Top 17 Photos in 2017

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one way that my husband and i like to review our year is to look through all of the photos we took over the year! it’s absurd how many more photos we take now that there is a kid involved (i’m talking thousands).

feel free to join in on your own blog, facebook, instagram or whatever your heart desires! tag us so we can stalk see your year (@thenewwifestyle @averytoday)!

here are my top 17 photos of 2017 (in chronological order because we all know i hate picking favorites):

1. women’s march

i wrote more about this previously and why the women’s march was such a pivotal moment. it called out our current administration and the blatant sexism and racism they are engaging in. it demonstrated the millions of people (women, men and children) who will not stand for it.

the fact that i marched with my mom and 3.5 month old daughter was powerful. let’s keep peacefully fighting the dangerous and harmful administration – they are not a representation of what most americans want and think.

2. painting the deck

i included this because to me, it’s the epitome of homeownership! we worked very hard to be able to afford to purchase our home around this time last year and we absolutely adore living where we do. when we moved in, the deck was huge and awesome but needed some serious TLC.

i am also very glad we decided to go with the gray stain, it changed our whole back yard! it makes us happy and proud because we (well, me: 70% and ravery 30%) did all of the power-washing and painting!

i know, it’s technically two photos but you obviously need a before and after shot!

  3. entrepreneur’s organization event in germany

as previously mentioned, jetsetting to germany to support ravery in speaking at entrepreneur’s organization was a game changer for me. we met incredible people who grew their businesses massively and understood the challenges of entrepreneurship. we found our people and damn, it feels good!

4. kona

sometimes people don’t believe me when i tell them my husband rocks a speedo. well, here’s the proof (or if you watch my instastories…sometimes he wears this during atlas’ swim class). the guy can leave the water polo team but apparently the water polo team attire stays forever.

we had a great time on our avery-family trip to hawaii! remember how my in-laws had to travel with atlas to seattle where we flew from germany to seattle to meet them? there was a lot of running and sweating and stressing to make that flight but we did! this was the first time atlas saw the ocean too (not pictured)!

5. travel + united kingdom

a month after hawaii, we all hopped a plane to cross the pond to the united kingdom! this is one of my very favorite photos of us – the pure joy and happiness on atlas’ face completely melts my heart (and my wind-swept hair is on point)!

we had quite the adventure traveling to nine different places across the united kingdom together with a 9 month old. we also had a fair share of mishaps as well…

6. bff surprise

this was seriously SUCH an epic surprise we pulled off for ravery! our best friends alison and matt ventured from portland to come hang out with for a long weekend. they literally hid in the back of my mom’s car and surprised ravery so hardcore he totally teared up when i asked him to get something out of my mom’s trunk!

the three of us had been planning it for months and i am SO PROUD THAT NONE OF US RUINED IT! ravery truly had no idea and said it was probably the best surprise of his life.

miss you people. come back (but please don’t surprise me).

7. eclipse

this picture totally cracks me up – we had no idea it was being taken and it makes me so happy. my mom and max the dog were totally ready though. we had such fun experiencing totality of the eclipse in missouri with my family in august!

my grandparents went all out and it’s a memory we shall all treasure! i am grateful that we are able to make spending time with our great families a priority.

8. atlas’ first birthday

family photo from attie’s first birthday (i was practicing taking photos without glasses to prepare for lasik). while sugar doesn’t love to be held, she absolutely loves the addition of atlas to the family and that makes me so happy! we had family fly out to celebrate her golden first birthday and it was grand.

9. “yes oh yes she did!” birthday surprise

also during atlas’ first birthday party – a huge secret was revealed! my nana and husband worked on a book together and no one in our family knew about it! it was epic. like, whoa. you can order the book here and 100% of the profits are donated to various organizations empowering young girls!

good on ya nana and ravery – seriously so thoughtful!

10. me getting LASIK!

you’re welcome for including this photo as opposed to one of lasers in my eyes (but if you want to see that, here is the full recap).

i have wanted LASIK since i was 15 and this was the first year i could actually afford it. it’s amazing and i love it. and i also love this photo of the three of us taken in granby, colorado for our first snow of the season!

11. tom petty

ravery surprised me with tickets to see tom petty in L.A. earlier this year. when he gave them to me in june, he said “we need to make it a priority to see artists and people we admire. we never know how long they will be around.” tom petty died 10 days after we saw him at his second to last concert at the hollywood bowl on 9/22/17.

i have been a fan of tom petty since middle school and then developed a hearty crush on him. i don’t take it lightly that i got to see him one more time before he passed away. it was a night to remember for sure!

