After committing and achieving to read 24 books each year for the last three years, I wanted to push the envelope this year. My goal was 52 books, one each week. Although I didn’t quite achieve it, I’m super proud to have pushed myself to read 39 books!

I also challenged myself to get out of my comfort zone with reading. Prior years, I only read primarily nonfiction. This year, I really wanted to read for enjoyment, and not just knowledge. So I picked up so many random novels at the library. Some were terrible. Some were ok. I even reread the Twilight series…don’t knock it until you reread it!

I also obviously expanded into parenting books, which has been super helpful, especially as we navigate toddlerhood. But seriously, books are such an amazing tool to help us become the parents we want to be.

Here’s my Notion list and reviews, and my winners below.

Best Book

Finding Me by Viola Davis. I had NO idea she grew up in such poverty. Such an incredible story about survival and focus.

Worst Book

Love at First Like – It’s as bad as the name sounds. It was an impulsive library pick up with a screaming toddler in hand!

Book I Was Most Surprised I Liked

Educated! I had tried reading this book several times, having it recommended to me several times. I couldn’t get into it. Finally, I listened to it on Libby this year and couldn’t put it down!

Next Year

My goal for next year is to NOT have a goal. I love reading, but want to get back at it for pure enjoyment or curiosity. No pressure in 2024!

Although I always intend to send out Christmas cards, I think I’ve only made it happen for one year. This year, I’ve acknowledged it’s just not my thing, but that I will happily share an update online.

So, what’s been going on with the Slifkas this year?

Andrew has started another graduate program through Johns Hopkins in Geographic Information Systems. As he describes it, it is creating maps for airplanes, which is what his team does at work. He is really enjoying it so far, though he admits he has spent far too many years as a student! He is gearing up for deer season in a few weeks…he’s got a deer the last two deer seasons, so no pressure, but our freezer is looking pretty empty!

It wasn’t the easiest year for me, admittedly. Most of you know last year, we had a tough time, with my AFE and healing, losing Andrew’s mom to blood cancer, and my mom’s blood cancer diagnosis and treatment. I’ve been struggling with a lot of physical pain from my AFE and PTSD (which they told me it wasn’t a question of “if” I’d have PTSD, but “when”). Of course, it all caught up to me and I took some time off work to really focus on healing. I’m happy to share that I feel much better. Trying to navigate the long-term health effects of an AFE is overwhelming – it is so rare, there is no best practices in treatment. Although I know I will likely spend years on the mend, I am now ready to shift from focusing primarily on healing to now focusing on maternal health advocacy through MoMMA’s Voice.

B-man is growing like a weed, and has us laughing every day. He is now 20 months, and thinks it’s pretty cool to walk backwards and twirl. He loves his trains and Matchbox cars, waving and blowing kisses to strangers, and enjoys snuggling his puppies.

We went on a family trip to Disney in November. B’s description of Disney is “whoa!”, as he exclaimed at nearly everything. We know he won’t remember anything from Disney, but we are so glad to be able to travel with him and see things through his eyes!

We also took trips to the UP in Michigan this summer and had a wonderful time. We saw my sister and some old friends from Charleston. Andrew and I visited Seattle for my cousin’s wedding. It was a beautiful wedding, and we were grateful to swing by our old house and see some old friends!

We had some plumbing issues this year and unfortunately had to completely gut our basement. Thank goodness for homeowners insurance! It was a bit of a pain, but we are happy with the results (and the much-updated bathroom).

The dogs are living their best lives, although they will tell you otherwise. Pippa enjoys wearing sweaters and sitting in front of the fireplace or heat vents. Jack insists on riding the lawn mower with Andrew in the summer, and takes his job seriously to ensure we have NO deer, moles, squirrels, birds, etc on our property.

After a few years of living in Des Moines, we finally are feeling settled. Our home is coming together and we are getting into (somewhat) of a routine. We enjoy the community we’ve found here and are grateful to be close to family.

We are looking forward to a fun and light-hearted 2024! Wishing you and your family a happy holiday season.