A look back on 2012

Well, my friends, this year taught me a lot about patience, about getting over myself, and mostly, about Murphy's Law:

Anything that can go wrong, will.

 

There was the first part of the year. After a barrage of family deaths, another one hit the closest to home: my sister's miscarriage. It's not something that we just talk about, but it is something that weighs on us still, I think (though I can't speak for everyone.)

 

Not to mention the one-month long food poisoning/driving-induced stress stomach problems. I could barely make it to class, much less eat. Every night I wondered if I'd get better.

 

Then there were the vehicle problems later on in the year. On a trip to back to my college-town, I had a tire bust on the interstate.

 

Not too far after that, my car was acting funny, so we (well, Caleb and the campus minister) replaced my water pump. A few weeks later, my car starting steaming and overheating, and I had to get my radiator replaced. Then just a few weeks ago, my battery died. So, new battery. I had half a mind to just forget it all and buy a new vehicle.

 

Those are just a small portion of the large picture, but guess what! This year wasn't completely bad. Actually, there was a lot of good.

 

Surprise! My sister is pregnant and due in March, not too long before my birthday! I'm going to have a lovely niece to hold.

 

My friend Jesse saved me from that busted tire on the interstate, since it happened in his hometown. When I say saved, I mean he called his police-officer dad, who was kind and came to help us change tires as my parents drove up.

 

A load of my friends got engaged this year (at an average rate of 1 a week). But two of them asked me to be in the wedding, and I couldn't be more happy for them and for getting to share in their special days.

 

I got a cute puppy, surely you've seen her by now. She knows how to dance and sit and ask Dad for biscuits.

 

I got a job at the school paper, and now I get to write about the sports I go to see! It's possible that I've made the important men in my life sorta proud.

 

The summer camps I worked out were nice and just what I needed. (They also gave me the tan-ish that I wanted.)

 

Caleb and I celebrated two years of dating in October. That was pretty neat.

 

Aaaand now, here are my favorite images of the year!

I got a surprise birthday party this year!

Here are my two roommates. They're pretty cool and pretty pretty.

Our 2-year date to the corn maze.

Oh look, our two most popular players.

 



They are cute.

Christmas Party game.

Me and my pop.

Dwight and Angela



Dottie!

Here is Amy, my first friend to get engaged (it's possible she started the trend last December!)

And here's Cori, who also proposed to me to be a bridesmaid.

If you wondered how I did on my goals for the new year...well...I did about 5.5 of them. Which is terrible, but also good. That's why they are goals, not resolutions!



Simple Christmastime

Not everything we wanted to happen worked out this Christmas. Unfortunately, our whole family didn't get to be together on Christmas because of the impending snow doom. And the power and cable and internet took turns not working.

But at least I got to be home with my parents and my doggie this break, and I got to visit Caleb the weekend right before Christmas.

Here's a small peek into what we did in our down time this Christmas. (Did I mention it finally snowed, for my first White Christmas ever?!)


My mom and I had a photoshoot.

 

 

Dottie wanted me to come back inside...or to go outside.

 

 

I just want to brag a little bit...

I used to say I'm not one for mushy stuff, but that was before I started dating Caleb. I'm still not a fan of gross amounts of PDA, or of people calling each other baby all the time, but my goodness, I don't mind telling people about Caleb.

Last week was pretty bad. Just a few days, a few problems here and there, and the whole week went pretty sour. I woke up late - as in 20 minutes before class started, and I live 10 minutes away from campus. Many thanks for the campus minister who kindly drove me to class in my desperate moments.

Then, the speech I was to do that day got postponed, etc., etc., and then it was Wednesday. This day was better in the fact that I did not have a class to go to. That night the paper I work for had a Christmas party, which was fun! I ended up with two amazing-smelling candles.

As I walked to meet Caleb in a nearby parking lot to go to church, I noticed my arms getting unusually tired. And then suddenly, my notebooks, folders, food, and candles all spilled out of my hands onto the concrete. A few yards away stood five guys, just standing and staring at me, not offering to help, just watching me as I tried to scoop up my belongings and the broken glass that once surrounded one of my candles.

About that time, Caleb's truck came swooping in and he ran out to help me pick up everything. Doesn't sound like much, but after the mortification I had just suffered, it was enough.

Saturday night, Caleb gave me a pedicure. And it was the most beautiful pedicure I've ever received. He washed and massaged my feet, took off my nail polish, had me file my own nails because he didn't know how, and then proceeded to apply base, main, and top coat to my toes. It was the cutest thing to watch him carefully paint about 6 layers of black glitter polish to my nails, and then apologize when my toes got stuck together due to the fact that my nails weren't dry.

It was actually a really good job!

That's all it took to give me a better week, and I just wanted to share it.

P.S. If you are one of Caleb's brothers and are reading this...it was the manliest pedicure ever. Blood, guts, and gore.

Here are some scenes from the RFC Christmas party we had the other day. Kelsy and I nearly won this game.