Goodbye 2016 – Best and Worst of 2016

by Alli

While I’m preparing to say goodbye to 2016, The opening passage of A Tale of Two Cities comes to mind:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . 

It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness . . .”

Goodbye 2016

The Season of Light

Our family celebrated two weddings in 2016. My daughter was married on May 14 and my son tied the knot on November 12th. Looking back, it was a whirlwind of budgets, boutonnieres, and bouquets.

Cait-David-Engagement - Goodbye 2016

My daughter was married on a yacht in Charleston, SC. It was the perfect venue for her wedding.

Bride and Groom Kissing - Nautical Wedding

We cruised around the harbor while we celebrated the union between my daughter and her new husband. Friends and family gathered from far and near and it was truly a wedding to remember.

nautical wedding - 2016

 Fast forward to November and we headed to Tybee Island for another wedding weekend to remember. My son and his new wife’s wedding photos haven’t been released yet, but I do have an engagement photo.

engagement photo - the good the bad and the ugly

 And a tiny wedding photo . . . Shh, don’t tell.

 wedding photo - Q and B - 2016

The venues are vastly different, yet they completely match the personalities of the two couples. I gained a new son-in-love and a new daughter-in-love in 2016 and I couldn’t be happier.

2016 was filled with birthday celebrations, slumber parties with the grandkids and two weeks in Turks and Caicos.

Alexandra Resort

 I can’t forget our annual family vacation to North Myrtle Beach. We’ve visited North Myrtle every summer for over 20 years!

North Myrtle Beach - Goodbye 2016

The Season of Darkness

I can’t say goodbye to 2016 without mentioning the season of darkness. When my mom suddenly passed away on May 7th – exactly one week before my daughter’s wedding and the day before Mother’s Day – my world seemed to come to a screeching halt.

I’ll never forget that call I received on Friday, May 6th. For some reason, the ringer on my phone was turned all the way down. I was busy blogging away because I had a sponsored post due the following Monday – several due the following week.

After my brother received no response from me, my sister from Colorado called my house phone to tell me that mom had suffered a major heart attack and was being airlifted to a hospital in Macon, GA. Shock and disbelief do not begin to cover my feelings.

As I threw clothes in a suitcase, my brother called back to tell me mom was stable. By the time I arrived in Macon, visiting hours were long over. The sweet nurses let me in ICU to see mom and we talked for over an hour. She told me she was going home on Monday and would be at my daughter’s wedding on Saturday.

The next morning, with my dad and I (and face-timing my sister and niece) by her side, mom passed away.

dad, mom and boys

I’ve experienced so many firsts this year!

  • First Mother’s Day without Mom
  • My first birthday without mom
  • It was my first Thanksgiving without mom
  • The hardest of all – my first Christmas without mom

I could go on and on, but I’m a little choked up right now.

Describe Your Mom

Goodbye 2016

I won’t say that 2016 was the worst year ever. How can I say that when I got the chance to witness my daughter and later, my son, start new, exciting chapters in their lives? I also saw my grandson pitch his best baseball game yet. I watched grandkids play soccer, play in the pool and play with their dog, Max.

Seasons come and go. We can choose to be bitter or better. I chose better.

Goodbye, 2016!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .  – Charles Dickens (A Tale of Two Cities)

P.S.  As far as my blog is concerned, it was the best year ever. I’m believing that 2017 will be even better!

Are you glad or sad to see 2016 come to an end?