What was 2010

For me, 2010 was (all positives here - not that there were no negatives, but I'd rather focus on the positive):
1. the year of high school graduation
2. the year of my first job
3. the year I read the Lord of the Rings for the first time (well, OK, I'm not quite finished - Return of the King is still left)
4. the year I scored the CWIT scholarship
AND...
5. The year I met six of ten new years goals (goals 1,4,5,6,7, and 10)

My goals for 2010 were:
1. exercise and eat less
2. finish reading through the Bible
3. Serve More
4. Learn how to study
5. Learn to control my tongue and temper
6. Learn to budget and SAVE money (tentative goal, 1000 dollars in addition to what I already had)
7. practice art
8. read all of the Lord of the Rings
9. Learn to knit
10. Blog more consistently

and here's how I think I did:
1 - too vague a goal. But for the most part, yes, because of school food
2 -  Not even close. But I've been working on it since May 2009 and I'll keep going
3 - also vague. I'm not sure now if the things I did this year were what I meant a year ago.
4 - Kinda? being in College made me study more, and I learned where I can study and started making my own cards and stuff, so yes, I guess.
5 - someone who's not me but has known me for a while should tell me if I did this one - I think and hope so!
6 - Done, since this was the most numeric, mathematical goal. Done much better than I expected
7 - I didn't make art, but I gained appreciation for music, and met artists, and learned ballroom dance. which is a kind of art, just not the painting kind I was thinking of. So I suppose yes, but not how I'd expected.
8 - no! I came a LITTLE short. Give me a month's grace and I'll have this one. :D
9 - No. didn't even try. But, I met someone who does knit. maybe I'll get her to teach me. We'll see. this one maybe one of the goals that will fall through the cracks, but if so, no big deal - that happens! and I've been making new years goals since I was 13. some are bound to end up dead.
10 - Well. I have written more posts in 2010 than in 2009 or 2008. So we'll call it a success, even though I don't write as often as I'd like. Mostly, I'm happy it's been running 3 years and is still pretty strong - blogs from people my age tend to die quickly. As always, it's a way to keep writing, keep thinking, keep improving.

Happy New Year Y'all!

Counting my Blessings...

It is often easy to take the life you have for granted, and I've been realizing how I fall into that trap all to often. Based on the Christmas season and approaching New Year, I've been considering the life of my Savior and the things that I've taken for granted about his life, and about how I'm reflecting him, and a lot of stuff that would take a while to go into.

But, in the midst of that, I've also been counting my blessings of family, education, a home, friends, church, and so, so much more.

Going away, meeting new people, and basically starting my adult life at college has been making me see new things. 2011 should bring some actions on those new revalations - at least, my resolutions will tilt that way!

(sorry if this is confusing - I don't want to go into endless detail, but I also wanted to share this thought while I had it. I can give detail if you really want it)

Comfort Foods

Tonight for dinner I had:
Instant Mac and Cheese
Egg Salad Sandwich
Grapefruit Cup

(FYI - I'm eating in my dorm with foods from OutTakes because it's finals week and we're all studying)

Each of those foods serves as a reminder of a loving person.
Mac and Cheese = Uncle Mike
Egg Salad = my sister Abigail
Grapefruit = Bestemor (my grandma)

Why are some foods comfort foods? Because of the thoughts they trigger.
What foods start your memory floods?