12. telluride mountains

mountains have a special way of putting me into a check. yes, the ocean is vast and amazing but when i took this photo in telluride, colorado, i felt the magnitude of the world around me.

13. dad’s birthday celebration

we headed back to the mountains to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday! my sister and her family flew in to celebrate and it was an ultra-relaxing weekend in a cabin. i dreamed of the day where we could afford to celebrate our parents like this and this was the first year we could put it in our budget!

14. our fierce lion

if you don’t have an iphone that has portrait mode on it, you are missing out!  i absolutely love this photo of all three of us, taken a few days before halloween. our little attie really is our fierce little lion who is going to do big things in this world!

15. joining the board for camp paha!

talk about full circle! my first job at 16 was a counselor for a camp called camp paha – a day camp for kids and young adults with disabilities! i worked there for 5 years and it completely changed my life. it sent me on my path to social work and gave me such a different view of the world during pretty formative years.

i was asked to join the board (called ‘friends of paha‘) in october and i am so thrilled! it truly is a life changing thing to be a part of and i am grateful to be a part of it!

16. adding a new family member

instead of a baby addition to the family like last year, we added an adult! aunt penny, pictured all the way to the right, joined the avery family this year! while it is a long story about how it all went down (but definitely call me nancy drew), earlier this year we found out ravery’s grandmother had another daughter! after 33 years of penny searching, she found the averys this year!

she has been a wonderful addition to a wild, crazy and loving family!

17. speaking together

getting back on stage and with my husband no less felt incredible. there were days earlier on in my postpartum depression that i truly felt like i’d never feel like me again or wanting to speak on stage. shout out again to EO (see #3) for being our people!

i am grateful to my husband, friends and family for helping me rediscover who i am now that i have added ‘mom’ to a part of my identity. it’s been quite the journey this far and instead of feeling anxious and terrified for what the future holds, i also feel excitement!

there we have it folks. my top 17 photos of 2017! feel free to join scan through your photos from this year and remember the big and small moments that make this year worth remembering!

take a gander and how my husband’s year shaped up on his post!

ps. i linked up with helene and she had quite the epic year too!

11 Comments

  1. Audrey

    December 20, 2017 at 10:57 am

    I love these pictures, Chelsea! Especially the Women’s March, the first snow (post-lasik) pic, and the final one with you speaking alongside Mr. WS! Such special moments from 2017! This is a great way to wrap it all up, too!
    Love the pics from Mr. WS’s site, too! Especially that dinner party one and the one of you gardening!!

    • chelsea

      January 16, 2018 at 9:26 pm

      aww thanks for checking both of ours out, audrey! i find it so therapeutic and helpful to process the previous year via photos

  2. Paula Howley

    December 20, 2017 at 11:14 am

    LOVE Attie’s little front teeth. Adorable. GREAT pics!
    Also, more men should wear Speedos. That is all.

    • chelsea

      January 16, 2018 at 9:26 pm

      bahaha oh paula. you never cease to crack my shit up.

  3. Marilyn Jess

    December 22, 2017 at 11:53 am

    Every one of these is wonderful. If I had to choose…..#5, because Atlas’ expression is so adorable, plus I was also in the U.K. This year–it’s a magical place. Cheers!

    • chelsea

      January 16, 2018 at 9:27 pm

      i absolutely ADORE the pure joy expressed on her face in that photo too, marilyn! i am going to go back through some of your photos of scotland because we are headed there in a few months!

  4. Elyse @ Just Murrayed

    December 27, 2017 at 11:33 am

    Such great photos! You’ve had an awesome year! I think my favourite is the Women’s March photo – such a wonderful statement photo!

    • chelsea

      January 16, 2018 at 9:28 pm

      it really was an incredible gathering of people publicly stating we are NOT in favor or support of the current administration

  5. Pingback: 2017 Top 17 Photos - Sheila Cameron

  6. Sheila Cameron

    December 27, 2017 at 6:13 pm

    Love your photos and year in review. So cool to meet a lost family member–love that! I was inspired to post my 17 photos too — thanks for the push!

    • chelsea

      January 16, 2018 at 9:28 pm

      yay! glad you did the 17 photos too, sheila! it’s so wild that we added a new family member – it’s been a fun process!