2017: A Year In Review

This past year has been such a wonderful year! As we look back, we are thankful for many things. It was our first full year as Finding Philothea! Thank you for reading and following along with us! We are thankful for all of the lessons we have learned this year, particularly about ethical fashion and the true cost of the fashion industry. We have been galvanized to rethink our habits, our purchases, our lifestyle, and our entire lives. As we look ahead, we have some amazing plans for 2018! We are living in joyful anticipation for the coming year, and we can’t wait to share this year with you all! But first, we remember some of our highlights from 2017, as we reflect upon our lives that have been full of blessings.

January

We successfully completed the Whole30! It truly changed our lives. Mike became free of migraines, lost twenty-three pounds, and we both felt the best we have ever felt in our lives! We loved starting the year off in such a healthy and self-disciplined way.

February

We love celebrating Valentine’s Day and this year’s date was a pottery class! It was so fun to create something together. It was one of our favorite dates we’ve been on!

March

One of our favorite days this March was a very warm day in the middle of this typically cold month! We knew we had to spend the day enjoying the weather so we called our friends, drove to Niagara on the Lake together, and spent the day outside. We all visited a winery on the way back home and sampled some incredibly delicious ice wines. It was such a beautiful day spent with wonderful friends!

April

Easter Day! Claire’s family surprised us with a visit to Buffalo and spent Easter with us. We went to Mass together, made everyone a feast, and brought them to one of our favorite spots in Buffalo – Knox Farms.

May

Celebrating Peter’s first birthday! It was such a special day. We went to the Science Museum, played outside, and finished the day with his ‘Brown Bear’ Eric Carle cake!

June

We saw an incredible change from May to June in the development of Peter’s personality. His humor, his playfulness, his talking, his running around the house – we loved this summer month as he explored more of the world around him.

July

Our pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, Italy is definitely the highlight of our year! Traveling with our family was the most joyful experience. Italy has our hearts (and stomachs!)! We greatly treasure the memories of this trip, and continue to see the beautiful fruits of this pilgrimage in our lives each day!

August

One of our goals this summer was to visit a sunflower field. Peter ran around barefoot (we lost his shoes a few times in the field!) and he loved seeing the bees and hearing them buzz in the flowers. We loved seeing him so happy and free! Our afternoon in the sunflower fields remains one of our favorite memories as a family, and we hope to make it an annual August tradition.

September

We had the warmest weather throughout the entire month of September – a rarity for Buffalo, New York! One particularly warm day we packed up our van and drove to a beach in Canada. The water was shallow for a long stretch, which was perfect for Peter! He loved playing in the sand and the warm water, and knocking over Mike’s sandcastle! That warm autumn day at the beach was so wonderful!

October

We hosted a Rosary Party in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary! We sang hymns, prayed a rosary, and then all enjoyed a brunch together. We ended the party by attending mass at Our Lady of Victory Basilica. It was a beautiful day lived for Our Lady!

November

After great anticipation, we got to meet our new niece, Aurora Elizabeth! She is such a precious baby, so calm and beautiful. Since the day we found out about her coming, we have prayed for her every night and yearned to meet this beautiful, peaceful life! God is so good!

December

After Christmas Day, our caroling (Clairoling) party that we hosted is our favorite memory of this month! It was so much fun to get together with friends and celebrate, sing, and bring Christmas cheer to the community!

Our Top Five Favorite Posts of 2017

1.) Feminine Favorites: An Ethical Autumn

2.) Our Wedding Day

3.) Five Ways To Have A Joyful Day

4.) The Change That Brings Live

5.) Three Lessons I Learned In Assisi 

– M & C