a look back, 2015 I recently saw a post where the host, in review of her site, took the first post of each month of 2015 to look back on the year. I thought that was a fun way to summarize the year on a blog. I’m sorry I don’t have the name of her site…

2015 was an eventful year for me personally as well as here at the blog. One of the things that stands out in my mind is my attempt to take the “Year Of Happy” course. It was a fail. Not that I wasn’t happy in 2015 but around four months into it, I got kind of bored with it. One of the problems from my point of view was, there was no discussion on the site posts. Without discussion with others taking the class or the host herself, how were we to reinforce the program? She took the discussion to facebook but to me, it removed the immediacy of the discussion. Eventually, without interaction, I lost interest. So that was a fail for me. Anyway, I’m going to also include some personal pics and events along with the link to the first post of each month for 2015.

Back to the blog, turns out we covered quite a variety of topics and dare I say there was hardly a dull moment. Well, there may have been a few dull moments… 😉

We began January, 2015 with a bang. My first post of the year proved to be one of the most popular of 2015, 5 Tips For Handling The Divorce Bully. Ironically, I just received a comment on this post this morning, almost twelve months later!

February started with a very personal post in the Wine Diaries, My Sweetly Shattered Dream. This one generated a healthy discussion. The pains of the end of a marriage and the beginnings of a new life are laid out for all to see. I think many women can relate to that one.

March began with my opinionated commentary on reality show Sister Wives season finale. Divorce Plural Style takes a look at divorce in a plural marriage and whether it’s easier or harder for a man with multiple wives to let one go.

April started with a warning. Don’t Re-Marry For Any Of These 5 Reasons lists some reasons to avoid a second marriage. Perhaps sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the moment of romance is better than making plans that involve FOREVER with someone we’re only beginning to get acquainted with. This month was special for me because my daughter and I took a road trip to Seattle. My daughter has always wanted to go there so I finally said yes, even though it was about a boy. She wanted to go to a show with said boy. She took the old lady too even though it might have been a two for the show moment. And I swear I felt the spirit of Kurt Cobain that night. One of the best parts of that trip was our trip to the Chihuly Glass Museum;

a look back, 2015 dale chihuly glass sculpture

Inside the museum, there is a feast of bright, bold glass sculptures all by Dale Chihuly

alana and me selfie

Our only selfie together. It’s grainy and without a flash inside the museum but still captures the moment quite nicely.

a look back, 2015 dale chihuly glass sculpture

The glass gardens outside. That blue is spectacular. My daughter took this pic with me in it but I edited myself out realizing that I need to go on a diet 🙂

May got us off to a courageous start. Why we need courage to make our life the best it can possibly be and why we can be afraid and brave at the same time. One of my favorite posts, A Shot Of Courage

June began with a look at the Best Divorce TV Shows. If you haven’t tuned into Grace and Frankie on Netflix, give it a go. It’s up for a Golden Globe award. Also, Girlfriend’s Guide To Divorce just started a new season. Check the original post for more info…

July we were full into summer but that didn’t stop me from thinking about practical things like how to get your career restarted after divorce. Career Reboot For SAHMS takes a look at the new opportunities for single moms including work from home jobs.

August I took a full month off blogging and worked on other writing projects. This was a great break and from what all my Escapees told me, they were enjoying a summer break as well. I don’t think we went anywhere. My Son came for a visit and we spent time at the beach, out for dinner, went to a movie and simply hung out. That’s the last time I saw him 🙁 and that’s why I’m so excited that one week from today he and his sister will be here with me!!

September began with my first sponsored post by The Canterbury Law Group. Plan Your Divorce Strategy is full of practical tips for STARTING your divorce.  Personally, September started with a bang (not that kind) when we went to see my favorite band of all time, The Dave Matthews Band. It has been over ten years since I saw them last. Too long. My Step Son turned 23 and my annual gift to him is my homemade cheesecake. It didn’t disappoint. I also celebrated my 51st Birthday in September and on that day posted about one of my favorite ladies, Erin Brockovich 🙂  I also got a beautiful Birthday present from my Beau. A trip to the Okanagan wineries and every bottle I chose? On him…he’s so sweet.

me and dmb tix

my pre-concert selfie. I am clearly no Kim Kardashian.

a look back 2015

There he is…the wine attendant was cute as well. You will not see my Beau in any other jeans than Levi’s and that’s no lie. Also, if not a grey shirt than a white one. His face is not showing because he will not allow me to post any pics of him to protect his mysterious identity. He really isn’t the elephant man but his privacy is important to him and I respect that. Sort of.

October began with a serious discussion about the ‘M’ word. Let’s Talk About the ‘M’ Word is all about investing what we have wisely…not simply budgeting but trying our best to make the most of the money we have. My kids also celebrated their Birthdays in October. My daughter turned 23 and my son turned 21.

