2016: A Year in Review

2016 was one of those years for me.  It was a pulling & stretching year full of new things, surprises {or almost surprises}, & deep changes that, if I'm totally transparent, are still pretty tough for me.  There were tears upon tears & also laughter upon laughter.  Both joy & heartache deeper than I'd felt in many a year.  There was also doubt & insecurity - way too much, I admit - & I feel I almost drowned in it at times.  Looking back, I know God was with me through every single moment of that now past 365, because I know I couldn't have made it on my own.  I still know that, by the way.  It's a daily truth I feel deep.  Here's a few highlights from 2016...

January:

🔻 Dan asks me for my ring size!  He tries to play it off like it's for the possible/maybe far off future - if it comes to that - he'll have it tucked away kinda thing.  Every girl knows if the ring size is asked, it's pretty serious stuff.  We were at a restaurant at the time, & a few moments after the asking was done, I quietly excused myself to the restroom to do the crazy what-just-happened prayer & silly uncontrollable grinning, slightly hyperventilating scared-out-of-my-wits thing.

🔻 I get a month long sub job as a librarian at a school deep in the hood.  P.S.: It was rough & tough at times, but I survive just fine!

February:

🔻 Dan & I celebrate our 1st boyfriend/girlfriend Valentine's Day!  We have a fancy dress-up dinner date {I wear the most amazing red dress I snagged at a consignment sale for next to nothing}, & then we go star gazing on the mountain where he carved our names the previous Oct. {note this mountain is important later on in the year, too}.

March:

🔻 Dan & I serve together packaging up bags of rice {to send overseas} at my church, & I feel like I could serve Christ with this man my whole life.

April:

🔻 I get my braces off & enjoy my crowd-free straight smile!  Oh, I didn't mention I had braces this whole time?  I did.  I was one of those get braces as an adult people.  It does make you take care of them better when it's your own $ paying for it, by the way.  Dan took probably over a half hour to even notice they were off when I visited next, but maybe he was nervous because...

🔻 Dan proposes for our 1 year boyfriend/girlfriend anniversary on the mountain in front of the tree where he carved our names encompassed by the heart!  {I said yes, but I guess you knew that by now.}

🔻 This was the start of a very rough season where my doubts, anxiety, & insecurities nearly drove me from those I loved most.

🔻 I kill my sweet car in a wreck.  Thankfully no one else was hurt.

May - June:
🔻 Wedding planning with intermittent hyperventilating & such.

July:
🔻 Packing up to move to Georgia & to an apartment I'd only seen in photos.

🔻 Dan drove through the night to come on an unplanned visit because I needed him.  I knew after that visit that he would protect my heart always.

August:
🔻 I make the big move south with 2 cars + a U-haul.

🔻 I join a church down here & become a member.

🔻 We explore an abandoned house together.  Pretty creepy {& so fun}!  Pretty thankful nobody got arrested!

September:
🔻 I marry my best friend outside while butterflies flit past us.

🔻 We honeymoon in Orlando & visit Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, & Hollywood Studios!

October - December:
🔻 We work on this amazing & hard adventure called "marriage."

🔻 I land a long term sub position as an elementary school's librarian - &, oh man, do I thank God for it!

🔻 We enjoy our 1st "married" holidays {because we were dating long distance, we hadn't been together on any actual fall/winter holidays before}!  We pass out candy on Halloween & watch nostalgic Halloween specials, enjoy 2 Thanksgiving dinners, & Christmas with his family then mine.

🔻 We start new Christmas traditions, put up my 1st real tree, visit both Rock City's & Callaway Garden's light shows, eat Kilwin's ice cream on Christmas Eve, & go see the broadway version of The Little Mermaid {it was one of my Christmas gifts}!

Whoa, what a year!  Really & truly it has been a mad whirlwind of change/growth, craziness, & countless blessings.  Thank You, Lord, for your patience & limitless love You bestowed again & again on your mess of a daughter this year!  I can't wait to see what adventures You have in store for us in 2017!

Happy {almost} New Year's!