Lessons learned. Always good to reflect back and see what resonated with you most in the past year. Here are my biggies:

1. Despite feeling awkward and just plain silly, nothing makes you feel seven again like wearing a tiara. Thanks Jonna for pulling out the tissue-paper, sequin encrusted birthday crown again this year.

2. Loved attending my first 2014 NAEA conference. Meeting Phyll and Cassie and Rina and Donna and Jessica made me realize that people are always better in person, which is amazing because these women rock the online world.

3. Watching Elly go through her JV softball season had its up and downs but having big brother attend her last game and celebrating with a rare hug, made a good moment better.

4. Neil and I went to the Authority Intensive conference in Denver in May. It was swanky, cool, informative and kicked our butts as far as how much work we still need to do on our site.

5. My middle son graduated from high school and is now in college. A bit of a relief. Not because I don’t miss my son, but the college application process was a grind. And he did most of it. Hope the process changes before our family has to do it again.

6. We live in a robust wine-producing county. Maybe it’s my farming roots, but learning the ins and outs of viniculture is absolutely fascinating. And the samples you get at the end of the tour are really good.

7. Taking Neil to Jedlicka’s in Santa Barbara and having some cute gal outfit him in a starter-kit cowboy ensemble was tops on the fun list this year. Engineer to cowboy in about 15 minutes. Not bad.

8. No matter how reluctant you are about milestone birthdays, they still happen. May as well drink champagne.

9. One of my big bucket list things was to do some salmon fishing in Alaska. We hired a charter to take the family on a 3 hour fishing trip and we barely caught anything. Dang, those rods are heavy! Most fun boat ride ever, even in the rain.

10. Sitting beside my nephew Jeff while he dissected a lobster at our family reunion was very interesting. I’ve been eating lobster all my life but up until that point, I didn’t realize how gross it all looked.

11. I made cassoulet! Yay! Number one dish on my culinary bucket list. It was intensive and required the shipment of duck fat. It’s a meal meant to feed farm workers, but thankfully, my friends were very kind with this seriously hearty fare.

12. You know how I love my beach walks. I really believe that taking a walk in nature fixes everything. If everyone committed to a 45-minute walk through forests, a beach, fields or a park a few times each week, the world would be a happier place.

What lessons have you learned this year? Do you plan to go to any new conferences or take in a new learning opportunity? Have you created a 2015 Pinterest Vision board?

I’d love to hear what 2015 has in store for you!