2014: By The Numbers

Good morning friends!

I know I said I wouldn't be blogging much this week due to being out of town, but...

Thanks to insomnia, I'm the only one up and I have a feeling it's going to be that way for awhile. I've got a delicious cup of coffee, a gorgeous view over the top of the laptop of Lake of Egypt in Illinois, and I'm wide awake. Therefore, time to blog! I've got a couple of fun, year-end posts to share to wrap up 2014. I actually started this post in January of 2014, to keep track of all the events that took place this year, and right now I'm putting the finishing touches on it. Just for y'all :)

Let's jump right in, shall we?


-21º : Coldest it got in South Shore (that's a wind chill reading) during the January 2014 Polar Vortex
-1º: Coldest day in January

5000: tons of chemicals spilled into Elk River in West Virginia in January
6: days most people were without water
5: Sochi puppies that were adopted by American skier Gus Kenworthy at the 2014 Winter Olympics

image source:
http://laurenoutloud.com/main/index.php/2014/02/

28: Consecutive days we had snow from January 22 to February 19
9: Bags of bird seed we went through during the polar vortex

239- People unaccounted for on the still-missing Malaysian Flight 370
162- People unaccounted for on the now-missing AirAsia flight
698- hits on my blog the day it was featured on The Country Cook in March

2587- hits on my blog the day it was featured on The Country Cook in May
36,537- times my recipe for Pecan Pie Cake has been viewed

1579- times my recipe for Sticky Sweet Baked Chicken has been viewed
2- Number of days it took to fluctuate from 85º to 22º in April
28:53- My PR in the 5K at the Lucky Charms Run in Huntington, WV
1- plants killed during planting(oregano)
83- percentage of zucchini seedlings I planted that sprouted
4 -baby zucchinis that rotted
90- percentage of plants that outgrew containers
400-approximate number of braconoid wasp eggs laid in my garden
3.5- total cucumbers I received before the Spotted Cucumber Beetle diseased my plant

11- bags of pesto I froze from garden-grown basil
7- days my brother came to visit in August
4.5- amount of innings we would have been late to the Red's game because we stayed too long in the bar (we ended up not going! LOL)

5 yards- amount of beer consumed at that bar
3-pairs of running shoes purchased
1:12:09- my PR for a 7-mile race in August

1:10:39- my PR on my first 10K (or rather, the jumping off point!)
86.9- miles the hubby and I ran in August while training for the 7-mile race
7.5- hours it took our family fantasy football league to complete what should have been a 1.5 hour draft
80- Age my aunt turned this year, resulting in a family get-together in Minneapolis

1622- miles we drove round-trip to Minneapolis
42- dollar amount of fines we accrued for not having cash at the toll booths while driving through Chicago
8 days, 7 nights- amount of time my parents spent with us in September
81- percentage of "House of Cards" episodes my mom binged on while visiting
10- amount of stars I give the Senate's food in Cincinnati
2.5- days it took for the hubby to devour his birthday Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

85- average temperature in Cancun while we were there

32- amount in US dollars it cost for a bottle of sunscreen at our resort (no, we didn't buy any!!)
44- amount in US dollars a bottle of Kendall Jackson wine was in Cancun (heck no, we didn't buy any!!)
8- new dishes I tried in Mexico
21- amount of coatimundas I fed at 1 time

60- minutes the hubby and I got a couples massage while in Cancun
20- minutes it took for me to relax into the massage
100- percentage of days it rained while we were in Mexico
15- hours it took in total travel to get home from Mexico
1.5- days it took for me to catch a cold upon returning home from Mexico
3.5- days it took for hubby to catch that cold
17- days into November we were before winter officially arrived with snow and temperatures in the teens
38- minutes it took to run 5k after taking a month off!
14.3- amount of miles ran in November
39.9- amount of miles ran in December
12- amount of minutes it took for me to choose my Christmas Cookie baking menu
1 million- ideas for cookies I had while browsing Pinterest (it's possible this could be a slight exaggeration)

image source:
http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/11/50-cookie-exchange-recipes/

114- Google+ followers gained in 2014
21- Blogger members gained in 2014
340- FaceBook followers gained in 2014


~What a great year! Here's to making 2015 great!~