When I look back on 2012 I see many things:
LOVE
…and the greatest of these is….
2012 brought a new soul into our lives and the world. He is perfect. Whoever said no one is perfect has not met my little man. He’s adorable. He smiles at everyone. He’s happy. I never knew my heart could expand and love as deeply and equally as it does my two boys. My heart is filled to…the…brim.
STRESS
Having a baby and working full time is difficult. I was blessed to have a solid two months devoted to my little one, but as August approached I could feel the dread setting in. I love my job, but I will admit it was difficult for me to get back in the teaching groove after being wrapped up with my baby boy all summer. With my first child I was more ready to go back to work when the time came for some reason. Maybe it was because he was a pretty cranky baby, or because I was overwhelmed from being in a foreign country, but I had a much easier transition the first time around. This time I knew what I was doing, and I cried for a good four weeks. Then I sent my 5 year old to kindergarten and got to view public school from the perspective of the parent. I honestly don’t know how people with multiple children do it, especially having children in different schools. Trying to keep up with an infant, a kindergartener, and my own job was enough to make me earn my Friday night bottles glasses of wine!!!
AWE
Each year we’ve lived in NC our family has tried to make a few trips out of Fayetteville to explore the area. So far we have made it to Charleston, Charlotte, Asheville (Biltimore only), and Williamsburg/Jamestown. This year we decided to go back to Asheville for our last trip to explore more of that area, including the Smokies. Last time we were in Asheville we spent it solely at the Biltmore Estate (which is BEAUTIFUL, btw), but we had heard so many good things about the little town we wanted to go back, and I’m so glad we did! One of the reasons I love traveling is to see beauty in the world. The Smoky mountains are a sight to see, especially in the fall. We were there just as the leaves were darkening in their autumn hues, hiked to a waterfall, and even enjoyed some freshly pressed apple cider from an apple farm. In addition to this trip I took a trip to WA with my best friend in November. I never knew Washington was so beautiful, and I have made a promise with myself to go back to explore more.
Trips like these always make me stop and revel in the natural beauty of the world.
SADNESS
This year definitely made me hold fast to the ones I love. We all experience loss at one time or another, some unexpectedly, some given more preparation to deal. This year a previous student of mine was shot and killed, my former youth minister and the man who married my husband and me died of a heart attack, and my very sweet family friend’s husband was killed in a car accident. All three were unexpected and forced to the surface those difficult questions we ask ourselves in times of loss. They were reminders that this life is brief, and to make every moment count.
SURPRISE
We found out we will be moving overseas again, this time to Europe. I am giddy with excitement! Come March I will be able to say I have lived in three continents. For travel enthusiasts such as ourselves, this is an absolute stellar opportunity that we can’t wait to experience. We will be in Germany for three years and have already begun mapping out our weekend excursions!
When I look forward into 2013 I see many things:
EXCITEMENT
I know I already mentioned the move, but after the initial shock of realizing we are moving to Europe, the excitement settled in. I have no apprehension, no worries, just full excitement. What will it look like there? What will our home be like? What new friends will I make? The memories we are going to make and the idea of making them with my little family overwhelms me with happiness.
GROWTH
Something happens when you travel. You realize that the world extends past the invisible bubble you have surrounded yourself with, and it is not as scary as you once thought. It is a beautiful place just waiting to be explored. I have learned a lot about myself and the human race through my previous travels and am excited to learn more and have my son learn as well. It’s important to me that he understand how big the world is.
PEACE
The one major lesson I learned living in Japan was to focus on my family. It is very easy in the states to feel pulled every which way, involving ourselves in way too much and taking to heart the pressures from the various sources around us. In Japan all of that was stripped away and we became very tight as a family unit. All of a sudden that outside ‘noise’ was gone and what remained were the things that really mattered. We have tried to keep that mentality since we’ve moved back to the states, but it is difficult sometimes. I am looking forward to getting back to that same peace we had in Okinawa.
HEALTH
Two years ago I shut the door on red meat and haven’t looked back. I veered away from poultry for a long time, but once I got pregnant I craved it, so I allowed myself to indulge again. Once baby 2 was born and I went back to work I found it very difficult to keep up with my lacto-ovo vegetarianism. I had absolutely no time to cook, and if you go any type of veg, cooking is a must. It was get home from work, feed baby, feed kid, help kid with homework, read with kid, get kid ready for bed, do my own homework, feed baby, clean bottles, make lunches, take a shower, pass out. Forget working out too. I am looking forward to getting back to my vegetarian ways and being more physically active. My body felt right when I was living that way, and I am so ready to get back to it.
INSPIRATION
I love to create. I’m a creative person. Writing is my first passion, but I haven’t had good time to devote to it in quite awhile. Now I have eight months (at least) off of working full-time, so I am looking forward to finally get back into that creative space again. And what better place to get there than Europe?!
LOVE
All around. Our family unit, watching my boys grow and be brothers, meeting new friends and making new bonds…there is a lot of love out there just waiting for us, and I can’t tell you how thrilling that feels!
Another year has passed, and it was an undeserved blessing. Now I am reaching out with wide open arms to 2013 and all it has in store. Life is wonderful.
Cheers to a new year!
Leave A Reply
There really is something about exploring our world! I like you cannot wait to live overseas, I crave the excitement, unity and peace that comes with it 🙂