Year in Review and Why I'm Excited for 2011

and don't hold your breath. literally or figuratively. this might take awhile...


so here i sit, nursing a happy-new-years cold or virus, wrapping up a quasi introvert holiday, and wrapped up in a fluffy blanket. i can't account for most of my day, as several hours were spent lazing around and just kind of getting my life back in order after being gone for nearly 2 weeks. (haha, would-be burglars! you missed your chance because i'm back now).
i just ate yummy dinner with the most delicious pear for dessert (all about eating healthy today), and i'm sitting in the most comfy chair in the house watching my favorite movie of all time ,TITANIC. remind me in a few days to elaborate on why it's my favorite--i had an epiphany just moments ago as to why it's on such a pedestal. i also had another epiphany that i WILL share right now. and that is this: silent night is perhaps the most beautiful song ever.

i tried to schedule absolutely nothing today, but had the opportunity to put on my resolutions (putting others first...[see below]) into practice today. as it turned out, my introvert holiday didn't start til after noon, but it's now 8pm, and i've had lots of time both for reflection as well as basking in the true gratitude that has come in recounting the many many blessings of 2010. i am so truly blessed, and so completely undeserving.

if it's ok, i'd like to share some of the many things i'm grateful to have done this year.
1. go to nicaragua. this opened my mind and heart to others around the globe in ways that could only occur by going away and meeting others, investing just a little into their lives. one of the tangible results of the trip was taking the opportunity to sponsor a little girl names jeymi who's in preschool at the school i vistied while there. i could talk about the expereince in much more detail, so ask me about it if you're interested.

2. this just happened a couple nights ago, so it squeezed in as 2010 highlight: i beat my friends joe and kathy in both scrabble and trivial pursuit. this is HUGE because they are two of the smartest people i know. joe is a rocket scientist (i therefore assume and proclaim that he's been to space), and kath was valedictorian of our high school class (she is one of the reasons i was able to pass calculus). joe was also my lab partner in AP bio. we named our dissection specimens cool names like frank the wonder shark and quirt the magic squid. and let me tell you, it was both wonderful and magical.

3. growing a garden. even if the full harvest was 6 green beans, a couple basil leaves, and about a kazillion tomatoes. i vow to do better next time and maybe even call in some backup (grandpa)

4. i got to create some things: i refinished a dresser, sewed headbands and felt flowers, lots of christmas decorations, and many many more culinary experiments than all my other post-college years combined

5. i grateful for so many wonderful memories with friends: in Indy (paddleboat rides, running, movie and game nights, tennis, volleyball, cupcakes, random hangouts) , northern Michigan (TC, vineyards, euchre, floating on ford lake, grillinz and chillinz), Ohio (shady shady, SHADY motel and german village) and California (hiking, septic tank woes, beach bummers, and precious college roomies, various husbands, progeny, and siblings)

6. clubs galore!!!! of the book, running, and tennis variety.

7. my maid of honor debut in my bff's wedding. truly, truly a highlight. the ceremony was absolutely picturesque, and the happy couple is made up of two very special people. i do not know where i'd be had my friend beth not re-entered my life 5 years ago. her friendship has been one of the biggest treasures of my adult life, she has given me grace and room to grow, and i hope she never ever leaves.

8. school counseling. the perfect job. i love it, and no matter how much i may bellyache this winter when appropriate snowdays are not called, know that i look forward to each day of work. i'm just cranky and really really cold in the mornings before my coffee, so don't believe any no-snow-day whining. school counseling is the perfect fit.

9. experiencing indy: art museum, monon trail, canal, broad ripple, fort harrison, and pretty much all of the la fitnesses on the northside. yay for the gym!

10. sweet times with my family. each and every time i go home. too much to even begin to elaborate.


And (DRUMROLL!) ...my 28 top things to do/ways to live in 2011. why 28? because that's how many lines were on my notebook paper. it's also the number of times i have orbited the earth by june 20th). let's whip these out bc i'm getting tired and the good part of titanic is coming up!!!

1. Eat at the table (not in front of the TV)
2. Go to a spa. Like, the real deal. perhaps with my mom??? and drink really good wine while i'm there.
3. Hike a mountain
4. Visit a new state
5. Run 13.1 in under 2h
6. Train for a triathon (not making any promises about actually signed up for one. see how sneaky i am?)
7. Steal good ideas (though i will give credit where credit is due)
8. Mentor and be mentored
9. Seize opportunities with an eternal perspective (vague? oh yes)
10. lose 20# (it needs to be done. and this is my only quanitifed goal. shows my priorities i supposeD)
11. Find a favorite spot in Broad Ripple
12. Maintain clear pores and smooth skin. this may need to begin with a pedicure. gotta start off on the right foot. (har har. see what i did there? that idiom has a double meaning in this context. i am so clever. so good with words, and so very clever)
13. Have a yard sale. and do something totally frivolous with 50% of the profit
14, Organize a book swap
15. Garden, take 2 (but i ate those 6 green beans, darn it)
16. Be mindful with my time spent online. I don't even want to know how many days of my life have been wasted by mindless surfing of the information superhighway
17. Reflect daily. Try to be better tomorrow. But ultimately remember that it's more about WHOSE i am, and what He's done, than it is about WHO i am or what i've done.
18. No more pop. (or soda to all you college friends). none, never ever.
19. Finish reading the Bible
20. Find a favroite podcast. Beth gave me some good starting places, and i will certianly keep you informed
21. Burn candles and pick flowers. it's the little things
22. Be grateful and let others know it
23. Read voraciously
24. Create
25. Be flexible and graceful (literally and figuratively) aka...do yoga and put others first
26.Give until i gulp
27. Put people before the task at hand. something i struggle with!!!
28. GROW in faith, hope, and love.


(and the greatest of these is love)



happy new year to you all. life is truly a gift :)