My 2023 recap! I mostly write these selfishly each year – it’s so fun to look back on the year and have it documented in time. If you’re interested in what I was up to, keep reading. Let me know in the comments your favorite parts of 2023 and what you’re looking forward to in 2024! Happy New Year!
JANUARY
- 2023 kicked off with a lotta running and a lotta cooking and recipe development, just how I like it!
- I set a PR of 1:50:30 in the half marathon at the Strawberry Plains Half Marathon. Super proud of this effort considering how hilly the course is.
FEBRUARY
- I traveled to Reno, NV for a work conference. I have to say – it’s a city I never need to visit again, though the mountains are stunning.
- Took a quick work trip to Columbia, taught a lot of Pure Barre & cooked a lot of yummy, green foods.
MARCH
- Hosted the third annual Spurs Up Sprint 5K with my job at the USC Alumni Association – my favorite event of the year. I love seeing the Gamecock community of all ages and abilities come together to better themselves and raise scholarship money.
- A lottttaaa running building up to my next marathon.
APRIL
- I raced the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon for the first time (in person) and set a PR of 3:52:23. It was awesome getting to walk to the start line (yay less race day logistics to pair with my race day nerves!) and spent the afternoon celebrating over beers with my dad, my brother Jake, and Billy.
- My youngest brother, Milo, graduated college!! Smartie pants grad from Eastern Michigan University – it was a quick trip and the fam is so proud of him.
MAY
- After a quick work trip, I flew to Cincinnati to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon with my dad. It was a total monsoon, which made it all the more fun. I will definitely be back at some point and hope to race the full course one year too!
- Traveled to Savannah, GA to watch some of our best friends get married. It was the sweetest weekend and bonus fun with time on Tybee Island!
JUNE
- Spent a week in Columbia for work events and new employee onboarding. While work travel can be tiring, I love that I get to spend time with my Columbia friends & workout with the amazing ladies of Pure Barre Columbia.
- Billy and I celebrated our second anniversary back in the city he proposed – Asheville, NC! Lots of good beer and good food with the best company.
JULY
- Spent my 28th birthday in Boulder, CO at a work conference. Luckily I was able to start the day with a birthday run (my fave!), a local coffee shop, and a beautiful hike before sessions began.
- My former college roommate, Kara, and I got to throw one of our other roommates, Taylor, a baby shower! It was such a sweet morning – hard to believe we were preparing to welcome the first little one to our Buc Ridge crew!
- After 8+ years together, Billy and I finally took a trip to his hometown of Manasquan, NJ. It was so wonderful seeing where he grew up and spending time enjoying the cuisines of his childhood on the beach he used to play on. We also got to spend a few days in NYC, which is always such an amazing time!
- After our trip up north, Billy and I spent a quick weekend in Nashville, TN. We went on a (very hot) group run hosted by some of my fave running podcast hosts (shout out to Fuel for the Sole!) and had brunch with college friends!
- Then we ended July by picking up our sweet little puppy, Waffles! Our very own golden retriever pup – something I’ve dreamed of my entire life! July was a big month!
AUGUST
- Billy and I took a quick trip back to NYC and got to explore Brooklyn. I’ll never turn down a chance to travel to the best city in America!
- August also meant the start of Billy’s 2L year of law school and lots of brewery trips with the pup.
SEPTEMBER
- Billy and I traveled to Johnson City to cheer on the Bucs at a football game – something we love to do at least once a season! We enjoyed a lively tailgate and spent a few hours enjoying the suite (thanks, Timothy!) while we waited on rain delay after rain delay. Maybe next time we’ll actually get to watch some football, but it was a fun time with friends regardless.
- We traveled back to JC and I set another PR in the half marathon, coming in at 1:46:13 at the Bluegrass Half Marathon in Johnson City, TN. This race is so special to me, as it was my intro into distance racing. Billy and Waffles were there to cheer me on, which definitely kept me going! Now my goal is to break 1hr 45 min at this distance.
- I also hit my 100 classes taken (& 265 classes taught) at Pure Barre Knoxville/Pure Barre Farragut. I’m so lucky that I’ve found community in this fierce group of women!
OCTOBER
- Kicked off October with work coming to me in Knox this time – hosted Gamecocks on the Road events for the South Carolina @ Tennessee football game.
- The next day, I hopped on a plane to Barcelona, Spain! It was the most incredible week exploring Spain. I visited Barcelona, Alicante, Almería, Melilla, Málaga and was wined and dined on a stunning cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea. Truly a pinch me trip that I will never forget.
- I got one day at home before I drove to Columbia for my busiest work week of the year, homecoming. I got to spend the first night in town with friends at the Jonas Brothers concert (I first saw them in concert opening for the Hannah Montana/Meet Miley Cyrus tour in 2007!!!) before the events began. Tired is an understatement, but it was all so worth it.
- I ended October with one more work trip. This time Billy joined and this time it was to College Station, TX for the South Carolina @ Texas A&M football game.
NOVEMBER
- Took a quick trip to Asheville, NC the first weekend of November to surprise one of my childhood besties, Savannah, for a celebration lunch after her engagement! EEEPPPPP! Then my mom and I toured the Biltmore house decked out in Christmas decorations!
- The next weekend Billy and I ran the Cades Cove Loop Lope 10-Miler, his longest race to date! I am so stinking proud of him. My dad and Jake were there with Waffles to cheer us to the finish line!
- Then after a work trip I got COVID – just in time for Thanksgiving. So it was just me and Waffles for Thanksgiving – no Turkey Trot or family travels. I felt truly terrible, but I’m so lucky that it wasn’t worse and that I was able to recover in about a week.
- November ended with Health by Haven finallyyyyy getting its own Instagram page. It only took me 3.5 years! But if you’re wanting more recipes and fitness inspo, be sure to follow it @healthbyhaven!
DECEMBER
- Spent the first weekend of December on a combo work & pleasure trip to Columbia, where I helped throw a 30th birthday party for my Cola BFF, Hannah! We danced the night away while celebrating one of the most kind, thoughtful, and selfless people I know. It was an absolute blast.
- Then when Billy’s finals were over, we visited my favorite – NYC – for a third time this year. Nothing compares to the City at Christmas. We enjoyed a Rangers game, the NYC Ballet’s Nutcracker, running and ice skating in Central Park, drinks with my cousin, and LOTS of incredible food!
- I took one last quick work trip to Columbia before calling it a wrap on the 2023 work year.
- We had wonderful Christmas celebrations with my family, Billy’s family, and then my extended family in Kentucky. What more could we ask for!
I hope you had a wonderful 2023! Wishing you the happiest, healthiest 2024!
