2024 In Review đź‘€
2024 was filled with such amazing memories. There were of course, lots of lows as well, and those made 2024 one of the harder years we’ve been through. But through everything, God is faithful and He has always been at our side <3
Here’s our 2024 recap 🙂Â
PS – WordPress is being super lame and not letting me upload certain pictures…so hopefully I’ll try re-adding them at a later date. What I was able to upload, I have added….but I originally did have some for every month. Oh well.
January
We spent a good chunk of January going through some fertility related doctor appointments (this was the beginning of our medical journey when it came to fertility).
On a happier note, our winter was much warmer than normal – much to my hockey-loving husband’s disappointment. However, I didn’t miss the sub-zero temps one bit hehe.
In the middle of January, one of my best friends, Samantha, got engaged! I spent most of the rest of January planning a bachelorette party and finding a bridesmaid dress <3
February
February brought more bachelorette party planning, and also bridal shower planning once our house became the decided-upon location for that celebration! Erik and I were so excited to have been asked to host the bridal shower as well as the engagement party, and I had lots of fun planning!
March
This was my last month working in the tech space! Erik and I had prayed a lot about it, and made the decision that it was best for our family if I stepped down to work part time somewhere I’m passionate about the work, and dedicate the rest of my time to “homesteading” (I put it in quotes because that’s the inspiration, but we’re no where close to full-on homesteading haha).Â
Erik and I also started our application process and training this month to be host parents for Together For Good, an organization that provides respite care for children with the goal of keeping the kids out of foster care.
We finished off March by celebrating Easter with our church and our families <3
April
This was a BUSY month! We started off April by welcoming Samantha and her now husband, Andrew, to Minnesota for their parties! They landed on a Thursday, and we started preparations and decorating the next day.Â
That Friday evening, we all carpooled to Katherine and Nick’s wedding <3 It was a beautiful wedding and we had so much fun celebrating them!
The next day was Samantha’s bridal shower, and we celebrated the engagement party later that evening as well. They departed the next day, and we started preparing to drive down to Florida for the wedding!
Literally only 4 days later, Erik and I made the long drive down to Florida to spend a week with Samantha and Andrew before their big day! We stopped halfway in Tennessee to rest and meet up with one of my friends and former co-workers, Mark. It was during this trip that Erik and I discovered our love for road tripping together 🙂Â
We had a great time in Florida (besides my laptop and backpack being literally stolen but oh well). The weather was great and we had the best time helping Samantha and Andrew prep for the wedding.
The bachelorette party was a blast, and the wedding was so beautiful! So excited for their future together!
We ended April by trekking home, stopping in Tennessee yet again on our way back.
May
May was a lot more chill than April lol. We welcomed spring, started the co-ed softball season, and I started my new job at Options for Women!Â
June
We started off June with a fun bonfire and party in our backyard!Â
The softball season was in full swing by this point (no pun intended), we hung out often with friends and family, and ended the month by celebrating Erik’s 25th birthday via a surprise escape room party!
July
The beginning of July brought our annual 4th of July celebration at the lake, and a surprise retirement party for Erik’s mom! We all had so much fun planning it, and she was very surprised!
A few days later, we went cliff-jumping in St. Cloud with my brother and my cousin – such a fun day!
Near the end of the month, Erik and I went on/assisted with our 3rd mission trip with the Hillcity Youth! This year, we traveled to Montana… and the bus didn’t break down 🙂 iykyk. The mountains were gorgeous, and we learned how to fend off a bear in case of attack. Basically, I learned that if you don’t have bear spray, you’ll probably end up wishing you did.
August
August was a busy month too! Â
It started slow, with more fun hangouts with friends, including a fun cook-off with our neighbors and friends, and a birthday celebration for another of my best friends, Anna!
In the middle of the month, Erik and I flew to Vancouver, Canada! We had the BEST time! We essentially mastered public transit (through trial and error), ate the best food, conquered the Grouse Grind, went kayaking around Science World, went whale watching, and most importantly, got to meet up with friends I hadn’t seen in over 5 years and whom Erik had never met (Annie and her family, as well as Connor!).Â
Beeli also joined us in Vancouver to hangout with us and Connor after her year-long adventure around the world! It’s always a joy to see her, and we hadn’t been to Vancouver together since 2019, so it was such an incredible time!
We stayed in Vancouver until the end of August, where we embarked on the long-awaited Anderson family Alaskan cruise! I had never been on a cruise before so it was all very exciting for me! We had a BLAST with Erik’s family, ate lots of food, tried lots of drinks, fished for salmon, saw bears and Alaskan sled dogs, and made countless memories!
September
September brought our 3rd wedding anniversary that we celebrated at home. But before that, Erik was DETERMINED to go to the MN state fair….immediately after our 5 hour flight home from Alaska….that landed in MN at 6am. I literally almost fell asleep while we were walking, but at least it was a memory we made with my siblings, and Erik got his coveted Sweet Martha’s cookies.Â
In the middle of the month, our friends, Max and Anna, brought us to our first Renaissance Festival! I really enjoyed the hard cider and all the fun costumes people wore! We were also fans of the free turkey leg we got to have with our ticket 🙂Â
This month was also my birthday month! To celebrate, Erik organized, planned, and orchestrated an elaborate scavenger hunt surprise for me! It was so sweet and SO fun, and it ended with a surprise sushi dinner!
With the end of September came the end of the softball season as well. We played pretty well the whole season and probably had the most fun of all the teams, even if we were losing 🙂Â
October
In October, we hosted our first Together For Good child! It was challenging, but so much fun and paved the way for our second hosting with her, which was even more fun as we had gotten to know one another 🙂Â
The beginning of the month was also the time for the annual Legacy of Life Gala for my work! It was so much fun to help with that event and see all the people who came to support the mission!
We spent the rest of October hanging out with friends (including one very formal afternoon tea!), and dining on a river cruise (a gift from Beeli!). Erik went to San Diego for a work trip near the end of the month, and we also brought our honorary nephews to the aquarium at MoA.Â
November
November was filled with hanging out with friends, celebrating people’s birthdays, and coffee dates with friends for me! We also hosted for Together For Good again <3 We also met Erik’s mom’s new puppy – Cider!
We celebrated Thanksgiving with our families as well, and even made a last minute change to hosting my whole family at our house when my parents’ power randomly went out.
The day after Thanksgiving, we had a small pizza night with friends and watched Arsenic and Old Lace.
December
As always, December was filled to the brim with fun Christmas gatherings and hangouts with good friends!Â
My Christmas present for Erik was a fun overnight stay at the Moondance Inn (located in Red Wing, MN). Such a fun, cozy atmosphere, plus a gourmet breakfast in the morning!
What an amazing time to be cozy and appreciate one another as we celebrate yet again, the greatest gift of all – our savior, Jesus, come to be here with us!
A peek into 2025:
We’re predicting 2025 will be one of our most interesting years yet….so stay tuned for more 🙂Â
Until next time,
Hope Andermanski
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash