Reflecting on 2009

The few waining hours of 2009 are here. I am sitting in a bed, looking out a huge sliding door, looking out over a majestic mountain chain covered in snow. Growing up in South Texas, snow is a big deal to me. It has snowed at home 2 times in my lifetime, and this is the longest time I have ever spent in the cold.

The older I get the faster times goes. I remember my mom telling me that as a child, now I realize how true her words were. Life goes by so fast, and if you blink, you miss it.

Like every year, 2009 has had its ups and downs, and I think that I will write this one down in the record books as being one of the best I have ever had. Like a fine wine, I like to think that I too will get better with age. People always talk about the college years and being the best of your life, and that really saddens me. I don't want to think that the 4 years I spent in school were the pinnacle of my life. I feel like the best is yet to come, and I keep plugging along believing that tomorrow will be better than today. So yes, I will mark 2009 as a success, hopefully, just one check mark in a long line of successful years.

My highlights from the year:

P and I discovered Dave Ramsey, went to his program, and with a lot of hard work became debt free!! The chains and weight of debt are gone from our life and it brought so much peace with it.

I managed to mark 2 things off my bucket list, one of which I thought I would never do. I ran a marathon, which was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I never thought I would have the strength, determination, and ability to do one, but I did it!!! And I learned to ski. I am on vacay right now and I have loved learning how to ski. (I will fill all of you in on our trip later.)

I feel like I have changed and matured this year. I started the year wanting and praying for a way to love others better, especially P. I really wanted to focus on serving and loving him well, and I have spent the year trying to really listen and understand who he is, and how I can love him better. I hope that I have learned to love everyone in my life better as well.

I started this blog. I never thought I would blog but it has been a great outlet for me. It forces me to become more open, and share my thoughts and feelings, something that can be hard for me to do at times.

I reconnected with me. I spent a lot of time this year really sitting down and figuring out who I am and what I like, dislike, and what my interests are. I gained back confidence that I had once lost, and I feel like a stronger woman than I was just 365 days ago.

I discovered that I have a passion for cooking. Cooking can be seen as something that you have to do, and some days it is just that, it is just food. But other days, it can be an outlet to express your feelings. Food can bring hope, comfort, and joy. Some of lifes most exciting moments have taken place around a dinner table. That is how we connect, celebrate, and show our love to others. I want to continue to discover the joy and art of cooking.

Travel. I used to get travel anxiety. Whenever I went somewhere I would stress out, and worry about the flight, about getting home on time, or about what I would do when I was there. Now I have learned to relax, and enjoy a trip and the anticipation of the trip. I learned to stop and enjoy the moment and experience and decorate my life with those memories. I think P has really influenced me in this area. He has shown me how to capture the moment and enjoy the journey.

So that is it. I hope that you all have a fab. New Year! See ya in 2010, a whole new decade. WOW!!