As another year comes to an end, the Prime Team recapped a few of their personal highlights of 2016. It was a great year for our team, from big purchases and weddings to writing a book. We look forward to 2017 and what’s to come!
Sara: A major highlight of 2016 (besides coming to work at Prime, of course) was holding an advanced reader copy (ARC) of my book for the first time – a dream come true. I’ve been working toward this goal for many years, and that was an incredible moment. The book, a contemporary young adult novel, has been on the long and winding road to publication since I started writing it in July of 2011. Through agent and title changes, 15 months on submission to publishing houses, countless rewrites and revisions, a lot of late nights, and endless cups of coffee, THE LAST THING YOU SAID will be available on April 4, 2017 from Amulet Books.
Nicole: My highlight of 2016 was moving back to Minnesota after living in Connecticut for six years! I was born in St. Louis, MO., and have moved all over the country since marrying my husband, who is from Grand Forks, ND. We have two sons: one who was born in California, and our other son was born here in Minnesota. That makes each of us born in a different state! We have decided to stay in Minnesota because both of our families are close so it’s somewhere in the middle. We are looking forward to staying put here for a while.
Cathy: Last December, my husband and I bought a puppy for our children. They have always wanted a dog, so we thought Christmas would be the perfect time to surprise them. While the look on their faces was magical, potty training in January was not. I am happy to report that Louise has been an amazing addition to our family. I can’t imagine life without her.
MacKenzie: A major highlight from 2016 was my graduation from college in May! I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Winona State University. During my time at WSU I was in a sorority, active in several on-campus clubs, and always made time to explore the scenic bluffs. This was a huge accomplishment for me, and although these four years went by way too fast, Winona will always have a special place in my heart!
Julie: Looking back on 2016, my highlight of the year was our annual vacation to Mexico. We went for a week in February to the city of Manzanillo and stayed at Las Hadas Resort. We’ve been going south for at least 10 years, almost always to Mexico. We went to the Dominican Republic for a couple years as well. We’ve been going to the west coast of Mexico the last six years because the weather is much more consistent. We travel with a group of people that changes every year (everyone is welcome to join us). We usually have around 18-20 people and our biggest group was 29 people! My favorite part about our Mexico vacation every year is dividing up the winter. Spring is usually just around the corner when we come back. It’s great to enjoy beautiful 80-degree weather for a week. We spend our time sitting by the pool with some cocktails, visiting with our group and meeting people from around the world.
Susan: My highlight from 2016 was that my family bought a four-season cabin in northern MN this year! Our favorite family cabin activities are boating, fishing, four-wheeling, swimming, entertaining friends and relaxing. We are most excited for our cabin to be a place to spend time with our kids that doesn’t involve Wi-Fi or driving them anywhere!
Allison: My highlight from 2016 was getting married! My husband and I had been dating for five years and got married as close to our anniversary as we could. Our wedding was in beautiful Hudson, WI on July 2nd. Since it was the 4th of July weekend, downtown Hudson had a carnival going on. Our photographers were awesome and took us downtown before the ceremony began to get shots of just us. The carnival workers were great sports about letting us use the setting as a backdrop for photos. The woman working at the top of the slide was wonderful and helped me so my dress wouldn’t rip on the way down. I was nervous, but the pictures turned out amazing and who doesn’t love the giant slide. Our reception was unique in that it took place cruising down the St. Croix River on the Grand Duchess. The Grand Duchess is by the Afton Hudson Cruise Lines and the inside had beautiful decor. Everything about the day and our experience was amazing. It was a pretty much perfect day!
Charmein: My highlight from 2016 was a four-day snowmobiling trip to Tofte Township with my husband and some of our friends. This was our first time in the area and at one point during the excursion, we reached 924 feet above Lake Superior at Carlton Peak and it was beautiful! We stayed at the historic Trestle Inn located in the Superior National Forest. A special moment on our trip was when we were up at the top of Carlton Peak. I didn’t have cell service the whole trip until this point, and it was then that I received a text message from my son that my grandson was born!
Leave a comment below with your highlight from 2016!
