Wow, there are so many collages on Instagram right now! is actually a real thought that went through my head before I realized that it was because there was a hashtag — #2015bestnine — and a website that threw together a person’s top 9 most-liked photos of 2015. Since I like to be a sheep sometimes I, naturally, had to find out mine.

Bah. 

It’s interesting because at first I looked at this mix of very, very different images, and was slightly surprised that these were the favorites. But on closer inspection, it really managed to capture so much of our 2015. Josh turned 13 and we celebrated his bar mitzvah party with a great, big fun Green Bay Packers-themed soiree and I got to look like a princess for a night because why not. Also we gave out selfie sticks. Miss Emily graduated 8th grade and started high school this year. We sold our house and bought a new house. That’s one of my most favorite photos of Isabella ever taken — it was from the Fernbank Science Center and was taken during the year that we lived there. And, well, I guess everyone likes Canada and mildly political t-shirts?

All five of us are represented, which is impressive.

2015 was a really good year for our family.

I started a new job that I love. The kids each started a brand-new school, and are each just flourishing. I have grown my photography business more in just this year alone that I had expected to in my five-year plan. I got to hang out (and sing) with The Indigo Girls. I started my own podcast. I successfully “escaped a room.” I mastered my curling iron. I discovered cold brew coffee. I photographed a landfill. I got my first umbrella and walked with Israel and watched by son play football and my girls dance on stage and Isabella in High School Musical and Emily shoot a commercial. I watched Shia LaBeouf watch all of this movies. I read (a pretty respectable) almost 40 books. I built a snowman and dressed as a flapper and now can run my own photobooths. I watched The Wire again, and fell in love with Kingdom, and said goodbye to Mad Men. I sent both my oldest and my middle on airplane alone for the first time — one to Chicago and one to Seattle. I got big girl furniture. I introduced my kids to rollerskating. I learned what Vision Therapy was. I went to Nashville. I watched my husband compete on MasterChef Canada.

As I look ahead to 2016, I can’t help but wonder what it has in store for me.

As far as goals go, here are mine, in no particular order.

See also: Actually answer my phone, eat less like a frat boy, and sleep better.

(YEAH RIGHT)