November, which was only last month but in some ways seems long ago, began with a tour of my apartment. Hello! Come On In, I’ll Put Coffee On is quite revealing in learning what a messy  cozy  apartment I live in. My daughter came for  a wonderful one week visit. We went shopping, to yoga, went on walks, had nice dinners out, and basically relaxed. My Son was finishing off his  eight week Europe trip at this time and yes, he was in Paris the night of the attacks. Thank God he and his 3 best friends were safe in their hostel when it happened. They got out of the city the next day as was planned. He arrived home on November 17th so that was when I was able to exhale…

December. It’s half over now and the Season is upon us. SCREECH. Could someone please put the brakes on? I didn’t get everything done that I had set out for 2015. Oh, well. As they say, time waits for no one. So, I began this month with my Christmas Prep Roundup (which was only last week). I hope that inspired you to get started on your Holiday preparations. It helped me…I’m wrapping and baking today.

How was your year in a month by month summary? Did you have a favorite post here for 2015?

Don’t forget Escapees, my book is available as a paperback:




as well as an ebook and makes a wonderful gift for a friend starting her divorce process.

The great Escape; A Girl's Guide to Leaving a Marriage book cover image

Thank you for your support, comments and all that you contribute here at The Great Escape Blog. Your comments make it all worthwhile. I will likely post before the end of December but will miss next week. So have a very Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays!!

 

30 Comments

  1. Ahmed

    August 16, 2016 at 9:37 am

    thanks for the great information

  2. My Top Spills and Thrills of 2015 | Her Headache

    January 5, 2016 at 9:41 am

    […] This is how it’s done. […]

  3. Mohammed

    December 29, 2015 at 2:06 am

    Oaah!! amazing information. Thanks for the share.

    • lisa

      December 31, 2015 at 5:19 pm

      Thanks for stopping by, Mohammed!

  4. Marie Kléber

    December 22, 2015 at 2:43 am

    This is awesome Lisa! A great way to look at the year and see where we came from and where we are now, where we are heading to.
    Have a fabulous Christmas Lisa!
    Much love form sunny Paris.

    • lisa

      December 22, 2015 at 9:09 am

      Hi Marie, it’s amazing to see a year in our life summarized by our writing. Not sure where I’m heading to for 2016 though and feel I better think on that. But first, eggnog and celebrations. Have wonderful Christmas with your little one, Marie!

  5. Vishnu

    December 20, 2015 at 10:53 pm

    As a newer reader, I appreciated this post Lisa! Thanks so much for sharing your year end review and the personal highs and lows. i just clicked through a bunch of these links 🙂 and was able to see the different types of posts and your unique perspective.

    I didn’t realize there were so many shows about divorce by the way – looks like divorce is the new black. haha happy holidays and new year 🙂

    • lisa

      December 22, 2015 at 9:07 am

      Hi Vishnu, thanks for checking out the other posts. I do write a variety of topics with a similar theme. Divorce is the new black…I love it 🙂

  6. My Inner Chick

    December 20, 2015 at 7:40 pm

    Super Review, Lisa!
    BTW, you are MUCH BETTER and MUCH more interesting than Kim Kardashian.!!! xxxx

    • lisa

      December 22, 2015 at 9:07 am

      Thanks, Kim!! Haha, KK has nothin’ on me—LOL. Love ya! xxx

  7. Maniparna Sengupta Majumder

    December 20, 2015 at 10:57 am

    That was an eventful year for you, Lisa. We all have our regular ups and downs, that being a part of life. But, still, as you’ve wrapped it up, it sounds good 🙂
    The picture of the glass garden is amazing!

    Wish you happy holidays and a wonderful 2016 ahead… 🙂

    • lisa

      December 22, 2015 at 9:06 am

      Hi Mani, thank you and indeed life is a see saw. It’s always interesting though. Happy Holidays to you and we’ll see you in 2016!

  8. Liv

    December 18, 2015 at 12:22 pm

    What a wonderful year – I hope to make it to Seattle some day…I’m (hopefully) headed to Baltimore in 2016 – maybe 2017!

    Have enjoyed all of those posts – what a great way to cap them off…I wonder – do you mind if I borrow this idea?

    • lisa

      December 19, 2015 at 4:36 pm

      Hi Liv, Seattle is a really vibrant and fun city. I really enjoyed it and want to go back. We actually walked everywhere except when an Uber was required. The restaurants are pretty amazing, too. I don’t mind at all if you use this idea of the year in posts. I will enjoy reading it!

  9. Charlotte

    December 18, 2015 at 10:30 am

    I remember (and loved!) so many of these posts. Also you are so incredibly adorable 🙂 Love the photo of you with tickets and with your daughter. So sweet! Also I <3 DMB so much. Haven't seen him perform in AGES. This is totally random, but have you ever seen the show Brooklyn 99? There's a detective on that show named Charles Boyle who reminds me so much of Dave Matthews.

