2013 Year in Review

Ok, I decided to hop on the bandwagon and do a "year in review" post.  Mainly, because I wanted a reason to stop and reflect on the great year behind me. Here goes...

January

In lieu of our annual New Year’s Trip we had a staycation at the Omni Mandalay in Las Colinas.  The hotel was nice and we had a relaxing time.  We ate dinner at the restaurant hotel, Trevis.  This was probably the worst food I have ever eaten with terrible service to go along with it and the night ended with a $170 bill! This is the text message hubby sent me during dinner, lol! This is one New Year’s Eve experience we will never forget.



February

 Josh gave me the coolest gift for Valentine’s day… pink pearls!! He knows me so well!

 

March

I participated in Mary Kay Global Makeover Day on March 8. 

April

After waiting for almost a full year, we received a CARES placement.  So thankful we didn’t give up on this program. CARES has been so rewarding and fun so far! 

May

Josh was hired as an instructional technology coach.  This is the perfect position for him and a promotion!

June

Josh and I celebrated 2 wonderful years of marriage on June 26^th and we are still honeymooning!

July

This was my favorite month of the year!  I celebrated my 30^th birthday with a fun girl’s day.  

 

 

We went on our dream vacation to Europe!!

London

Paris

 

Rome

August

I attended my very first Mary Kay Seminar.  Let’s just say this is a company that knows how to work hard AND play hard!

September

 Started a Yoga class.  It was more challenging than I expected to carve out this time weekly but well worth it.

October

I received an unexpected promotion at work.  I am currently creating a brand new energy conservation plan for our organization.  We also made our annual trip to the State Fair, but this year was special.  We met the “new” Big Tex. Handsome, don’t ya think? 

November

We logged a lot of miles Thanksgiving week but it was great to spend time with both of our families.

December

I celebrated my bf’s 30^th birthday in New York.  So much fun!

 

 

That's 2013 In Review! 2013 was such a wonderful year.  It truly seems like each year keeps getting better and better.  I'm so thankful to God not just for the many blessings in my life but for a personal relationship with him.  I'm anxious to see what the Lord has in store for us in 2014!!

linking up with #fundaymonday

Right Around the Corner

Today's post is inspired by our post dinner adventure.  

As Josh and I walked up to his truck, it was glaringly evident that one of the tires was very low on air. No need to worry, there was a gas station around the corner that we could easily stop at to fill the tire up and be on our way in mere minutes.  Off we go to the 7-11 around the corner.  I rummaged in my purse for quarters as we drove so Josh would be prepared to feed the pump.  We pull up only to discover an "Out of Order" sign on the air pump.  Hmmm, not what we had expected but, again, not a problem.  We decided to head back towards the house and stop by our usual gas station.  We pull up to the Shell station to discover another "Out of Order" sign on the air pump! Ummmm, ok... definitely NOT what we expected.  At this point, Josh commented that, "this is some serious bad luck." At the moment, his words struck me but I wasn't exactly sure why.  I didn't like him saying that because neither of us actually believe in luck but I couldn't bring myself to disagree with him.  I've never seen an air pump "out of order" before, let alone 2 in a row!  As Josh slowly pulled out of the parking lot he had an idea.  My favorite car wash was right across the street, perhaps they have an air pump?? We pulled up as they were closing but we circled around the parking lot just to make sure we didn't see a place to fill up.  Nope, nothing.  In a last ditch effort to find air, we asked one of the workers at the car wash if there were any air pumps.  He didn't speak English!  After a few minutes of really bad sign language, he understood what we were asking and pointed right behind us.  We circled around the parking lot one last time and saw the most lovely air pump (in the most unlikely location)!! And the best part... it was FREE!

I don't tell you this story to make a huge celebration about (finally) finding air for Josh's tire or because we saved 4 quarters in the process.  I think this story is symbolic of life.  Often times, we have a plan and go after something but when it doesn't work out the way we want the first time, we give up.  Perhaps you're really persistent and are willing to give it a second try and things still don't work out.  Well, if we had stopped looking when Josh decided "this is some serious bad luck" not only would we have not had air, we would have missed the FREE air.  Which, I think was a sweet little blessing! How many sweet little blessings (or sweet BIG blessings) do we miss out on every day because we didn't keep pushing long enough?

No matter what the circumstances may look like, keep pushing... your blessing may be right around the corner!

Top 5

Happy New Year!!

We are now officially into 2013. Each year at the beginning of the New Year, I am amazed at how quickly time has passed.  It is truly remarkable how much can change in 12 short months.  The New Year is so exciting to me.  It represents fresh beginnings, new possibilities, and dreams to be fulfilled.  I’m not too big on resolutions but I love to set (and achieve) goals!  But that blogpost will come later.  First, I think it is essential to take time to reflect on the past year and what the Lord has accomplished in my life in 2012.  2012 was a wonderful year for me, filled with love, stability, and dreams come true. Below is my list of Top 5 events in 2012.

2012 Top 5:

1.       Passed the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam: I took the Professional Engineering (PE) exam on April 13 to become a licensed Civil Engineer and received my (passing) score on May 29^th.   Words really cannot explain the shear excitement of achieving a goal that I have been work towards since my junior year in High School.

2.       One Rhythm: In January 2012, I was blessed with the opportunity to help launch the Children’s Dance Ministry at my church.  Two of my greatest passions in life are kids and dance and it has been so fulfilling to combine these two passions to glorify the Lord.

3.       June 26, 2012: My husband and I completed our first full year of marriage. All I can really say, is that the Lord blessed us so much to find each other and for us to be planted among a body of believers who love, encourage and support us. Our first year was the fairytale I’ve always dreamed of but so much more at the same time.

4.       Grand Canyon and Vegas: We took our first married (non-honeymoon) vacation to Las Vegas on Memorial Day Weekend and had a blast.  However, the true highlight of the vacation for me was the last day, when we visited the Grand Canyon.  This was my first trip to the Grand Canyon and it is absolutely breathtaking!  I stood at the rim of the Canyon and tried to take in all of its beauty and simply reveled in the majesty of my God that creates such splendor.

5.       Family Camping Trip: In November, we had a family camping trip.  It was so much fun! It reminded me of when I was a child and we would take family vacations with my family, my dad’s two sisters and their families and my grandparents.  Everyone was able to attend except for my youngest cousin who was away at college.  We sat around the campfire and laughed and talked for hours. Then we snuggled into our tents and tried to keep warm. Such a great time to share with the people I love.

 Hopefully by now you have already taken some time to reflect on the ways God has moved in your life over the past 12 months, but if not, do it now and share it here.  What were your Top 5 moments in 2012?