For several years now, I've felt inspired to write a blog. I could never decide what to blog about, though. As the ball dropped and 2012 rolled into 2013, I decided that this was the year. There are so many exciting things happening in 2013, so what better time to start? Just a fair warning, this initial blog past may be kind of long...
For Christmas last year (as in 2011 because I can't refer to 10 days ago as 'last year' yet...), one of my wonderful aunts gave me Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts. I began reading it immediately and am ashamed to say, still haven't finished it. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, the author chronicles a list of 1,000 of God's blessings in her ordinary life on a farm. It's made me wonder -- how often do I take the time to recognize the abundance of blessings? Even in the ordinary? Even in the seemingly endless string of daily tasks? So, if you will allow me, I will take the time right now to chronicle some of the many blessings that I experienced throughout 2012. After all, is there any better way of starting a new year than by thanking God for all the blessings from the previous year? :)
January -- In January, I had the privilege of returning for my second semester of teaching. My school resumes with a week and half long J-Term. during which I taught an international cooking class. We made dishes from around the world, including enchiladas, ratatouille, tandoori chicken, borek, and Navajo tacos. It was a wonderful 8 days of cooking with several wonderful students. I was so blessed to have the opportunity to teach something else that I am passionate about to a small group of students, allowing me to form relationships with them that cannot come about in the large-scale traditional classroom.
February-- In February I was blessed to have a much needed week-long break from school. I was able to spend time with all of my loved ones in different areas -- my mom and sisters, my dad, and my (now) fiance. During this month, I also experienced one of the most joyful, emotional moments of a young woman's life. I bought my wedding dress. And no, we were not engaged yet. Don't judge, please... I promise it wasn't a psycho, stalker girl-friend move to trick him into marrying me. Promise!
March -- March, for some reason, stands out in my mind as a hectic month in 2012. Early in the school year, my dear friend/co-worker and I agreed to help out as stage managers for the school musical. By this time, we were so stressed out and so sick of hearing the songs that we couldn't wait for the performances. The two nights of performance turned out to be the most fun part of the whole thing. We were blessed with an amazing group of students on the stage crew who worked so hard and made the whole show possible. We had TOO much fun during the performances; it made the months of hard work worth it.
April-- So yeah, let me just come out and say it... April was probably my favorite month of the year. Before I elaborate, you can probably guess why :) On April 21st, my man took me up to Chicago for an amazing day of romance in the city. We had an adventurous day that started with trying to find a place to park where his brand new car wouldn't get jacked. One lady even told us that if we "leave the car here, y'all won't have a battery when you get back." So, we finally found a semi-safe place, prayed protection over the car and us, and ventured onto the L. We started at the SkyDeck in the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and were daring enough to step out on the glass ledge of the 103rd story. Then, we stuffed our faces with Giordano's pizza, found a Tea shop, explored a toy store, and made our way to Millennium Park. We walked through some gardens around the art museum and finally caught a glimpse of Lake Michigan.
We ventured down Michigan Avenue and entertained ourselves by window shopping at stores like Burberry, pretending that we could actually afford the luscious products taunting us from behind too-thick glass. A glass window has never felt like such an economic barrier before. :) We finally made our way to Navy Pier, and I was exhausted. I had blisters from my not-so-broken-in Sperrys and my fingers were numb from the wind. I couldn't figure out how he was still so energetic and excited as he led me to the ferris wheel. I was outraged by the price of tickets, but he insisted that we go on. I continued to grumble, but could see that he really wanted to go on. As the Ferris wheel climbed higher and higher over Lake Michigan, I could feel his pulse begin to race. He began whispering sweet things about wanting to take care of me forever and serve God with me and raise a family with me. And with that, he got down on one knee (the ferris wheel is an enclosed capsule with a floor) and pulled out an amazing ring with the diamond from his grandmother's engagement ring.
We celebrated by going to Ed Debevic's, a restaurant in Chicago known for its rude and sarcastic wait staff. We LOVED the atmosphere, as we both speak fluent sarcasm. :) I feel so blessed to know that I get to spend the rest of my life with this amazing man.
There you have the first 1/3 of my year. Even if you didn't enjoy reading what I had to say, I'm finding that this is an incredible exercise to do. To look back and see God's faithfulness each month for a whole year puts a lot into perspective as we embark on another year. If you'd like to come back soon, I will continue chronicling the blessings of 2012 and, I'm sure, the many blessings to come in 2013.
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