A Year in Review

I love the end of the year...that time between Christmas and New Year's. The hubbub of the major holiday is winding down, life is still in neutral, and everywhere you look the world is recapping the previous year before we watch the ball drop in Times Square. What I really love are all those recaps and reviews....much of the reason why half of this blog is named "Reflections" - I love to reflect. So in honor of 2005 coming to a close, I thought I'd do my own personal "year in review."

January - I headed down to Alabama to visit my friends the last weekend of the month. I had a blast in my home away from home, but brought with me an ice storm. I thought I was escaping to a warmer climate in January.

February - This was a pre-transition month. A lot of little things happened that were a pre-cursor to some life changes I would experience the rest of the year, one of which was leading a small group during our Wednesday night women's Bible study time.

March - I was asked to sit on a panel for a girl's youth event, GirlTalk. That was my public speaking highlight of the year. I also was honored to be asked to co-lead the women's ministry at our church by Jessica, a leader I truly respect. To indicate even more changes, a job offer was on the table...

April - I left a job I took that truly wasn't a fit for me and accepted an offer to work with folks I've worked with for over 10 years. Yes, Virginia, you can go home again, and it feels wonderful. Due to the freedom and joy I felt from this change, my juices started flowing again, and this blog was launched.

May - My Dad made his fifth trip to the hospital, but thankfully, this one was successful. It was a long couple of weeks, and a long road to recovery, but I'm happy to say, he's still doing great

June - The most significant thing I can remember from this month was a multitude of weddings (including two on one day) and my joining of Blockbuster Online. Even the minor membership moves make the yearly review.

July - I made a return trip to Alabama for the 4th of July weekend. No ice storms this time! Truly, I feel at home there without an explanation other than precious friends who welcome me with open arms. The month ended with an infected wisdom tooth that had to be extracted - my first tooth extraction ever.

August - I joined a Fantasy Football League for the fourth year in a row. I'm consistent - I didn't make the playoffs again this year.

September - This was a big month - I turned 30-10. I really struggled with turning that age, but after living it for three months, it's not that bad - other than I still can't bring myself to type the number out. Ironically, the same month of my birthday, I was asked to come work in our college ministry, which has turned out to be a great blessing, even if, at times, it makes me feel old.

October - My month of unfortunate events. I never could shake the change of season cold and it got a good hold of me, sending me to the hospital for a little over a week. I've learned from that experience that if I don't feel good for more than a week or two, go to the doctor - I'm not wearing a cape, hence, I'm not superwoman. To top off the month, I fell on Halloween right after I left the hospital, and ended up with stitches on my forehead and a black eye as a conversational piece. I learned from that experience that I'm not in the Indy 500, no need to race through life.

November - After a little setback, November marked the beginning of the college girls' discipleship group, "The BRAT Pack - Biblical Relationships, Accountable Teaching." In just two months, I've witnessed these girls really growing and becoming special women. I love my girls and I can't wait to watch what God will do in their lives in 2006.

December - After my month of unfortunate events, I decided to be very lowkey for Christmas this year. I wanted to enjoy the holidays, enjoy the time spent with family and friends, and not get caught up in the shopping frenzy. I did all my shopping online or on December 23 and the stress factor was eliminated. I truly enjoyed the four-day holiday weekend I had and cherished the time I spent with my family and friends. I reflected on the past Christmases and realized how each year so much changes, and some things stay the same. I miss my Mom tremendously at Christmas, but I try to keep her jovial personality alive through all I do.

I hope you all will take time to reflect on your year. This is merely a snippet of my life - there is so much more that happened and that God did in my life, that mere blog pages couldn't do it justice. But, in my little corner of the blogworld, I will sit with my cup of java, scroll through my months of blog entries, and reflect on what soon will be last year.