    <3 the selfie with your daughter 🙂 Sweetness. Hope you are starting to feel better, love! XOXO

    • lisa

      December 19, 2015 at 4:34 pm

      Thank you, Charlotte! Oooh, so happy to hear you are a fan of DMB as well. I haven’t heard of Brooklyn99 but I will look for it now. 🙂 I am starting to feel better today and just in time!

  10. Brenda P

    December 17, 2015 at 9:04 am

    What an awesome review of your year, Lisa! You’ve covered so many interesting and heartfelt topics this year. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us in 2016! Keep rockin’ sister!

    B

    • lisa

      December 17, 2015 at 11:21 am

      Thank you so much Bren! I need that ‘Keep rockin’ sister’ message today. Motivation for 2016…which I haven’t begun to plan. See ya over at MGP 🙂

  11. Stella Chiu

    December 17, 2015 at 5:53 am

    Hi, Lisa

    It is a nice way to sum up your year of 2015. Thanks for your transparency.

    Not surprising, the first post of each month can reflect your progress, the fall back, happiness , mistakes, etc . Thanks for sharing all this to us.

    Happy Holidays!

    Stella Chiu

    • lisa

      December 17, 2015 at 11:20 am

      Very observant, Stella. There wasn’t a plan to that pattern but indeed the topics covered such a variety of emotions. Happy Holidays to you, too!

  12. Jane Thrive

    December 16, 2015 at 4:08 pm

    Lisa,
    I loved this post–thanks for recapping the year! That’s a wonderful idea…I might steal it for my last post of the year… <3 <3 <3

    Happiest of holidays to you. I'm so glad the internet brought us together!

    • lisa

      December 17, 2015 at 5:19 am

      Hi Jane, oh yes, definitely do a year in review for Live,Love,Thrive. I look forward to reading that! Happy Holidays to you, too. Hope it’s wonderful with the kids and in-laws! Me, too—so glad we’re friends. Maybe one day we’ll meet in person 🙂

  13. Tamara

    December 16, 2015 at 9:53 am

    I remember so much of this!
    I hope if Scarlet ever goes to Seattle, “about a boy” or not, she’ll invite me to come along.
    I can’t wait to write year in review posts. I love them. I do them every year between Christmas and New Year’s. It all creeped up FAST. I’m happy to take 2-3 weeks off from many sponsored posts too.

    • lisa

      December 17, 2015 at 5:17 am

      Hi Tamara, I’m sure you will be making some trips with Scarlet (as you have already) when she’s older and you’ll have a blast. I look forward to your year end post! It’s really fun to re-cap and see the variety of topics you’ve covered. Merry Christmas, Tamara. Hope you have a wonderful season with your family!

  14. Harleena Singh

    December 15, 2015 at 9:26 pm

    Hi Lisa,

    Interesting indeed 🙂

    It’s a nice way to roundup this year, as you shared the various posts, right from January onward- good idea! You sure covered a wide variety of topics, from your personal front to the rest, and just the way it should be. I cannot list it all out here, or it would fill up this comment box! But it’s been a nice experience to start guest post on my blog now, more the merrier, isn’t it?

    Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead, and a lovely year as well 🙂

    • lisa

      December 15, 2015 at 9:53 pm

      Thank you Harleena! Yes, your blog has sure evolved over this past year and now enjoying more guest posts. You have a great week as well and will definitely be seeing you in 2016. I know the year holds all kinds of new topics over at ahaNow.com!!

  15. Balroop Singh

    December 15, 2015 at 8:35 pm

    Hi Lisa,

    That is a wonderful way of wrapping up an year…undoubtedly a very eventful one!
    Thanks for sharing those lovely pics too. You are looking so cute!
    All your posts were awesome dear friend and I look forward to more in 2016.
    My year was quite happy and peaceful. The highlight of my year was two more grandchildren – twins! And a family get together.
    Wishing you too Happy Holidays and Merry ‘Xmas.

    • lisa

      December 15, 2015 at 9:51 pm

      Hi Balroop, thank you so much 😀 Oh, wow. I didn’t know you have TWIN grandchildren to add to your growing family. I would love to see a few pics on your blog one day… Congrats!

  16. Chrys Fey

    December 15, 2015 at 5:26 pm

    I loved this month-by-month look back on your blog. It was an adventure reading your posts. I’m looking forward to what you’ll have for us in 2016. 🙂

    And who needs to be Kim Kardashian? You look great!

    • lisa

      December 15, 2015 at 5:59 pm

      Thanks, Chrys! It was kind of fun to see the variety of topics and a few personal events. There’s always so much to be grateful for and looking back is a great reminder.

      Right on! Who needs KK, anyway 🙂

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