I've been considering the idea of writing up some thoughts covering my year of 2012 for awhile now, so here I am. I'm not sure how in-depth I'll get, but I hope to at least cover the things I've either experienced or accomplished.
It was a very full year for so many different reasons.
January 2012 saw me working at the shoe store for 4 months and a friend of mine announcing her engagement. I was able to start attending Bible study more regularly. (I started attending mid/late Oct. 2011)
February - I had the fun opportunity to see Steven Curtis Chapman (for the second time) and Josh Wilson in concert with 3 friends. Well worth the 2-3 hour drive. :-)
March - Mom was going through some health struggles and I was looking for additional work to supplement my job at the store. I applied for a couple open positions at the Creation Museum, but didn't expect to hear anything in return.
April - I landed a position in the Creation Museum Cafe less than a month after I initially applied. It's been such a huge blessing! God really took me by surprise with this one. :-)
I very unexpectedly ran into someone I had met a few years previous and we were able to chat for a few minutes before I had to leave. It was a genuine pleasure and blessing.
I believe it was during this month (it was in the spring for sure) that I participated in a girls "camp-out" that one of the girls from Bible study hosted. It was a fun night. :-)
May - Had my first real taste on the receiving end of a "matchmaker." I quickly put a stop to things, which confirmed for me that I don't particularly care for it. Started planning a white-water rafting trip to TN.
June - My younger brother, David, graduated high-school and quickly landed a job. Attended my friend's wedding (the one that become engaged in January.) Learned how to play Ultimate Frisbee for the first time and really enjoyed the exercise and time spent with friends. My family had the Bible study group over for a fun afternoon/evening of shooting, food, games, and fellowship. My parents offered to sell their car to me that I had been using.
July - My parents celebrated 26 years together and I turned 22. Went white-water rafting with friends; Emily, Katelyn, Jeff, and Drew in Tennessee. I also camped for the first time that weekend! :-) On the way home from the weekend, I stopped in Asheville, NC to visit a couple chocolate shops Drew had told me about. I had to see for myself and got to try a liquid truffle. It's delicious! I'm not kidding. It's a must try for any chocolate lover.
I took my parents up on their generous offer and officially started paying for my first car! It's a burgundy Sable which I've named Brogan Ryder. :-)
August - I resigned from my position at the shoe store. Working two jobs, though not unmanageable, was wearing me down a little due to stress, etc. It was also time to move on from the store, which in the end has freed me to pursue a life long dream.
We took our yearly family trip up to Michigan. While the water was freezing cold, it was nice to be able to relax on a beach. It came at a much needed time for me.
September - I attended a local festival where Clint Black was performing. Attended an annual homeschool alumni event in northern Ohio. (OSR) Alex moved out due to a job promotion and transfer. Found out another friend was "courting." Become reunited with somebody (Rebekah S.) I knew for a short time when I was much younger. Started attending Truth Community Fellowship.
October - I drove up to visit a friend in northern Ohio for a short weekend. I attended a Celtic Thunder concert. It was wonderful! It was the first time I had ever seen them live in concert and they did not disappoint! The result of a spontaneous purchase when I found out they were going to be in Indiana. :-)
November - Thanksgiving with our elderly neighbor, Rose. Visited my very good friend Emily in South Carolina at the end of the month. A trip I thoroughly enjoyed! I also stopped in Asheville, NC again on my way down.
December - My trip to Emily carried over into the new month and we accompanied her sisters and friends for a visit to the historic city of Charleston. It's a beautiful place and I would love to visit again when I have more time to simply explore. It truly was a visit full of firsts. I got to see and touch the Atlantic ocean for the first time in my life. It's a satisfying moment when you can cross off an item from your "bucket list." :-) I stopped in Asheville again on my way home and picked up a few fun items, one of which being chocolate.
I worked my first Christmas Town season here at the museum. It was a fun time, but I'm glad it's over. ;-)
I went to a Christmas Ball hosted by friends in Erie, PA with my friend Rebekah S. We both had a truly wonderful time.
Samantha, Rebekah, and I went and saw part 1 of The Hobbit in theaters with a group of friends. Great movie! I can't wait until the next part comes out on screen. :-)
Christmas came much faster than I was ready for this year. It was a blessed Christmas for all of us. I'm actually sitting here typing this on my "biggest" gift. A Chromebook! It was very much unexpected, but I am loving it! :-)
Sadly we didn't get a white Christmas, but the day following we got a big winter storm, which in the end probably gave us close to 6 inches. That was accumulated over a period of a few days though. It was bad enough the first morning for me to call into work. It's been really nice to have enough snow to go sledding. Last winter we barely got any. The snow is just now starting to melt. By the end of the week it'll probably all be gone since the days are supposed to be on the warmer side.
It's been a good year and I have been richly blessed.
Looking Ahead
1. Focus on my relationship with Christ and make sure I set aside time to read and study scripture. I've really fallen behind with this and so I'd like to see myself work on it more.
2. Bring my music back to life. Since I started working, my playing has dropped to nearly a zero. I truly love the piano and I'd like to improve a little on my own. I'm going to start with trying 3 days a week. This can cover basic finger exercises to get my hand strength back, playing for fun, refreshing old pieces, learning new ones, etc. I also want to memorize chords so that I can easily figure out which key the music is written.
3. Writing, journaling, or blogging. I love to write and I see no reason why I should continue to neglect my practice of it. My goal is to do a form of writing once a week. I'd like to dust off some of my old stories and see if I can do anything with them or possibly come up with new ideas. I also enjoy blogging, but that tends to only happen when I feel I have something worth sharing. Whatever it takes to get me writing consistently, that's what I'm going to work on.
Those are my goals for this new year. What happens beyond that, I'm not sure. I don't have any big plans at this point, but I do hope to see more traveling in my future. :-)
I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling this is going to be an odd year for me. Not in a bad way, but potentially a lot of changes ahead. No, I couldn't give you any kind of indication on what they might be, because I don't know myself.
In the meantime, I am going to take one day at a time.
"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6:34 KJV
"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."James 4:14
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