Wow, can you believe this will be my last blog post of 2022?? The year sure did fly by. Looking back, it was pretty eventful too. For the most part, it was all good things. But there were some hard times as well. I’d like to take some time and revisit some of the highlights.

Right away in January, I joined my parents in Deadwood for their annual South Dakota Academy of Family Physicians conference. I helped Carletta run the registration table and helped with all of the kids activities. It was definitely a flash back to all the years we spent going to the conference as kids ourselves and it brought back so many wonderful memories. Carissa and Noah had even joined us and that’s when Carissa announced she was going to have a baby! It was an amazing time for so many reasons.

February was pretty quiet, but Dan and I did celebrate 2 years together as a couple. It’s crazy to believe almost a full year has passed since then even, and I’m still head over heels for this man! Can’t wait to keep making memories with him.

And speaking of making memories, Dan and I made quite a few this year. In March we decided to splurge and went to a Morgan Wallen concert AND a trip to Alaska. At first, I thought maybe we should pick one or the other, but Dan said we never splurge on ourselves and dang it, we’re doing both! So we did!! The concert was amazing and Alaska was so darn beautiful. It was my second time there and Dan’s first. My parents and Steve, Carletta, Carissa and her husband Scott all joined us as well since they had a conference there too. Carletta knows Alaska pretty well by now so she was our tour guide, showing us all the cool stuff I likely wouldn’t have known about had it just been Dan and me. If you’ve never been before, bump it to the top of your bucket list. It’s a MUST see!

In April, Dan started planting season, but it was a very slow process with all the rain we got this spring. He didn’t finish until the last week in May, and it started the looooong season of him being gone almost every weekend. I was in the process of training for the Brookings half marathon though, so I had my long runs on the weekends to keep me busy.

Unfortunately, the Brookings half marathon was canceled due to a tornado rolling through 2 days before the race, but it was still good to get those miles in before FULL marathon training started in May. Also in May, I made a solo trip back out East for my friend’s wedding in Baltimore. It was my first time seeing my college friends since I moved back to South Dakota, and I made so many new friends as well. It was so much fun!

June was a rough month all around. Within a two week time period, we lost Dan’s mom, we lost Carter pup, and to add salt to the wounds, our basement flooded so bad we had to sleep in shifts just to keep the water at bay. It was awful. I’m sure each year for everyone comes with some hardships, but when it all hits at once it really takes a toll. Fortunately, our basement is all patched up now, and the holes in our hearts are slowly on the mend.

July turned around a bit. It was Connor’s first birthday, so it was fun to see him grow and spend time with family. I also started to transition away from Lake Area Tech and to my new job at NATE. It was hard leaving my wonderful coworkers at LATC, but I’m enjoying my new position and all the new people I’ve come to meet.

August was when I started full time at NATE, so there was a lot of transitions going on, and a new routine to adjust to. But it was very fast paced and everyone was so welcoming. It didn’t take long to adjust at all. Now I’m gearing up to be traveling for work more in 2023!

September was a busy month! Dan started harvesting, I published my second novel, Below the Surface, and I exhibited at the South Dakota Festival of Books in Brookings. It was a good experience, and I learned a lot about what to do with my books moving forward.

October was marathon month!! We went to the cities for the Twin Cities marathon and we all rocked it! I’ve decided I’m going to take a little break from full marathons, but definitely plan on doing one again someday. A few weeks after the marathon, we went back to the cities for my brother’s Halloween run – I got a PR in my 10k which was a little redeeming after the marathon haha! And the whole fam went to the Vikings game the following day to watch them snatch a win! It was a great time had by all.

In November, Dan was determined to get me a deer. I didn’t grow up hunting, so it’s been pretty fun to learn from him. He got me an antlerless tag, and we were on the hunt for some does. We only went out twice, and on the second time we were out, we saw four deer and I was able to get one on my first shot – I think Dan was as surprised as I was! I was only able to get out and practice once beforehand, so I was pretty proud of myself. I’m excited to hopefully go back out next year!!

December has been full of spending time with family and friends! We got all of Dan’s brothers and their families together earlier this month to celebrate Christmas. I hadn’t seen some of them in a while so it was good to get together and catch up. The weekend before Christmas all of my silbings and their significant others were able to get together for a weekend of super good food, fun games, and lots of laughs. I thought I was going to lose my voice that night lol.

Overall, it was a good year, and it makes me excited to see how 2023 will go. I’m going into this new year with some of the best friends and family in the world, a job that I love, and the best man a girl could ask for. So, I say: bring it on!

I hope all of you take some time to reflect on the past year. What memories stand out to you? What changes do you want to make for 2023? Do you make any resolutions and do you stick with them? I want to hear about your highlights, too! 🙂

Here’s to hoping that 2022 was a good one for you, and that 2023 is even better. Happy New Year!

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger