2014 · a reflection

i can't believe a year has passed since my last blog post!
my heart has been stirring to get back on the writing bandwagon, but first i want to reflect on the wonderful year of 2014. so, let's jump right into it!...

· january ·

january was, for the most part, not too eventful. it was, however, the month we decided we were ready to move into our own place. housing had fallen through for us after our honeymoon, so we ended up spending the first 5+ months of our marriage living with nicholas's family. we embarked on a crazy apartment hunt & eventually found a place. our move in date was set for february 1st. woohoo!

· february ·

we moved into our first home! i will forever remember this as such a precious time. we were so excited to have our own place that i don't remember tiring of all the 'work' associated with moving. we also celebrated our sixth month wedding anniversary with a concert and beautiful night out on the town. 

· march ·

march was a month of settling more in to our new little home. we also traveled to our first wedding of the year. i absolutely love rejoicing with friends over the beauty of love...yay weddings!

· april ·

one of my best friends, kayla, got married in april & i was a bridesmaid. we spent a couple of weekends away, first for the bachelorette party & then for the wedding itself. it was a busy, busy month but such a sweet one. 

· may ·

may was calmer than april, but held it's own fun. a free hotel getaway, coffee dates with lovely people, enjoying the sunshine, and having some much needed downtime.

· june ·

june was similar to may. downtime, enjoying the sunshine, swimming. we even got to attend a free x games event in downtown austin [we saw tony hawk skate!] 

· july ·

i went to my first ever horse race on the 4th of july... so fun! outdoor music events, walks around town lake, and celebrating Deutschland's World Cup win made up some of July's fun.

· august ·

august was a very full, crazy, month. it started off with a whirlwind, unexpected road trip to georgia, to be with friends who had just lost of their precious baby who was born at 20 weeks. we drove through louisiana, alabama, mississippi, and georgia, visiting nicholas's grandmother & duck commander along the way. we attended another wedding and we also celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary on the 17th. i cannot believe this sweet man has been my husband for over a year... i am so thankful. my birthday followed on the 26th, and we ended the month with a fun beach getaway with close friends and family. 

 

· september ·

september was a quieter, more restful month after such a crazy august. however, we made a pretty huge, life altering decision this month. the opportunity to move to slovakia had presented itself at the beginning of the year, but we didn't feel it was right for us then. the option resurfaced and after much prayer and thinking it through we decided to go for it - to jump back into missions work, this time in Slovakia!

· october ·

october started with a flight to north dakota for a two week visit. i was a bridesmaid in another close friends wedding and the rest of the visit consisted of sweet time with family. we were able to meet our two newest nieces and nicholas was able to see more of north dakota's beauty. the rest of the month was spent working and preparing for our move overseas.

· november ·

november was full of cherished time with family and friends. we had nicholas's little brothers over for sleepovers, a friend from out of town visited, and much of our free time was spent with family. we enjoyed many walks in the beautiful fall weather.

· december ·

december was again a month full of cherished time with loved ones. once we knew we were moving to slovakia, we tried to take every opportunity to be with family. my parents visited for two weeks. it was such a great visit. we went to trans siberian orchestra again, showed them some of the city, ate good food, celebrated my dads birthday, and celebrated christmas with both of our families. knowing this could be the last christmas we're able to spend with our families for a while made it extra special, though sad too. 

looking back at 2014, i am overwhelmed with all of the beautiful memories this year held. it is funny how when you are in the midst of moments, you don't always realize how beautiful they are. it is the cry of my heart to soak in these moments, to cherish them as they happen, not just when i look back. 2014 was a year of growing in this, and yes, a year of often failing at this. 

i don't think i can sum 2014 up in one word, but i can say this: it was a beautiful mess of joy and pain, purposefulness and passivity, exploring new places and seeing old places in new ways, growing and seeing where growth is still needed, realizing new dreams and reigniting old dreams. something i am continually realizing is the beauty in the fact that God is constant. When nothing is steady, when we fail, God is the same and never fails. how comforting is that?

so here's to 2015 - may it be a year of walking in a new awareness of who Jesus is, of learning to cherish moments as they happen, and of living from a place of joy.