Sometimes, it feels hard to share a year in review post. I know that it can seem like people have these really polished and successful and amazing years and it can maybe make us feel like we’ve failed somehow. But, I think that it can be both/and. I think that there’s a way to share a year in review that also acknowledges the hard stuff along with the good. This year was a beautiful and messy and complicated year for me. It’s also really sweet to be able to look back on these posts to see how much we’ve grown over the years, and what lessons I want to take into the new year with me. So, without further ado, here’s my 2024 in review!
The Stats:
- 453 hours and 55 minutes outside as a family of 3. I know the kids have way beyond that between time with their dad and outside time at school!
- I logged 115 hours of outside time on my own!
- I read 67 books.
- Lily turned 8, James turned 4, and I turned 34. Age is so weird!
- Once again, I saved just shy of $300 on groceries in 2024 using my Hannaford Rewards app.
- I photographed 3 weddings, and several portrait sessions, and it was an honor to be a part of each and every one! I’m hopeful to see those numbers rise in 2025, so I can get back to where I was in terms of numbers in 2021.
The Highlights:
- My sister had a baby! It’s been such a sweet season seeing her go through pregnancy, and then bringing Bennett into the world. It’s been a doozy of a transition for them, but we are all obsessed with that little boy!
- We are very fortunate to have been able to travel so much this year! I took kid free trips to Quebec City and Grand Cayman. As a family, we went to California we camped with friends, spent time on Frenchboro again, went to Maryland and Washington DC, and took an epic road trip with our friends!
- Lily started 2nd grade, and James is in his second year of pre-k. They are both absolutely thriving in their classrooms! Lily officially started getting homework this week and she’s over the moon.
- I re-did my entryway, and though it’s definitely not perfect, I absolutely love it and am still kind of in awe over the transformation! Though, I’ve decided that I’m going to forever hate caulking. It is just not a skill that I have perfected yet.
- This past spring I splurged (ahem, invested) on a new patio set for our back deck and we LOVE it so much! It’s bigger, can fit more people, has an amazing umbrella and is absolutely perfect for us! We love to eat outside and just hang out coloring and crafting at the table when it’s not raining outside 🙂
- Brittany and I had a bestie day this summer, and we spent the morning ferrying to Great Diamond Island and back, and then driving to Camden for a hike! We had the BEST and most beautiful sea glass haul ever that morning on the island!! Can’t wait to do it again 🙂
- I started shooting film again this year, just for fun, and just for myself. The goal is to eventually create a darkroom in my basement, and I’ve already started gathering the equipment I’ll need! I should probably get around to sending out the film I’ve already used in the meantime, hahah.
- Lily won a coloring contest at school during fire safety week, and her prize was getting a ride to school in a fire truck! It was incredible. She rode in the front all the way from the fire station to her school, and they even put on the lights and sirens when they pulled into the school driveway. Such a cool moment that I hope she always remembers!!
- Lily and James have started to learn how to cook and they LOVE helping me in the kitchen! It’s equal parts awesome and overwhelming, haha.
- This year I finally got an actual frosting knife spreader thing. What a game changer when making the kids birthday cakes with that!
- I attended Lady Camp again with The Refuge, and it was a very sweet and powerful overnight retreat.
- Steven and I spent the day with the kids on Christmas day, and I’m so glad that we have come so far! It was such a comfortable day, and I know the kids had the best day with us both!
The Low-lights
- My gram passed away in January, and my uncle passed away in April. We knew both of those things were coming, but it certainly didn’t make it any easier.
- My mental health really took a nose dive this past year, and it got worse toward the end of the summer. Depression reared it’s ugly head again this year and it has been very very hard to manage at times. The best way I was able to come to describe it in therapy is that even though I’ve been “functioning,” everyone else is walking on pavement, and I’m walking through quicksand next to them while trying to keep up. Just a friendly reminder here that everyone struggles, even if you don’t know about it, and there’s zero shame in that.
- I also have really struggled physically this year too. Thankfully, in December we started getting some solutions in place for all areas of my health that I’m slowly seeing the benefits of. I’m hopeful that things will start trending upward in the best way over the next few months.
- I closed down Single Mom Meal Prep, which was a bummer. But a few weeks later, God opened the door to another business venture that I’m very deep in the trenches of right now and am hopeful about the outcome.
- It’s been really hard to re-grow my photography business to the level it used to be at. I slowed things down for a couple of years because I was exhausted, and it’s hard sometimes to not get discouraged!
- Like everyone else, finances continue to be very tight, and I’m so thankful for a stable salary.
What I’m taking into 2025 with me:
- A renewed mindset around motherhood – things were getting kind of rough there for a minute.
- Prioritizing what I’m able and willing to do and not feeling bad or guilty about saying no to obligations or relationships that aren’t currently serving me. Easier said than done.
- I started doodling more in 2025, and practicing more hand lettering. I’ve got a fresh sketchbook for 2025, and I’m excited to keep being creative!
- Continuing to lean into prayer and follow God’s will for my life!
- Implementing easy daily + weekly rhythms in our family life
- Intentional + focused time off (more unplugged hours from my phone, and I’m starting to implement a weekly Sabbath!)
The Photos 🙂
Linda is a Portland-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies from Portland to Boston and across New England. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com.
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