This Time Last Year. [#TBT]

 

After Brittany and Kate both wrote down their thoughts about how far they’ve come in the past year, I knew it would be good for me to do the same and look back at where I was and where I am.

Kate’s post really hit me because, even though I didn’t know it then, we were in similar places in our lives then and now both of us are better off.

Plus, today is #ThrowbackThursday, so what better day than today to share?

This time last year:

• I had just begun blogging and wasn’t really sure what to do with this little space of mine.
• I was nannying the best little boy. And Winston the husky.
• My sweet great nephew had just been born and I fell incredibly in love.
• I was livin’ it up as a single lady (or at least I was telling myself I was) and started falling for a friend. This would turn into a short-lived romance of me trying to convince myself he was right for me and eventually a break up that opened up my eyes to what was going on.
• In that line of thinking, I was “over D” but still really sad that what we had was over… Little did I know that I’d be sitting here today happy to be able to say that I’m totally not over him one bit. He’s really the best person I know and treats me like the most important person in the world. We’re both in better places now and are happily together.
• I was getting ready to graduate and thought I would go on to do a Master’s in Public Health.
• I was an obstreperous young woman, resistant to growing up.
• I was spending 24 hrs a day in a research lab and hardly sleeping in the name of my Senior Thesis. 9 months of making that baby turned out to a great presentation and paper though!
• I had just rung the bell at Agnes Scott College, signifying my acceptance of a teaching job in Idaho.

Things are definitely different in my life now, and things are still changing for the better. It feels good to be able to look back and see just how far I’ve really come.

Today’s A to Z word is obstreperous, meaning stubbornly defiant.

 

14 in 2014!

Last year, instead of the classic type of New Years resolutions, I wrote a list of goals to keep in mind and to strive for in my phone. It acted as a sort of reminder of the kind of woman I wanted to be and the kind of things I wanted to accomplish in 2013.

That list consisted of:

• Grace
• Patience
• Persistence

And the tangible:

• Graduate from college
• Find a job
• Find a place to live with reasonable rent and a decent neighborhood
• Feel good in my body

I’m happy to say that I accomplished most of what I set out to do this year. I will continue to strive for grace, patience and persistence. However, I feel like I’ve taken on my struggles this year with a bit of all three. They say there are years that ask questions, and years that answer. 2012 was a year of questions, 2013 was definitely a year that answered.

I transitioned from college student to college graduate (woo!), I found not just 1, but TWO jobs that I have absolutely loved. Even though I had to leave my teaching job, I learned so much in that time and I wouldn’t change those few months for anything. Plus, I am so happy in my new job! I feel truly lucky to have this experience.

As far as an apartment goes, I had one over the summer of course, but since moving to Atlanta I’ve been staying with a friend. This goal didn’t go quite as planned, but I am working on it currently and should have my own place by mid-February! Exciting!

Feeling good in my body. Well, this is a whole different post for a different day. But I’m working on it and learning to accept my body just the way that it is and cherish it for all the things it can do.

Going into 2014, I want to continue to keep my goals of grace, patience, and persistence. I feel that they are still pertinent to the year to come. I also want to add 14 more tangible things that I am hoping to accomplish this year.

-Adopt a pet
-Attempt a craft off Pinterest
-Put as much money into savings as possible
-Establish a killer work wardrobe
-Be conversational in French
-Compliment someone every day
-BUDGET
-Floss more often
-Be more creative
-Learn to cook at least 5 meals
-Get my own apartment
-Visit 5 New (Interesting) Places
-Keep up with my blog
-Call mom and dad at least once a week

With these goals in mind as we head into this new year, I am excited to see what life brings me. Last year was a year of transitions, and I’m hoping that this year will bring a new type of stability. I am in a new city with a new job and my new college degree, and I’m ready to just “be” for a while and let life come to me. This means doing the best work I can and preparing for grad school the best that I can and being the best person that I can.

Bring it, 2014.

Reflecting on today’s events in Boston

There is a quote that I really want to share.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world.” -Mr. Rogers

I think it is important to remember in times like these when tragedies like what happened in Boston today occur that there is still good left in the world. I’ve seen a lot of Facebook statuses today about people “giving up on the world” or “losing faith in all people and humanity.” My heart hurts and absolutely goes out to those affected by this and their families. May they find peace in this chaos and comfort among this loss and confusion.

I don’t want to give up. I want to believe that there is absolutely still good in the world and that there are helpers everywhere, every time.