2007 review

[tanoshii66]

A little late, but I put a lot of time into this.  I probably forgot a lot, but I tried to be completely honest throughout it.  And I feel good just laying it all out there.  Take it any way you want, I'm open for questions/comments.

This year sure has been an interesting one...

2007

The Good:

• Bringing in the year at my home, with some weird/cool peoples… who made it interesting.
• Having the opportunity to volunteer at the Wheeling Animal Hospital, it was very interesting and made me realize to not observe/perform surgeries on an empty stomach.
• Going back to school with Kyle there for the first time that January.  It was one strange thing to go from 3 semesters apart to all of a sudden only a few blocks away.
• Spring semester, from the challenging classes to the spring break in California, and of course the great grades that came from the semester. I loved to see how when I pushed myself, great results came about, it helped that I wasn’t taking any ridiculous chemistry or physics classes.
• Learning how to AI a cow.  Yes, this was awesome despite how gross people may find it. :)
• Pondering the idea of becoming a bible study leader and feeling God’s hand working in me when thinking about where He wishes me to go.
• Growing in my faith and relationship with the Lord.  I have seen some rocky times, when I felt far away from the Lord, but overall I feel like I’ve gotten closer to God through this past year.  :)
• Pat graduating, and all the big birthdays of the spring/summer: my mom’s, Kyle’s, my grandma’s, my own, and others. :)
• Working at Hewitt again, super fun, especially when that old guy asked me out… haha /sarcasm.  I do enjoy working there (I’m working there now for my winter break as well).
• Summer bible study with my mom, it was very rewarding and enjoyable.
• Tae Kwon Do with Joyce, great times, and I’m now a green belt.  (Joyce being in Wheeling for the summer for once was great as well).
• Celebrating two years.
• Hanging out with Zach and Kristyn and getting to know them better from Cru formal to cool Christian concert and other fun stuff… :)
• Becoming good friends with people such as Kristyn and Ashley.  These two girls mean so much to me. :)
• Working on my Vet School application.
• Going to Cedar Point with the family, yay roller coasters!!
• Going back to school and deciding to be so busy that life moved so fast without me, I love being busy.  It’s awesome.
• Beginning a research project at the nutrition lab where I work as well.
• Becoming a bible study leader, despite no one ever really coming to the bible study, it was definitely a good experience and I plan to continue such duties next semester.
• Meeting new people at Cru through fall getaway, leadership meetings, and Christmas conference.  These people are great and I love to be around them.  :)
• Growing, sharing, loving, and learning with the girls of my action group.  Getting closer to them through studying the bible and sharing our stories. :)  Pam’s the best (our leader).
• Deciding to go on a summer project (missionary trip) for the following summer…. Or doing a zoo internship (a.k.a. anything but stay home).  :)
• Going to NYC with Joyce for fall break, a wonderful time seeing many things in a big city. :)  (I saw the bodies exhibit twice in the same year… it was sweet).
• Being home and working for winter break… and Christmas conference was amazing.  :D
• My parents deciding to give my car to my uncle whose car is nearly dead and then buying me a new car.  They bought me a 07 Jetta, which is beautiful and amazing.
• Being in God’s hands, safe and cared for, during the entire year.

The Bad:

• Falling into temptation over and over again, feeling like a failure in God’s eyes.
• My brother and his crazy moods/behaviors.  Despite being on medication, he hasn’t really ever returned to normal.  :(
• My grandfather passing away two weeks after Kyle’s grandfather passed away.  To say the least, that was a hard time for everyone.
• My first real cavity and the beginning of more to come.
• Pat’s crazy girlfriend Almedina and how much she lied to him and us.
• My weight being so variable/fluctuating that it was embarrassing at times.
• Thinking PCB was cancelled and then realizing it wasn’t when it was too late.
• Not being able to do everything I wanted to during the summer, esp. volunteering at Wheeling Animal Hospital.
• Working with Laura Bauer for my research project, tears weren’t hard to come by.
• All those times I felt sick when I shouldn’t have.  Looking back, it was God’s doing, Him trying to show me what I felt wasn’t just sickness but was the truth, and was according to His plan and not my own.
• Trying to control my own life and not completely trusting the Lord with my future.
• My relationship with Kyle and how it went from good to ok to ugly so quickly.
• Having my life plans being literally ripped away from me within a few weeks.
• The irony of how I felt and my actions, words, thoughts, and deeds.
• Not meeting Storm because of some miscommunication.
• My brother talking to Almedina again and the tires on his car being slashed afterwards.
• Having my purse stolen at Christmas Conference and no way to know who texted or called me to wish me a Happy New Year nor could I text or call anyone with the same message.

The Ugly:

·        Everything to do with Almedina, Pat, and my mother.  All of that relationship was just plain ugly and it only got worse as time went on.

·        Being home for the summer and seeing how my mom and brother interacted with each other and how awful it was.  And, of course, because of it, my mom and dad would fight often.  Being home in and of itself was ugly and I couldn’t escape from it enough.

·        John and Shawna breaking up… this was ugly because it took John about 6 months just to get over Shawna and realize he wasn’t going to get her back.  Poor guy, but it really was for the best.

·        Kyle and I breaking up… the words said, the yelling, the crying, the pressure I felt on my shoulders, and the feelings felt.  It was, indeed, something not pretty.  But that’s to be expected when you break up with someone you were dating for almost 2.5 years.  I do hope that one day we can be friends, when he stops pretending to be fine despite all that happened.  When we can actually talk and not be bitter at each other but instead actually care about each other as friends do.

New Year Resolutions:

·        Exercise more than just dancing for a few hours a week.  Maintain my body weight at or around 125/130 pounds.

·        Go through the entire year without falling into temptation/ acting on any temptation… with or without someone.

·        Find a nice, mature gentleman to get to know/ be friends with before considering dating.

·        Grow with the Lord, give Him full control of my life, and not worry too much about the future because it’s not in my control, it’s in His control.

·        Maintain my friendships beyond graduation, especially with Ashley, Kristyn, and Joyce.

·        Get used to the idea of not living in Illinois anymore, whether it begins this year or the next year, goodbye Illinois, hello world.  :)