2010. DONE.

So 2010 is complete. Honestly, it was an incredible year. Here's a small list of things I accomplished:

1. Got into JMU

2. Did an incredible internship at Norfolk Christian Lower School which helped me decide I want to become a teacher

3. Graduate high school.

4. Go to Nicaragua and be changed forever

5. Go to college and have an incredible first semester (I made Dean's list!!)

Okay, obviously that is not my whole year, but those are just a few major life changing things that happened. I also worked at Triple R for five weeks, almost didn't go to college because I just wanted to serve people, and turned 18, finally. I realized that drama is stupid and I honestly don't care what the popular kids think about me. I realized what music meant to me, how it wasn't just a hobby, it was my joy in life. It became my main way of connecting with God. I realized that people are going to judge me, but it shouldn't matter what they think. I should only care what God thinks.

I have never had such a good year that I can remember. Yeah, there were bad moments. But honestly, I can't remember any of them because the good moments outweigh those crappy moments of life. The first thing that comes to mind is a quote from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie. Bailey, a girl dying of cancer said this: "Being happy isn't having everything in your life be perfect. Maybe it's about stringing together all the little things like wearing these pants or getting to a new level of Dragon's Lair-making those count for more than the bad stuff. Maybe we just get through it....and that's all we can ask for." Think about it, if we all lived with this perspective, how many more of us would have had a good year in 2010??? I think when we seek to live our lives to the fullest that is when the most happens. We accomplish more and we grow more.

I grew so much last year. My spiritual growth was incredible. Yeah, I knew God existed and I knew that I should spend time with Him, but I never did. After Nicaragua, something clicked in my mind. I realized how mysterious and great our God really is. I realized that if I want to change the world, I had to have a better understanding of God before I could accomplish anything to bring Him glory. I read my Bible more often, I pray more, I spend more time trying to think about others before myself. I try to share more about my life with others. People should know my story. They should know that God healed me from some really difficult times in life, but I grew from them and learned more.

Well, life is incredible. I made some incredible new friends in 2010 that I will cherish for the rest of my life. And even if we grow apart, they will always have a place in my heart for how they have helped me grow as a person. My word of 2011 is captivating. The book I'm reading called Captivating says this on the back cover: "The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you still feel as a woman-they are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A woman who is truly captivating."

2011. I'm ready for you.

2010 may be done, but I will cherish its memories forever