with R will become even more precious once I'm not hanging out with her all day every day, so blogging will not be my main priority. However, I do love it and want to continue to share pictures and happenings. It's fun to look back on for me, and I hope it is fun for you to read!

Here's to 2016! I hope you have a safe and fun New Year's.


Kristen @ See You In A Porridge said...

i am so conflicted about all the light we cannot see. i've heard great things and horrible things. perhaps i should just read it haha. i hope i'm in the loving it camp. i didn't hate the girl on the train, but i didn't love it either. i have my next half marathon at the end of april, i'm nervous. need to start training soon!

Torrie said...

I'm hoping to get back into distance running again, and I'm hoping to sign up for a half as well. I'm super impressed with you only spending just over $200 on clothes while being pregnant a good portion of the year! I think I spent something like $700 or something on maternity clothes over the whole 9 months...ugh...

Ali said...

Looks like you had a great year! Baby + House = banner year, IMO. Here's hoping 2016 is just as good!

Ashley Lillis said...

Seriously so many huge milestones for you and your family! Rachel was seriously so crazy in The Girl On The Train, I just didn't understand why she couldn't help herself! I still loved the book though, despite her craziness. I loved reading your post about organizing your recipes, and that's on my list of things to do, hopefully in 2016!

Robyn B said...

you have definitely had a packed year! and so many new beginnings with the house, baby, etc! can't wait to see what 2016 holds!

Tara said...

I love these year-end posts by the number :) I might have to write something similar! I have loved seeing your family grow this year and definitely will keep reading along whenever you get the chance to post!

The Lady Okie said...

I was a little insane. I bought a total of maybe 9 items for maternity wear. I literally rotated the same 3 maxi skirts and 2 tank tops for months and months. A few people took pity on me and bought me stuff, but otherwise I barely bought anything. Not sure how or why I pulled that off!

The Lady Okie said...

Yes! Such a big year for us. I'm looking forward to some low-key life in 2016 :)

The Lady Okie said...

Yay! Thanks so much for following along! :)

Michelle said...

I hated The Girl on the Train. I wanted to quit reading it so badly, but I'm too stubborn and I also hoped the ending would make up for the terrible book.

Katie @ Live Half Full said...

What a year! We tried to buy a house in 2015… but we're still waiting. Out of the two big things that happened, I'm happy I'm still not waiting to have my baby. Ha! Here's to 2016! :)

The Girl who Loved to Write said...

You had such a full year! I can't wait to follow along to all the big things in 2016. Also just have to add that I, too, wanted the main character to get hit by the train. On that note, happy 2016!

Emily said...

I couldn't decide if I liked Girl On The Train either... but I feel like you pretty much hit the nail on the head with your description, ha!

I want to get on your monthly savings level!

Between buying a house and Baby R, I'd say your 2015 was a rocking' year!! Happy 2016!

Beka @ Sunshine to the Square Inch said...

I really like your yearly review by the numbers. It is super interesting to see!

I've been hearing things about All The Light We Cannot See so I need to read that. I'm currently in a 8-9 book series and am on book 3 so it might be a while =)

You had a HUGE year! I hope 2016 helps you all settle into a routine and again I'll be praying for you as you go back to work. I know you and R will do great.

Caroline said...

So interesting to read! The $200 on clothes is pretty amazing! I must say that I am impressed. I loved the recap.. such interesting facts that I have never thought to look at! One of these Texas trips we are going to have to meet. Speaking of Texas, are you doing the Rock n Roll?

PS Am I the worst friend ever and did I forget to tell you THANK You for my card? I love it! It's on the fridge now and will be moving to a frame when I get one! Thank you

Kaity B. said...

Umm...you're going to have to tell me how you manage to spend $275 on groceries?! I just got done looking at our December budget and the amount we spent on food this month is obscene!

Happy New Year, Mama!

Kaity B. said...

Umm...you're going to have to tell me how you manage to spend $275 on groceries?! I just got done looking at our December budget and the amount we spent on food this month is obscene!

Happy New Year, Mama!

Becster said...

What a fab year! Baby Bum is so cute!! I would like to know how on earth you spend so little on groceries per month and how you save so much! Amazing!! Hope 2016 is a good one for you!

Anonymous said...

What a year you've had!! I love the recap. Enjoy 2016 with your precious baby and husband in your house!

Allison said...

I love reading these posts. It's so fun to look back and review. I wasn't a huge, huge fan of Girl on the Train either. Girl was a freakin train wreck. Haha. I have had All the Light We Cannot See on my to read list foreveeeerrrr and it's one of the books I want to read in 2016...right after Kate Morton's new book that is. I still haven't got my hands on that one! Glad you had a great year, friend. Cheers to 2016!

Charlotte said...

What a year! A very happy new year to you too, Amanda. Bring on 2016! :)
xxx

Friar said...

Is the rest of Tana French better? Because after I finished "Places" I was completely "meh" about anything else from her.

The Lady Okie said...

I have a love/hate relationship with Tana French. Or, more like a like/hate ;) I WANT to like her because I do find her stories creative and her writing okay, but I've read 4 of hers and always finished the book wondering if I liked it or if I feel like it was a waste of time. My favorite by far was "The Likeness." I get annoyed that she always uses so much foreshadowing. It's distracting to me as a reader. So, to sum up, I think her books are ok, and really it's probably personal preference on whether or not you just feel "meh" or actually like them. I wrote more extensive thoughts on each book on Goodreads if you're on there.

Laura Darling said...

What an awesome year you had! I hope 2016 holds just as many great things for your family! Happy New Year!

Rachel said...

Man, you must have kept some pretty good records to be able to figure out some of these numbers by the end of the year. I feel like a lot of my record keeping has kind of gone out the window since moving here. We moved in June, and we bought a car, and Angel took the lowest paying job of our marriage, which means I don't even want to look at a comparison between 2014 savings and 2015, haha! It's fun though, looking back on a year and having trouble believing that life has changed that much in 12 months.

Friar said...

By all means! Here are mine on this one: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1274006965?book_show_action=false

Rach said...

Such an incredible year for you! I hope 2016 is just as amazing!

Sarah @ Sometimes Photojenik said...

The number nerd inside of me just loves these kinds of posts! 2015 was a big year for you guys, it was so fun to follow along! :)

・ DESIGNED BY ECLAIR DESIGNS