2.0.1.3

What. A. Year. What a wonderful, whirlwind of a year 2013 was.

Ten things I learned, re-learned or was reassured of in 2013:

#1: I have incredible, amazing, supportive parents. My parents rock. They are a solid foundation, they are a great example, and they are the most giving and generous human beings you will meet. I was reminded over and over again this year, after the purchase of a home and the planning of a wedding, just how generous and amazing they truly are. Rob and I feel blessed to have their never-ending love and support. Their generosity continually left us in awe, from the first day of 2013, to the very last, they never failed to be abundantly generous, supportive and loving.

#2: My brother is more wonderful than I let myself believe for the first 22 years of my life. See #1 and the people he was raised by, and you will understand where he gets his generosity from. More so than that, he is a genuinely cool person. He is insanely caring and loving. And passionate beyond belief. He is dedicated and successful, and I truly admire and look up to the person he is. Who would have thought that I’d be saying that 18 years ago?

#3: God always, always provides when you need him to. During the challenges of life this year, whether in sorrow, in trial, or in financial questioning, He continually showed up in the exact moment and time He was needed most. A check would come. A heart would be softened. Pain would ease up. And over and over again, His love would shine through.

#4: Being a homeowner is fun, and being a home owner is HARD. Painting and decorating and making this house a home has been fun. It has also been challenging and frustrating and hard. When you finally think you have everything figured out, something breaks. There are continual projects, and it never feels done. And so begins the phase of life called adulthood, where people talk about the never ending to-do list of home improvements.

#5: Spending life with someone, the in and out, everyday grind we call life, is so much better than I could have anticipated. Living and doing life with your best friend is just plain fun. Dancing in the living room, being goofy in the morning while getting ready, sharing breakfast together before parting for the day, laughing non-stop, constantly hearing ‘I love you’ and ‘you’re beautiful’, sharing in the big decisions and in the small decisions. Every aspect of getting to do life with another person is incredibly rewarding. Which leads me to

#6: I married the funniest, happiest, most loving person I could have possibly married. I am thoroughly convinced that life at our house is far funnier and happier and full of love than at a lot of other households in this world- and that’s not something I take for granted. I don’t go a day, or even an hour, with him without laughing. It’s incredible to see how he lights up a room when he walks into it, and how he leaves smiles on the faces of so many people. There is so much I can learn from this man I call my husband, and I think that’s the greatest gift I’ve received yet.

#7: If you worry about money, life is going to be a lot less fun. I only know because I’ve tried. A lot. If I could graph out and display all the thoughts that pass through my mind in a day, I’m fairly certain the bar for “money” would trump any other bar on that graph. But, I have also discovered that constantly worrying about money does not change your income, or your expenses, or what you have in your savings account. It only makes life a lot less enjoyable. So I’m determined that I’m going to try not to let the thought of money enter an exit my mind so many times in a day.

#8: Somebody always has it worse, and somebody always has it better. Not many people will ever reach a point in their life when they are the worst off, or the best off. Yet we will always have an inclination in our bodies to compare ourselves to couple A, B and C who have a nicer home, more money, and more opportunities. Someone will always pop up on your newsfeed who is traveling to a place you only dreamed of traveling to, or who bought a house you could never afford to live in. Whether your best friends, your peers, or somebody you’ve never met- if you let yourself begin the comparison game- you will never win.

#9: Good conversations with great friends always make your life better. There have been several times over the course of this year where all it has taken to turn my spirits around and leave me feeling blessed is a seat across the table from a really good friend and hours of conversation about nothing and everything all at once. These are the same conversations that frequently inspire me.

#10: Nothing is better than a photograph that captures and stills the emotions and feelings of a moment.

As I enter the season of 2014, and the uncertainty and joy and excitement it is sure to bring, I look forward to continue discovering all the beauty that life has to offer if you just take the time to stop and look around.

And the only resolution I have this year is to resolve to do the things I love with the people I love, and enjoy each and every moment of them continually thanking God for the blessings.