Seeing as I did such a terrible job of blogging in 2017, I thought the best way to bring everybody up to speed was to do a ‘Fealy Family 2017 Highlight’s reel’ post, so here goes …..
The major events of 2017 were Matt’s Nuffield Australia scholarship travels (Matt spent a total of twelve weeks last year overseas!), my QLD Rural Women’s finalist award, a trip to Bali for the kids and I, a visit from the Brissy cousins and Jack finishing primary school and graduating as the male school dux along with receiving the instrumental music award for the year. Pretty awesome all in all.
However, if I had to describe 2017 in one word, I think I would have to choose ‘overdone’. It was a fantastic year, so many amazing things, but looking back we definitely overstretched ourselves and pushed our little family to the limits of what we could cope with, and to be honest, without all the help we received from our extended family – I think the wheels would have fallen off.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that I’m pretty sure I’ve got a bit of post traumatic stress disorder going on as a result of 2017 – honestly, not joking – I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really think it is ‘a thing’, which is translating in to a very cautious and slow start to 2018. It has also seen some activities that had been a big part of my life for a few years, have to be let go to ensure 2018 is not a repeat of 2017. So goodbye to my role as Blogging Team Director for Country to Canberra and farewell to writing my ‘View From the Paddock’ articles for the Queensland Country Life – so hard decide what to let go, but something had to give as I’ve just kept adding to the ‘Jess pile’ for a few years without dropping much off along the way.
So when you check out this post, know that it was an amazing, amazing year for us, but it didn’t happen with out a bucket load of hard work and really digging deep into the ‘grit and get it done’ stuff at times, help from Grammy & Grunda and Grandma and Grandad Bill, and several doozy arguments between Matt and I, along with many tears, a least two melt down “I can’t do this” moments, and a lot of anxious, sleep broken nights.
My hope for 2018 is that it will also be a top year, but in more of a ‘slow burn’, endurance race kinda way and that we will have made a few changes for the better this year.
In the end though, we just keep getting up each day and putting one foot in front of the other and trying our best to do better than the day before.
Nothing great is easy, right?!?
Here’s 2017 Crazy Fealy Family style!
January
The kids and I (with Grunda as co-pilot) kicked the year off with a road trip to Tannum Sands to have a week at the beach with Aunty Kate – lots of fun, but it was a looooooooong way! Matt and I did a Toastmasters Public speaking course in anticipation of the year ahead, the townsville cousins came for a visit too!
Townsville cousins visit
Back to School – Jack Gr6, Toby Gr4, Lexi Gr3, Kipp at daycare
February
February was a nice slow month, with time at home on the farm and playing with our Asha cat who joined the family at the end of January.
March
March was madness! Matt spent most of the month in Brazil and I had a trip to Brisbane for an overnight stay each week of March – just crazy and not really sure how we survived that month. I was a finalist in the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award and was a tad devastated not to win in the end and missed not being able to have Matt there with me for the award ceremony. Definitely lost my mojo for a while there after that.
The Amazon River
April
April was a tough month as we had to farewell my beautiful Grandma. The upside was that we got to have all the extended Morris family together over Easter. We also took a trip to Hartleys Creek Crocodile Farm with the kids in the school holidays and Kipp turned three!
Farewell to my lovely Grandma – Gladys Morris
Kipp turns 3!
Hartley’s Creek Crocodile Farm daytrip
May
In May we waved Matt off for nine weeks overseas on his Nuffield Australia travels through Singapore, India, Qatar, Denmark, the UK, the USA and New Zealand. The kids and I undertook our first family overseas trip to Bali to join my sister Beth and her family on holiday. It was a fantastic trip and a memory I will treasure, along with helping to pass the time of Matt being away for so long. Lexi turned eight while we were in Bali. It was also ‘Small Business Week’ during May which was a massive week for me work wise.
June
Matt was still away in June. We had a few days in the school holidays at Mission Beach with the Townsville cousins.
Tracking Dad on the world map
Talking to Dad on the phone
Mission Beach is always fun!
July
We had an awesome visit from the Brisbane cousins and Toby turned 10! And Matt finally came home!
Daytrip to Mt Surprise campdraft with Brisbane cousins to see Grandma and Grandad Bill
School holiday Ben Avon station fun with the Brissy cousins
Toby turns 10!
August
In August we spent some quality family time reconnecting. The passionfruit were removed and we made way for some more avocado trees at Blue Sky – the fresh dirt mounds leant themselves to late afternoon ‘clod war’ fun! We had a visit from Simon and Laura and the kids and I got a complimentary day out on the Kuranda Skyrail thanks to an ‘instameet’. Oh and Kipp discovered makeup hehehehehe!
September
A pretty quiet month – I turned another year older but we don’t need any photographic proof of that!
Tobes off to Pannawonica WA with Grammy and Grunda for two weeks to visit the Campbells
I had a trip to Airlie Beach for work and got to visit Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays – spectacular!
Matt built me a long asked for fire pit for my birthday – hooray!
October
October was a quiet month with just a fantastic daytrip to Fitzroy Island as guests (thanks social media) of Raging Thunder. A full blog post to come on our day here, so, so good!
Oh – we also had a camping trip to Innot Hot Springs with Grammy and Grunda and the Dickinson Family. Lots of fun with fossicking at Mt Gibson and Lava Plains – blog post to come on that too!
Oh and we had a Bell Girls weekend away in Bowen.
And I had a trip to Toowoomba, Bundaberg and Caboolture presenting on Farming Women in Leadership.
Seems October wasn’t that quiet afterall!
Stunning Fitzroy Island!
Mt Gibson
The family that fossicks together, stays together! Lava Plains
Bowen Bell Girls weekend 2017
November
The month of Jack! He turned 12, finished primary school and received a bucketload of awards! Also November was the month for the Future Agro Challenge on the Tablelands which I helped organise and National Ag Day with a ‘Farmer Meets the Foodie Forum’ to celebrate in Mareeba.
Jack finished primary school
Jack Dux, Instrumental Music Award, Maths Award, English Award, Science Award and Toby an academic medal
Jack’s celebration and birthday dinner at the Pagoda chinese restaurant with the grandies
Lexi winning all her races in the pool!
December
We survived the year! I had a quick trip to Canberra for my first ever visit to meet the Country to Canberra team and we finished it off with an awesome Christmas at Ben Avon, Boxing Day at Bew Road and New Year’s in Port Douglas. Wahooo!
Canberra to meet the Country to Canberra team and see the Power trip in Action
School holiday fun – midnight screening of the new star wars movie – in costume of course!
Ben Avon Christmas tree
Santa visits Ben Avon
Christmas Day cricket
Boxing Day at Grammy & Grunda’s
Boxing Day
Pool Resort Port Douglas – so good!
Hope you are all feeling caught up now! How was your 2017? Do you have one word to describe it?
Catch you next week!
Love the Fealy Family xoxoxo
Holy moly what a year Jess! And you all survived with some amazing memories. You are so lucky to have such amazing family around you for support but we all know you are the glue that holds it all together – what a superwoman you are! I’m glad you are taking stock and giving yourself a bit of breathing space this year.
Sounds just like our year – 2017 to me was like being on a treadmill sprinting and the emergency stop button is broken!!!! AARRGHHH! 2018 is not going to be a repeat of 2017.
Great description Trace! Here’s to 2018 being more a long distance run – with a stop button!!
such activity in 2017
I’m not sure we will survive the same rate in 2018. Getting too old.
Thanks for your stories and nice pictures. 🙂
Cheers Sharon…
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