looking back on 2014...

well...

this is it.

the obligatory new year post.

2014 has been so so

lovely.

for us, it has been

filled with:

peace

rest

love

joy

contentment

and

the prescence of god.

2014 has been filled with

beautiful memories with those

that matter most.

lots of birthdays,

mom's pinning and graduation,

loads of reading and coffee,

treasure hunts, 

teaching crazy kiddos,

days at home,

days out and about,

a wedding,

a class reunion,

and

family get togethers.

i was also able to 

go on so many great trips this year.

i love being home,

ya'll know that.

but traveling has

also been so much fun.

this year

i went to

tennessee

indianapolis

missouri

new york

and

costa rica.

when i look back on this year,

i will always look at it fondly.

it has been the best year in 

a long time.

god is so amazing

and so at work in my life.

i don't deserve this beautiful life.

but i am grateful that it's mine.

i also made some resolutions for 2014.

i am so happy to report that,

for the first time in a while,

i kept most of them.

just a reminder,

they were:

more time for god

only feed the things that feed me

bring back the creativity

run

do meal planning and cook

be more organized

quit giving so much at work

read

let shane choose

and, of course,

my word was:

surrender.

as for the resolutions:

more time for god...

i most definitely succeeded.

i read my bible and had

devotion time pretty much every day.

i am human and i did miss a few days

here and there.

however, 

for the most part, 

it was a part of my daily life.

only feed the things that feed me...

another success.

i stepped away from things that

were draining.

i put distance between myself

and the things that just aren't

good for me or my life.

it has made a huge difference.

bring back the creativity...

i brought scrapping back to 

my life this year in a big way.

i decided to participate

in project life

and i'm so happy to say

it had me scrapping

way more often this year.

run...

well,

i feel like i really got the 

whole healthy eating thing down

this year.

i did better with that than

i have in a long time.

i was able to drop some LBs.

the running...

well, it's been off and on.

not consistent.

there's always next year...

do more meal planning and cook...

ya'll let's just forget

about this one.

i ain't no cook!

never will be.

be more organized...

i'm a pretty organized person.

always have been.

there were some areas

that needed work

and they got it.

feeling very organized going

into 2015.

quit giving so much at work...

man man man

i am so glad i finally set some

boundaries at work.

i no longer bring hours of work

home from school.

i no longer sweat the insignificant

details and paperwork.

i do what i can, when i can,

and to my best ability.

and you know what i've noticed?

it has made me love my job more.

it has made me focus

only on loving and teaching

my babies.

it has made me realize

that all that reeeeeally matters,

is sewing seeds in those babies' lives.

read...

yes and yes.

i read lots of books this year.

let shane choose...

i feel like i've made progress here

but i guess there's still more

room for improvement.

what can i say?

i like getting my way.

and as far as my word,

surrender,

goes...

i succeeded in some ways

and could still improve in others.

isn't that life though.

all i can say is thank you jesus.

thank you for these people 

that have filled my year with love

and support.

thank you for this man

that fills my days with laughter

and love.

thank you for your presence and 

your constant grace.

and thank you for each

new day and this new year

that brings new opportunities

for growth and improvements

and even more memories.

c'mon 2015...

bring

it

on.

ash...