The Vetter's: 2018 - A year of growth (Part I of II)

If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough. - Oprah

I've missed this space...capturing our moments and memories happening in our little dot on this Earth. I hope this year to make this space something I update often so I can share with my kids in the years ahead.

Wow...I started typing this post only to realize I cannot get through everything we did this year in just one post so I'll do a two part post for the second half of the year. That's where the good stuff is anyway since Levi completed cancer treatment later in 2018!!! We made a lot of 'core memories' (Inside Out fans?!) before that so here we go with Part I!

2018 was kind to us. It wasn't an easy year by any means, but we had many celebrations and highs...more than lows. It was a big year for our little family which I'll highlight below.

Leukemia Lymphoma Society - Student of the Year Campaign (February)
My niece, Luci, ran for LLS's Student of the Year campaign and landed a second place victory raising over $31,000 for cancer patients and research. AMAZING! She's only 16 years old and has already proven she's the kind of person that will not let anything stop her from achieving whatever she sets out to do. I am always so impressed with Luci and absolutely adore the special bond that she and Levi have.

Scout Vetter joined the family (February)
After losing Nala in January 2017, I was ready for a new fur baby so I did some research and decided to get a Havanese. We got Scout from a breeder in South Carolina that uses the money to adopt children from overseas. Scout is honestly a crazy little boy puppy. He likes to chew Ellie's toys, blankets, and rugs. But he's sooooo cute and we love him dearly...especially our sweet lab Symba.

Renovations at our home (March - May)
We finally did some renovations at our house - something we planned to do but hasn't been at the top of our list. Renovating was harder than I expected - lots of decisions to make (on a budget) but it was fun to watch the space transform!

Trip to FL (April)
In April, I won a trip through work so Drew & I had a few days away which we couldn't complain about! We went on an excursion through the swamps and it poured rain on us!

Levi - hospital (May) & Meghann visited!
Levi got sick in May and was in the hospital for a few days. He was actually in the hospital earlier this year as well - they thought he had the flu but thankfully that was not the case.

My friend from high school, Meghan, came to NC for a visit and it was so great to see her cute face after too many years!

June was insanely busy - in a good way!
In June, we attended the annual LLS Man Woman of the Year Gala - you know we love LLS and it's mission to find a cure and create better treatment options for cancer patients! We also wrapped up our third season of Moms In Training(through LLS). Our neighborhood has been super supportive and helped us fundraise the past couple years at our annual lemonade stand - we raised over $1,000 in just a few hours!!!!!

Drew & I celebrated 10 years of marriage on June 14 with a get-away to Pawley's Island. While we'd love to travel somewhere outside of the Carolina's, our life was too busy, our wallets were drained (hello renovations), and I don't like to be too far from my kids at this point...but some day we will. We had a blast just being together and soaking up each others company. I am so blessed to be married to a man that loves me just as I am. Ten years is just the beginning. <3 nbsp="" p="">
Levi attended a Christian McCaffrey football camp, the pool opened, and school was out for summer!

Vetter Vacation & Ellie's 4th Bday at Kure Beach
Before kicking off vacation, Ellie had her 4th birthday party at our pool with friends from school and then we headed to the beach to kickoff vacation! We spent the week soaking up the sun, breathing in the salty air, and just enjoying time together. Our family vacations are more about being together and letting the kids just play and enjoy summer - it was all they needed and we wanted.

I'll post 2018 Part II later this week...