Happy New Year 2014!

Today is January 1, 2014. I just love this day and I am always sad when the calendar page turns to January 2. As I think back on my 2013 I am amazed. The first post I wrote last year I was asking God where He was and if He was listening to me. I think that pretty much sums up how I felt a lot of the year. There were a lot of answered prayers in 2013 but also a lot of moments where I felt angry, sad, confused, frustrated and just flat out doubted God.

Let me start with the good. Dan and I were able to go on a mission trip with our church to Ecuador in the spring. This was a huge blessing for me because it was my third trip to Ecuador and I had always wanted to go on a mission trip with Dan so it was cool to go back with him as my husband. I feel like that week was more beneficial to me than to the people we were there to minister to. First of all, it helped being totally disconnected from the world and the internet. I remember turning my phone back on in the airport after the week was over and not even wanting to get back on social media. It was such a weird feeling. Of course I did and then quickly got sucked back into everyone's meaningless posts about what they ate for dinner.

The main thing I took away from that week was how focusing on Christ and showing His love to others took my focus off myself and gave me so much more joy. I remember just such a freeing feeling and how I had not even thought about anything back home or worried about things that entire week I had been worrying about at home. It made me really want to not use my return flight home and just start a simple life in Ecuador.

I started a new job at the end of April which was a huge answer to prayer and a New Year's resolution of mine. I do miss the girls I used to work with a lot but enjoy the work I am doing much more and being at home has been wonderful too. Plus getting more time with Dan has been a great bonus.

In May I got to go to Florida for Memorial Day for our annual trip to celebrate my Grandma's birthday. That has become something I look forward to every year now. One of my childhood best friends got to come along too since Dan couldn't get off work which made it special since we don't get to see each other often.

In July I got to take off a whole week for the Gordon beach trip and then got to spend 2 weeks at my parents' house and was able to work from there while Dan had training to become a Drug Recognition Expert.

In August we went to a wedding in Rhode Island of another one of my childhood best friends.

In October we went to my family reunion and then celebrated 4 years of marriage!

My family came up for Thanksgiving and I cooked a dinner. It wasn't ready until 9:30 pm but I made it! {With help from the sis-in-law}

We stayed here for Christmas and then met my family in Boone for our 26th annual New Year's celebration with our wonderful friends. Our theme this year was Winter Olympics complete with skiing, skating and tubing and a HUGE opening ceremony torch that almost lit the mountain on fire and will never be forgotten.

I am so thankful for all of these wonderful things that took place in 2013. Even though so many great things happened last year I struggled a lot throughout the year. I struggled with things not being on my time table and God's plans not lining up with mine. Oh how small we make God out to be. I struggled with contentment and comparison {with which social media didn't help}. I went through this book on contentment in the middle of the year which was exactly what I needed. I probably need to do it once a year. I recommend it to anyone struggling with being content where they are despite circumstances. It has study questions in the back to go along with each chapter.

I am thankful for my husband whose constant faith I admire and for praying with me and for me and for always reminding me that we're on the same team when I get a little crazy. I am thankful for family and friends in the body of Christ who show us love and support and parents on both sides who love the Lord and pray for us. I am mostly thankful for my heavenly Father who gives me grace when I constantly fail Him and for His love that never fails.

Happy New Year 2014!