2018.

2018. A year full of emotions, milestones and memories that will never be forgotten. It was a year I was looking forward to professionally in leadership and development. It was a year our daughter discovered so much new and exciting things. It was year my son grew into a young man. It was a year I cried more than I knew I could. It was a year I said goodbye to my Dad earlier than anyone ever wanted to. 

I of course had to cave into doing the Instagram top nine post and see what my top posts were this year. The kids exploring, some my favorite adventures in my leadership development journey, almond orchards, our first kid free vacation and saying goodbye to my dad. It was a full year.

May 30th, 2018 will be a day I will always remember. I can’t recap the year without that day first popping in my head. I wish I could have had more of the year, or years more of memories. My Dad will always be in my heart. Grief is a long process and I will be overcoming that pain for a long time coming. Thank you all for caring so much and being there for me during this difficult time. I appreciate your kind messages and prayers. You guys were kind enough to read my post on saying goodbye to my Dad and making it my third most read post for 2018.

I wouldn't be an agriculture blogger without talking about farming and our challenges in California agriculture. That is why my number two most popular blog post was about a big challenge we faced this year. Almond bloom is one of the most important times of year for an almond tree. This year we faced freezing temperatures during this sensitive time frame and it brought a whole set of challenges for us. Farming has its challenges and many are out of our control, but we continue on.

This year was also about growing myself and my leadership skills. I overcame some big obstacles and advanced myself more than I knew I could as a leader. I took on more than I knew I was capable of and proved to myself that I am stronger than I thought. I attended many agriculture conferences and seminars in various different capacities and boards I serve on.

My favorite was probably the same one you guys recognized as my top blog post for 2018. Everyone has their own definition of Modern Agriculture and that is what makes agriculture so unique. The agriculture advances over the years have helped agriculture evolve into one of the great industries to be a part of.  I am so proud to be a part of this great industry and have had the privilege of representing some of the greatest young farmers and ranchers this year.  This next year I have even bigger leadership goals for myself and am excited for more challenges and growth. 

I know every parent says this, but this year my kids grew up so much! They aren’t babies anymore. At four, my son is now a young man. He really takes on more responsibility and can do more than I think he is capable of. He really has matured and amazes me what he understands of the world around him. At 18 months, my daughter is no longer a baby. Miss independent has new words every day, a new found sassy streak, wants to do everything herself and thinks she’s capable of anything. 

Our family has definitely had our share of highs and lows this year.

We have been on a crazy journey this year and it ended with the hardest holiday season yet. We have been very busy planning for our future. This next year will bring even more new and exciting things to our life. A lot of new is coming our way. It’s been a crazy few weeks, with even more crazy and chaos coming for the months ahead. It’s gunna be good, and I can’t wait to share it with you all when we are ready. 

Get in. Sit down. Buckle up. Hold on. Get ready for a new year.

Until Next Time,

Almond Girl Jenny