Looking Back on the Year

I told myself I would do this post a lot sooner, but I have been deathly ill this entire week. (Maybe an exaggeration, but I honestly don't remember the last time I was sick for more than a few days. We're going on day 6 now.)

I think it's extremely important to have goals for the future and have dreams of things to try and aspire to, but I also think it's equally important to remember where you have been and how far you have come already. For that reason, I give you my wrap-up of 2010, with my favorite parts of each month.

January- Tim and I found lots of cool hiking spots in Laguna. We had so much fun exploring together. Such good memories.

February- Tim had his 21st birthday, and I surprised him with a meal I put together. I decorated my backyard and even paid my parents to act as our servers (kidding, they did it for free). Then, we watched Singin' in the Rain on the wall in my backyard under tons of blankets.

March- I participated in a craft fair trying to raise money to send to Haiti. I was overwhelmed with the compassionate heart I saw in my friend Bethany. The experience overall was so amazing and I was glad I got to be there (and we raised a ton of money for Haiti!)

April- I found this picture of my dad and I still love it.

May- Tim and I celebrated three years together on the 22nd. It's always my favorite part of year because the summer is starting and it reminds me of our first summer together. Since then we have come a long way and I look forward to the next three years with excitement and joy. This year we flew kites together, got pinkberry, and made dinner in Laguna.

June- Spent three weeks in Italy with Bethany. I can't even describe how important this trip was for me. It made me see outside my little part of the world, it challenged me, it made me more independent. This trip changed my life in no small way. I will forever be grateful to everyone who helped me get there and I definitely plan on going back as soon as I can.

July- I turned 21 on the 26th. We went to Macaroni Grill for dinner and then Paul's, a trashy bar, for drinks. It was fun to play pool (and how hot does Tim look playing?) but otherwise the bar atmosphere doesn't really appeal to me.

August- I went to the San Diego Zoo with Sara and Natasha. We had such a good time hanging out, and San Diego is such a beautiful place! I fell in love when we were driving around looking at houses and I would love to live there one day. You never know.

September- My first hospice patient, Cecile, died. I will never forget her and I was so happy to know her in her final months. She was such a sweet lady and I imagine in her prime she was quite the firecracker. Every week I would paint her nails a deep red color, which was her favorite. Now this is one of my most cherished memories.

October- Tim got baptized on October 17th. It was an amazing day for all of us. I felt so proud to be with him, and especially proud of our relationship and the talks we had had leading up to this day. He has fallen in crazy love with Jesus, and what is better than that?

November- Tessa got tickets to be in the audience of the Conan O'Brien show. I am SO glad she asked me to go with her, the four of us had a blast. And yes, Conan is even skinnier and taller in person. And funnier.

December- Emily and I made our 100th sale on Etsy! This was a huge accomplishment for us and we were so excited to have done it in a little over a year. It's been a tough road at times, but we have both had so much fun being business partners, challenging each other, and learning new things.

Overall, the year had lots of ups and downs but it was a year where I learned a lot and set the foundation for lots of change in 2011. I am looking forward to new challenges and plan to make 2011 a great year. 

As Tessa said to me earlier, 

"2011 is going to rock!"