another year gone. when did time start flying by me so quickly?? i must be old…
anyway, this year was a good one. i’m happy and healthy, my family is happy and healthy, and all the people and things that matter are present, alive and rich within me and around me. this year really left a sweet taste in my mouth, although i must say that the sudden death of a childhood friend a few weeks ago tainted that just a little. because i didn’t really know him anymore, it was not enough to shake my world and leave an enormous imprint on my year, but it did remind me of the fragility of life and tug on my heart a bit with thoughts of his family and my own fears about who it might be next time.
i stumbled upon a little list the other day that i’d written a couple weeks before adam passed [you know how i am about lists] titled “wonderful things about 2014.” the very first bullet point on the list was “no deaths of people close to me.” while i can still say that this is technically true, since i wasn’t ever super close to adam even though we were definitely friends, it made me catch my breath a little because i knew that i never would have written that, had i made the list after adam passed away. last year, my papa passed away, and the year before that, my good friend michael. in college, i had my two roommates who were close friends to me, plus six other close friends who were not roommates. and three of those friends’ moms passed away during college or within a year or two after we graduated. two of them were under the age of 50. terribly, terribly sad deaths. and michael’s and papa’s too. it haunts me a little, thinking that with each year that passes, there could be another influential person in my life leaving this earth, but the truth is, you can’t live like that. everyone will die eventually, on God’s timing, and i will see all these beautiful people, these believers, again someday. and what a grand day that will be. and right now i’m fortunate to live a beautiful life, and for that i am grateful.
anyway, sorry to be such a downer! back to this lovely year of 2014! the other “wonderful things about 2014” that were on my list were:
: : my trip to paris and amsterdam! i had such a grand time with family and fell in love with two more glorious cities across the ocean.
: : i went snow skiing for the first time ever and loved it. something else to cross off my bucket list! i can’t wait to go again!
: : i had a friend move away [NOT a wonderful thing], but i had friends move here from other cities too. sometimes i think God does these things for a reason… it’s like my mom always says, “when one door closes, another door opens.” and the good news is, this door isn’t actually closing on my friend that moved away because we will definitely stay friends! but i did reconnect with old friends AND i made new friends, which i believe was part of God’s plan.
: : my brother was here for the summer which was soo much fun. and we found out that he’ll be moving here permanently after he graduates, which is even better! even though we’ve always been close, i feel like this has brought us even closer. we really are the best of buds and i’m ecstatic that he’ll be here for good.
: : dating has been fun! as i’ve probably mentioned before, in college i didn’t really go on too many dates [although there were always guys in the picture, typical for college], and after college until this year, i felt like it was really difficult to meet new people, especially guys. but this year, i’ve learned some tricks of the trade and am happy to say that i’ve been on quite a few dates. even though i haven’t dated any one person for longer than a month or two, i’ve dated a lot of different people. it’s been a great learning experience and surprisingly, i’ve really enjoyed it. i think a light bulb finally clicked on in my head that was like, “so THIS is what the single life is all about. and it’s actually fun!” yes, there are disappointing moments, but there are also a lot of really fun times, and great people, and hilarious moments, and moments that make you realize that you’re discovering things about yourself that you never knew before. it’s completely baffling and freeing and profound at times. these life lessons i’m learning are priceless, and they’re making me a better person because of it. i can’t believe i’m saying it, but single feels good. pretty fabulous, in fact. it’s taken a long time for me to be able to say that.
: : this little blog turned three back in august! i can’t believe it’s been that long, yet sometimes i feel like i’ve had this space for my whole life. it just feels so right.
: : i finallyyyyyy changed my blog layout. for the first time ever!
: : my selfie sunday posts, my produce series posts, and my outfit series posts are all new territory for me. i had never ventured into series-type posts before but i’m glad i did! it’s always good to challenge yourself and try something new.
there are some exciting plans in the works right now for 2015 that i’m pretty pumped about and i just have a really good feeling about this year. i think it’s gonna be a fun one.
thank you all for your love and support and readership… you have no idea how happy it makes me and how very much i appreciate it. wishing you all a blessed and safe new years eve and year ahead! xoxo