2011 and 2012

So I woke up about a week or two ago and it was 2012. Seriously. It was like one day it was 2011, and then one big wedding party later, it was 2012. And the last year of the Mayan world as we know it.

This year has been an adventure for sure. Let’s take a look at the year in review:

January:
Moved to Denver, permanently. God provided a new little home with the Gray family, Chris & Lorrie and their two daughters, Zoe (3) and Nadia (almost 1). Got a job as a waitress. Quit the first day. One week later was employed by OZ Architecture as a Marketing Coordinator / Proposal Manager while wearing my UGG boots. Cried after the Interview because I was so nervous. Learned the hard way that I did not know how to drive in the snow. Got grown up clothes. Sat in coffee shops for at least 3 hours per day, if not more. Trusted God. Wondered what the heck I was doing.

February:
Got a new car. Still didn’t know how to drive in the snow. Met and befriended Blair Whitley. Watched the Bachelor a lot with Alex Buth and Sydni Sullivan. Laughed with James and Tom. Had my new car attacked with gummi bears which froze to the windows. Sat at home by myself a lot. Got to know Lorrie and subsequently learned a lot about the nature and character of God. Went to K-LIFE and led a small group. Discipled a high schooler named Eisley. Loved her immensely. Failed at acclimating to the cold weather. Snot froze to my nose. Blogged a lot. Over ate even more. Nadia turned 1 and smeared cake all over her face. Discovered that I did not have proper winter apparel.

March:
Loved Colorado. Missed Texas. Was lonely. Figured out that the full time job was not really my thing, but went anyways. Made cake balls for the first time. Played Bop-it Extreme. Went skiing by myself. Got stuck in traffic for 6 hours on the way back. Ate at restaurants alone. Brittney came to visit and I pleaded with her to never leave. She celebrated her 20th birthday here, and I made it memorable by running out of gas on the way to Breckenridge. She made a permanent impact on the slopes with her butt. I waved goodbye and returned to life as I knew it. Blair told me she was moving.

April:
Blur. Cried a lot. Went to a lot of movies alone. Ate way too many vanilla bean scones. Read a lot of books. Visited Texas to surprise and say goodbye to Becca. Considered moving back home. Talked to Lorrie often and always, to whom I owe my sanity. (Lorrie may have saved my life in April.) Celebrated Easter in Vail, Colorado with Blair’s family, and for the first time in my life saw what it meant to have a loving father. Decided I wanted to raise my children like Blair’s family raised theirs. Thought Adam McClure was the funniest person ever.

May:
Celebrated my 23rd birthday basically by myself. Cried. Ate chips and salsa to console myself. (Tex Mex solves most problems) Went to a Brooke Fraser concert with Blair. Blair moved to Texas. Met Bethany. Went to LIME with Bethany and gang, and became a permanent member of a new friend group. Started working out again. Cried at how grateful I was for friends. Was in awe at the provision of the Lord. Said goodbye to Becca Feagin as she left for YWAM Belize. Talked to Kelsea for an hour every Thursday. My life turned around in May. Everything changed, and I no longer wanted to be anywhere else than here.

June:
Zoe turned 4! Had an outdoors birthday party for her on the day that the world was predicted to end. It didn’t, although the wind speeds suggested that it might. Chey made her a Hello Kitty birthday cake. Went to Telluride Bluegrass Festival with new friends. Loved it all too much. Took road trips. Played in the park. Went on bike rides. Laughed harder than I have ever laughed. Drank deep of the fountain of joy from the Lord. Was grateful. Did Denver Cruisers. Celebrated the warmth of summer and was drenched with happiness.

July:
Celebrated the 4th of July! Went to a Colorado Rockies baseball game. Layed out. Broke into a swimming pool. Read more books. Got my car towed on one of my favorite nights of summer. Was completely overwhelmed with gratefulness for friends who helped me get the car back. Laughed/cried all the way home listening to ‘Waka Waka’ and the entire Kenny Chensney Greatest Hits CD. Slept over at Bethany’s. Became a faux roommate. Had dinner with Alyssa Rainbolt. Went on a lot of walks. Went camping every weekend. Bethany became like family. My actual family fell apart. Again. Went home on an emergency call. Cried and hugged and found a way to laugh. Came back to Colorado. Went home again for Carson’s birthday. My baby brother turned 18. Limped into August, but loved deeply and learned a lot.

August:
Fell in love. It didn’t work out, but I wouldn’t know this until November. Joined a church that I love. Hiked a 14er. Almost died, and didn’t think I would ever make it to the top. The breathtaking view at the top made it all worth it. Carson and Roman (my baby broskies) came to visit. Went camping and white water rafting and got henna tattoos. Had more fun than I can explain in words. Made friends with our raft guide-Chip. Chip made us cry with laughter. Made a video to document the trip. Was thankful for Bethany. Lindsay Behnke and Karla Health joined our family and moved into the Wash park house. Did the Tough Mudder, and tore my eyeball. Wore glasses and an eye patch for a week/month.

