Betancourt Blessings: A Year in Review: 2017

This year would undoubtedly, have to be the best year of my life. Of course, it was not without it’s challenges and difficulties, but the blessings 100% outweighed the trials. Check out previous Year in Review Posts: 2016, 2015, 2011. Guessing I skipped the other years :D

January 2017:

Went to Universal Studios for the first time and visited Harry Potter world

Spent a night in the Emergency Room with a nasty ovarian cyst

Had a visit from my mom over the Martin Luther King Day holiday

Nick was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Nick received the Aaronic Priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Nick and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary of dating

Nick entered an LDS temple for the first time

February 2017:

Nick spoiled me for Valentine’s Day by buying me my first pair of diamond earrings

Nick and I travelled to Tombstone, Arizona to visit the O.K. Coral

Nick and I stayed in a tiny house! 

We dressed up as a Lord and a Lady at the AZ Renaissance Festival

Nick proposed on February 25th in front of the Phoenix temple

March 2017:

My mom visited for Spring Break

I bought my wedding dress!

Nick and I took our first set of engagement pictures up in Sedona

April 2017:

Nick and I took our second set of engagement pictures in Phoenix

Nick and I travelled to Provo, Utah to visit old college friends for my birthday

I got my first speeding ticket

Nick and I attended my Mission Reunion

May 2017:

Nick and I signed the lease on our first apartment together

We attended the Mesa Easter Pageant
We travelled to Miami to watch Nick's sister Sarah graduate from the University of Miami

Nick and I finished our first year of teaching
I went horseback riding for the first time
I shot a gun for the first time!
We visited the Tucson LDS Temple Open House
My beautiful friends hosted me a beautiful bridal shower

Nick and I finished our first year of Graduate school, both with 4.0 GPA’s

Nick earned a Teacher of Distinction award from Grand Canyon University

June 2017:

Nick and I embarked on our two month cross-country road trip!

We visited the Four Corners National Monument

We hiked Canyonlands National Park

We hiked Arches National Park

We were rear-ended just outside of Denver, Colorado

We visited Denver, Colorado

We visited Garden of the Gods

We took a cog railway train car up 14,000 feet to the summit of Pikes Peak

We visited Kansas City, Missouri

We visited all of the LDS church history sites in Missouri (Liberty Jail, Independence, Adam-ondhi-Ahman,

and Far West)

We spent two glorious days in Nauvoo, Illinois

Nick met my dad for the first time
We held a beautiful Open House with all my friends and family growing up

We visited Kirtland, Ohio

We had a blast at the roller coaster capital of the world: Cedar Point

We visited Mamma and Pappa Smith in Clarksville, Tennessee

We stayed with Nick’s family in Miami, Florida

July 2017:

My parents travelled to Florida

All of our closest friends and family travelled to Miami, Florida

We had a combined bachelor and bachelorette party playing barrier ball soccer

NICK AND I GOT MARRIED ON THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DAY OF OUR LIVES

Nick and I took our honeymoon on a Royal Caribbean Cruise for one week

We visited St. Marteen

We visited Anguilla

We visited Haiti

We visited San Juan, Puerto Rico

We swam with dolphins

We snorkeled through a coral reef

We visited St. Augustine before heading on our road trip again!

We used our Atlanta City Pass all in one day

We visited Birmingham, Alabama

We visited Jesse in Amarillo, Texas

We moved into our new apartment

We bought a LOT of furniture

Nick assembled all of the furniture to make our apartment our new home

August 2017:
Nick and I started our second year teaching
We started our 2nd year of Graduate School
We began attending a family ward
Nick and I got our first couples massage

September 2017:
Nick and I got callings in our family ward: as ward missionaries and me as a Visiting Teaching Supervisor
We travelled to Provo, Utah for General Conference (Nick's first time in the Conference Center)

October 2017:
My mom visited for Fall Break, where we celebrated an early Thanksgiving and Christmas
We celebrated Nick's birthday by visiting the Odysea Aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland
Nick procured a Super Nintendo

November 2017:
We celebrated Thanksgiving in sunny California, visiting various beaches, Santa Monica, and LA
We visited Arizona Wildlife World, the largest zoo we've ever been too

December 2017:
Nick and I visited the Lights of the World
We finished our 3rd semester of graduate school, both with 4.0 GPA's
We saw The Forgotten Carols at ASU's Gammage Theater
We celebrated our first Christmas together as a married couple
We travelled to St. Augustine and Miami to celebrate Christmas the New Year with Nick's family