2022 - The Year in Review

Well, y’all – what a year. I’m a wife now. Haven’t been one for long (just about seven weeks) but I’m a wife. Ryan and I became homeowners. 2022 was a life-changing year to be sure and as we close out this wonderful year, I wanted to look back at each special month! 

 

January – The month we became homeowners! Wow! After searching for a couple months and seeing a few places here and there (Front Royal, Woodstock, Stephens City, somewhere way out in West Virginia on the side of a mountain) we found our first home. There were some bumps on the day of move in with Dominion Energy but otherwise, all went well! There was also plenty of snow in January and I even got the chance to dig my car out of an ice prison after one particularly fun storm. *sigh* We spent plenty of time getting our house set up (although we’ve done a lot more since then). It was a lovely January and a wonderful way to kick off the year 2022!

February – Such a good and full month! I finally had a Valentine to celebrate with and one of the ways we celebrated was by attending the church’s marriage conference! It was a great experience and something I hope we can attend every year to strengthen our marriage! I attended a pretty giant wedding expo and came home with tons of freebies and some interesting ideas (and we popped by the table for our lovely photographer). We made a trip to Lynchburg to pick up my wedding dress – no sneak peeks Ryan! And we hosted our first house guests when Ryan’s Mom and her boyfriend came for the weekend – we had a great time showing them our new hometown and our house! We closed out the month watching Ryan’s cousin Noah perform his concerto in DC!

March – I feel like March wasn’t too busy of a month! Ryan and I celebrated a year together on March 6^th and we spent the month getting to know a little more about our new hometown. We bought plants for our home and tried out restaurants in our town: Patty’s Place for breakfast, Route 11 Diner for some delicious diner food, Las Trancas for something south of the border, Woodstock Café for unique, perfectly curated & crafted meals, Flour & Water for the best baked goods and homemade soups, Sugar Creek Snowy & Sweet for the most amazing ice cream and our favorite spot: Spring House Tavern! We also explored nature around our home with the Riverview Park and Seven Bends State Park! 

April – The weather began to seem a little more Spring-like… until it snowed in mid-April, ha-ha! Easter was a wonderful day, and we had some great adventures in April. We started the month freezing at Evelyn and Emily’s birthday (who knew it would be 40 degrees on April 1^st?!?) and celebrated my Dad’s birthday with brunch in Martinsburg. We took a trip to Gainesville for the day and I found my wedding shoes and Ryan had himself a seafood feast! My Mom and I attended a wonderful women’s conference and also went to the Apple Blossom Women’s Prayer Breakfast and last but not least – Ryan and I took our first dance lesson!

May – Goodness what a full month! Ryan and I began the month seeing Steven Furtick and Elevation Worship in DC and it was an incredible concert and worship experience! My little sister came home for a little over a week and the whole family headed to Mississippi for a long weekend; we spent so much time with friends and family and Ryan, and I were honored with our first wedding shower! Family and friends from the church I was raised in (FBCC) showered us with love and gifts and we were truly blessed and blown away by how much love we were shown! We spent a couple days in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge – a long time family favorite spot and a new favorite of Ryan’s – we hiked and shopped and saw the sights and had a wonderful time! Ryan and I closed out the month by hiking the almost eight miles around Lake Frederick and enjoyed our Memorial Day with an ice cream ending!

June – Another full month! Ryan started a new job and finally had weekends off, so we were able to really enjoy our weekends together! We went to the drive-thru and had a Friday night picnic one weekend too.  We were able to have lunch with friends after church and just truly use the weekends to relax! We spent a Saturday at a Nationals game and got to see Ryan Zimmerman’s number retired – truly a special moment in Nationals history! Near the end of the month, we hosted Ryan’s Mom and Doc at our home again and were honored with another wedding shower! We were celebrated by friends who have become like family here in Virginia and it was truly a wonderful time of blessing!

July - Ryan and I stayed busy in July; kicking off the month with a four day weekend, July Fourth trip to Lancaster, PA! Ryan was able to show my parents so many of the places he grew up and we were able to spend time with his Mom, Doc and some of Ryan's friends and family. It was a wonderful start to the month! My Dad and Ryan built a fence for our backyard - they did such an incredible job, my Mom and I had a girls weekend and picked up my wedding dress and Ryan and I went kayaking - it was my first time! It was a wonderful month of Summer fun! 

August - The last month of Summer! We went to Jiffy Lube Live to see Loverboy, Styx & REO Speedwagon in concert; I don't know if Ryan and I knew many of the songs, but we sang along to a couple! I attempted camping again for a whole weekend - we cooked over an open fire, hiked and slept in a wee green tent with the sounds of the night lulling us to sleep (or in my case, waking me up and making me poke Ryan and say "what was that?!?). Ryan and I enjoyed the Warren County Fair and we finally got the chance to introduce Ryan to the Udvar Hazy Center - and all the planes! The best part? We mailed out our wedding invitations and started getting RSVP's! 

September - This was the month of travel! I headed to Germany; specifically the Bavarian area, in early September for ten days of exploring the German countryside! We took in the Eagle's Nest, multiple castles (including Neuschwanstein), the city of Munich and the city of Salzburg, Dachau Concentration Camp and the peak of Zugspitze (the highest point in Germany). We also saw the Oberammergau Passion Play - performed once every ten years! It was a dream, but I was also happy to be home and reunited with my heart when it was done. I happily attended our church's Lavish Conference with my friend Meridith and Ryan and I explored the great outdoors some!

October - The final month as a single lady! I celebrated my 38th birthday with Ryan and my family; we took an overnight trip to Alexandria and Ryan spoiled me! We also saw Hamilton at the Kennedy Center - what an experience! We participated in the Mancini grape harvest and I had two wedding showers! We did the final run through at the venue ahead of the wedding and of course - we got our marriage license! We celebrated Halloween as the Sanderson Sisters (me) and Maverick (Ryan) and Penny Benjamin (me).

November - The month I'd been waiting for all year long! The month that Ryan and I became husband and wife! My little sister hosted an absolutely amazing bachelorette weekend at the Hillbrook Inn and we reached the place where there was no more planning, just celebrating! We had the most beautiful rehearsal dinner and wedding day - surrounded by so many family members and friends - it was truly perfect and couldn't have gone any better! We spent a wonderful week in toasty Jamaica and then returned home to host Thanksgiving at our house for the first time! What a wonderful month! 

December - The final month of the year! I can't believe how few pictures I have but I will say; for December, it was a surprisingly relaxed month! Ryan and I settled into life together and we went to see some Christmas lights and celebratory things here and there, but for the most part the month was pretty relaxing. We celebrated our first Christmas as husband and wife - and we will close out the year together in Asheville, North Carolina!

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What a blessing this year was - I can't believe how quickly it has passed! And yes, I know - I say that every year, ha-ha! I hope you all have a wonderful close of this 2022 year and that 2023 is a blessing!