September:
Beef’s bachelorette party in Galveston. Loved every minute. Didn’t use my best decision making skills. Became obsessed with her bridal party. Started doing Crossfit at 6AM in the mornings with Bethany and Rebecca. Hated Bethany every time she woke me up at 5AM, hated myself for being outside in the 35 degree weather. Discovered our own version of Narnia. Forgave Bethany for waking me up and enjoyed the long mornings, walks, and talks. Slept over at the Wash park house more than half of the days of every week. Had an ultimate breakdown with Bethany and we laughed harder than ever as sisters. Coined the phrase “idiot baby”. Watched movies and played games.

October:
Fell in love with Autumn all over again. Shrieked at the beauty of the colorful trees. Remembered why October is my favorite month. Went on a girls’ boys camping trip. Ate undercooked bratwursts. Realized that we bought the wrong kind of bratwursts. Puked in the woods. Made s’mores and hot cocoa, puked again from the dairy intake. My family came to Colorado. Went sightseeing all over this state. Saw the first snow of the season. Visited Estes Park. Bethany and I went to stay with my littlest sister in College Station. Went to an Aggie football game. Loved every minute of beating Baylor. Taunted Megan. Carved pumpkins. Watched a squirrel eat through my pumpkin within 1 hour of finishing it. Dressed up for Halloween. Met two of the coolest boys I know (Tim, Todd). Discovered that Tim, he knows.

November:
Over committed to blogging. Was more creative than ever before at coming up with blog ideas. Went snowboarding every weekend. Welcomed Becca Feagin back into the United States. Saw the 4th Twilight movie. Spent as much time as humanly possible with Bethany. Worked out a lot. Made spicy pumpkin seeds. Learned to make soup. Learned to make peach crisp. Went home for Thanksgiving. Ate entirely too much. Demolished some pumpkin pie and some sweet potato casserole. Did a baby jump on the slopes. Ate lunch every weekend at The Crushery.

December:
Said goodbye to Bethany for 3 months. Sydney and Rita visited Denver. Laughed a lot. Snowboarded as much as possible. Went home for 2 weeks for Christmas. Watched my best friend get married. My dad/uncle was in the hospital for the entirety of the month. He came home right in time for Christmas, by a miracle by the grace of God alone. Visited Becca Feagin. Hung out with Behnke and Karla and fell in love with those friends. Had hard conversations that reaped joy in the end. Trusted God. Laughed with my high school friends. Cuddled my broskies. Hugged on my sister. Celebrated the birth of Jesus.


Overall 2011 was a fantastic year. It was hard and then it was so joyful that I couldn’t stand it. I remember not being able to even express how happy I was. I didn’t even know it was possible to be as happy as I have been this year. I also didn’t know it was possible to be as lonely, at times. Life is funny, you know? But God orchestrates it all, and thankfully He is a God we can trust. And a God who cares for us. I am utterly and unbelievably thankful for all the blessings and mercies this year brought with it.


And so, as for actively pursuing resolutions, 2012 is the year to accomplish some bold goals:
I resolve to:

1. Run a half marathon. It’s going to suck and be awesome at the same time. And I would like to run said half marathon in Texas, where my lungs do not feel as if they will explode if I take one more step. Then, after that, Ill resolve to run a Colorado Half Marathon. Maybe. Depending on how the first one goes.
2. Read through the entire bible. Spend more disciplined time in prayer.
3. Join a small group at church. (DONE)
4. Shop at Dollar Tree more often. They have the same stuff as Target.
5. Learn to crochet – (can go ahead and check that one off too). And with that, I am officially one step closer to being the cat lady.
6. Work out more often/more consistently. I am refraining from making some psycho goal of working out every day or something. I mean I cannot think of something I loathe more than working out when I feel bad or when I am tired. I usually pride myself on only exercising when I seriously cannot think of a single other thing to do. Like not one other thing. So I am resovling to make baby steps in the right direction. So let’s just call this “being more active”.
7. Purchase black flats. My current shoe choice look like I stole them from a homeless, yet business-casual vagabond.
8. Work on my singing voice.
9. Work on my overall sense of fashion, and attempt to care…just a little.
10. Binge less often.
BONUS: Stalk Beyonce’s new baby.

On the contrary, here are some things I resolve to NOT do:

1. Gain weight.
2. Hit any dogs/animals with my car.
3. Paint my fingernails.
4. Trip in front of a lot of people.
5. Lose my eyesight for any amount of time.
6. Have a wreck on the snowy roads that semi-trucks make essentially unbearable.
7. Read the Harry Potter books. (Even though I know I would like them, OKAY!?)
8. Shatter my iPhone (again).
9. Cut my hair short.
10. Spend inordinate amounts of money on things I don’t need.


And lastly, since 2011 was kind of a good year for me, here are some things I’d like to carry into 2012:

1. Reading books. (Most importantly, The Hunger Games)
2. Continuing to be awesome.
3. Continuing to be cautious about cussing in front of both small children and my grandmother.
4. Snowboarding as much as humanly possible.
5. Laughing a lot and often.
6. Keeping my hair fabulous and Texan.
7. Eating dinner with the Gray’s at least once a week.
8. Continue to drop it like it’s hot.
9. Keeping in contact with all of my closest friends living millions of miles away.
10. Declaring that Jesus is the ultimate joy.

YEA 2012!! I have a feeling this year is gonna be good. And rightfully so, since it might be our last. Or maybe just the last year for the Mayans. Who knows? All I know is that any year that is abbreviated ’12, is probably going to be the best year ever. Assuming 12 is the best number of all.