I love reflecting on the past year every new year. Here are some of the highlights.
1- Having Parker! haha. That was easy. I never would've thought we would have a baby this year, but God's plans are way better. Parker is such a blessing! Everyday is so special. It's crazy how much life changes when you have a baby. Everyone always said it would, but I feel like I can really appreciate and understand how much my parents love me now that I have one of my own. I have also realized even more how much of a miracle life really. How can someone look at a baby and not recognize that they are perfectly made by God? Being a mom has taught me so many things about myself. One is that I love being a mom! I've got to be honest, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy changing diapers, bringing him everywhere, nursing, and pretty much never getting a break, but I wouldn't trade it for anything =)
2- Starting an small group. Last New Years Eve, we met most of the couples who are in our small group now, and then we went to Lake Geneva for the 'kick off' at the end of January. It was there that Joei and I realized our babies were do one week apart! Our group studied Love and Respect, and Ryan and I really grew from it. I highly recommend reading it if you haven't already. I am also incredibly thankful for the friendships that have formed because of this Bible study. It is so rare to have close friends in the same phase of life, let alone 4 other couples! We love hanging out as a big group, and we also love getting our girls/guys time. We feel so blessed to have met such great, God-fearing people to 'do life with.'
3- We didn't move in 2010! That's kind of weird. I have moved every September since my Freshman year of college, so staying in the same apartment for more than 12 months is something new for me =) We are looking for a new place though. Parker needs his own room!
4- I got my first-ever teaching job. This just made the 2010 cut-off. I interviewed right before Thanksgiving and accepted the following week. I've been teaching for 3 days now and love it! We found a great babysitter for Parker, three mornings per week. Ryan is home one day, and his mom, Sandy, will be here the other. It's kind of sad dropping him off somewhere in the mornings, but he seems to be adjusting well, and I know he's in great hands!
5- We found a church that we love. It's called The Compass. We started visiting churches as soon as we moved to Naperville in Sept. 2009, and decided on The Compass at the end of November. We got involved, I was in an awesome women's Bible Study, and we really love it! It's pretty big, but we're starting to get to know people, and are inspired by the vision the church body has. They want to reach people 'here, near, and far,' and are not wasting any time doing so!
6- Ryan and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary. I love Ryan so much more every day! He is constantly encouraging me and making me laugh like crazy. Looking forward to many many fun years ahead! And now we have our own family! Crazy. Watching him be a daddy is so much fun. I'm thankful for a husband who strives to be what a father/husband should be!
There are so many other great things that happened in 2010, but those are the biggies.
Okay, now for 2011. I'm not going to do much predicting because clearly God is in control and I have no idea what's coming, but there a few things I'd like to do.
1- Get fast again. I feel like my racing days were decades ago, and its really only been a year and a half. So...in order to 'feel young again' I'd like to try and get my sprint legs back just for the fun of it. Last year I told my track girls I would race them in the 300 hurdles this season - wow I have a lot of work to do before I'm able to do that!.
(These are in no particular order by the way. Getting fast is not my biggest and best goal of 2011, haha.)
2- I'm not going to try to read through the Bible this year. That never works. I would, however, like to be more consistent with my devotions and praying for Ryan, Parker, and lots of other people/things.
3- I would really like to keep my job next year at NCA, but I don't know if that's a possibility yet. We'll see.
4- I would also really like for Ryan to get an interview for Physician Assistant School, and then be accepted. It's been a dream of his and I know we are both ready for that to become a reality.
5- I'd like to move in to a place that is just right for our little family! A place we can stay in until we move back West.
6- I want to be more vocal about my faith. I mean, what is the real reason I'm on this Earth anyway? To evangelize and let my love for God OVERFLOW! I don't think I've ever been very bold about my faith and I would like to be.
7- And I'd like to keep up with this blog. I think it's fun to blog, but I'm pretty bad at keeping up with it. I'd mostly like to keep up with it so I can read it later in life, and give our kids an insight on how cool we were when we were young! haha =)
Yay for 2011!
