Highlights of 2017

Cody and I attended the Blues vs Blackhawks Winter Classic with my brother, who rarely gets to come home. Anytime spent with him is precious due to his time consuming job of working with thoroughbred race horses.

I had a beautiful bridal shower thrown by my mom’s two very good friends who are sisters. I decided on doing one big shower so that everyone could be together before the big day. Having my sister-in-law and maid of honor fly in was the best part about it. Oh, and the sweet treats and gorgeous flowers couldn’t have been more darling!

Cody and I celebrated our last valentine’s day before we were married!

My girls came in town for a special bachelorette weekend in St. Louis. We had a wonderful trip planned to New Orelans, but due to a variety of reasons including me being very sick (definitely not a highlight of 2017), we had to cancel. This was a prime of example of the fact that it doesn’t matter where you are, but who you are with that really matters.

I became Mrs. Cripps! We had the wedding of our dreams with even a touch of snow! Our day was absolutely perfect and full of love, family, and friends. I’ll do a full post on our wedding once we get closer to our one year anniversary! I linked our photographer, Mike Cassimatis, to the pictures below because he deserves all the credit in the world!

Cody and I traveled to St. Lucia for our honeymoon and truly could not have had a more special and relaxing time together as newlyweds. That week together could not have been more perfect and needed to settle in together as husband and wife.

 

 April:

Cody and I went to Lexington, KY with my parents to visit my brother for Easter and some racing at Keeneland (one of our favorite things to do as a family).

  

We officially decided to add Bogey to the family! We spent much of this month giving Franny some extra love before her big brother joined our family in June!

I wrapped up my first year of teaching. This was a bittersweet time for me. It was difficult for me to let go of my first class, as they will always hold a special place in my heart. I also felt relieved this school year was at an end after teaching something that was new to me each day and planning a wedding for the majority of the year.

We picked up Bogey! He has been such a joy to us and Franny ever since we got him. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have just one dog again (Cody, I hope you’re cool with that).

Cody and I attended the US Open Golf Tournament in Milwaukee for the weekend! This was such a fun city for us to explore! Oh, and the golf was great too! I love that Cody and I are able to enjoy this sport together.

  

Cody’s family drove to St. Louis to stay with us for the week over 4th of July. We absolutely love spending time with them since they enjoy so many of the same things Cody and I do!

My very dear friend, Amanda, and I flew to NYC to stay with our best friends Catie and Jordan for a girls trip! We did all the NYC things, but seeing Hamilton was the highlight (shout out to Mrs. Horseman)!

It was time for me to get back in my classroom and boy, was I ready. I thought having a summer completely off without ANY working would be so glamorous, but it was actually very challenging for myself at times. I didn’t realize how important it is for me to stay busy and keep a routine.

Meeting my new students was so exciting and much more stress free this year now that I had a year under my belt. Oh, and taking our students out to see the Total Solar Eclipse during the first week of school was the most amazing experience and a wonderful reminder of how creative and magnificent God truly is.

My sister-in-law, Chloe, came to stay with us over Labor Day weekend! We always cherish our time with Chloe!

My brother married the love of his life, Ashley, in Lexington, KY! This was such a wonderful time to celebrate their marriage and connect with our closest friends with family. Although we had just seen most of our family at our wedding in March, it was so fun being on the other side, where we could relax and mingle a bit more!

I officially decided to start my blog! Fashion blogging had been something I admired for such a long time, so I figured why not start my own! More on this in my ‘About’ page. Don’t forget to click the pictures below to shop these looks!

Cody and I went to Naples, FL with my parents for Thanksgiving! This was a much needed trip for all of us to relax after a very busy year! Holidays are are tough for our family because of my brother’s job, but we always make the best of it and try our hardest to get together even if it’s not on the actual holiday.

   

I launched ShopHillaryCripps.com! This has been such a fun and exciting journey for me thus far. With the research I had done before making this decision, I knew it was not going to be easy after hearing that over and over again from so many other fashion bloggers and they were right! It may look perfect in pictures but blogging is HARD WORK. I have absolutely loved putting more of my creative energy into something I love and am passionate about. I couldn’t have had the courage to do with this without my family and friends but most importantly, my husband. He challenges me and pushes me to work hard, be patient, and enjoy the journey. I can’t wait to see where God will lead me in this new adventure in 2018!