New Year Resolutions?

Now, I can barely remember to water the dead plants on the porch, let alone remember a new years resolution. But normally, I don't usually do new years resolutions. I mean not really, should I?

I often times take the time to reflect on the year as a whole though and think about what important things happened in my life. Last year I remember doing that and thinking about being at Mount Hermon, my job as an RA, and also going into emergency surgery. That was all quite a year. Now thinking back on this year, it was a lot calmer, but I think that was a good thing.

Thinking back to January, I was starting a new year and I was ovarian cyst free as well as RA free too. At the time I was so sad that I had to leave Muir. It was hard leaving all my "kids" that I had grown to love so much. And yet, looking back on it now, I see things that I had not seen before. Ask any of my close friends and they'll tell you, fall quarter took a lot out of me last year and I struggled balancing work and school. (Forget about my social life, that was non existent). Come January, I was ready for a break and I needed to focus on "Whitney." So winter quarter was about me and about school. I focused on doing well in school and I focused on my health. And as the quarter went on I started to see the hidden blessing in no longer being an RA.

The rest of Junior year was so great because I did well in school, I was healthy, and I actually got to spend time with friends. Everything happens for a reason and I truly believe God gives us all specific experiences that help us to learn and grow. The great thing about my opportunity in being an RA was that I still saw my residents on campus a lot and also went to visit them in Muir. I still had relationships with them minus all the work and being on call!

This summer I visited one of my favorite places on earth, Whitefish, Montana. Not only did I get to spend quality time with my grandparents, but I also was able to nanny for the most awesome family in the world on Flathead Lake! What an amazing week of fun we had! And what a blessing it was for me to meet such a loving family.

Fall quarter this year was a little nuts with keeping up with all my classes, but I'll tell ya, there was so much JOY through it all. I've been thinking about graduation more and more lately and about leaving SLO and my beautiful friends. With that in mind I have tried to make the most out of all my experiences and spending time with the people I love.

There is beauty in so much of this world and especially in the day to day things. I think about the "future" talks that Katie and I often have and how scary life seems at times but at the same time how beautiful it is when you think about the endless opportunities that the world offers. I think about laughter and how I thought I was legitimately going to die during finals week but how at the same time you just get to this point where you just have to laugh. Because life is FUNNY. People are FUNNY. And when your ring goes flying across the room in the library and you're on your hands and knees looking for it , you know that 11 hours at the library straight is just a little too long. That's FUNNY. (Well I think it was!)

And I'll tell ya when you are waiting and waiting and waiting to find out what you got on your LAST math grade of your life and it finally pops up on your portal and it's really not even that great, but it's passing, the neighbors probably thought that we had won the lottery or something. THIS GIRL WAS SO JOYFUL.

Because we need that. We need laughter and joy and happiness in our life. There is too much sadness, negativity, and despair that life can bring that we forget to CELEBRATE. And I mean it, really CELEBRATE! My way of celebrating at school sometimes is with starbucks. If I don't do well on something my mom will tell me to get starbucks. And when I do well on something, my mom tells me to go get starbucks. It's my way of celebrating in all circumstances ;)

Looking back from last New Years to this one, I am so thankful to be HEALTHY, since that was not the case last year. And I am so thankful for my family and to have a house that is truly is a HOME. I am thankful for the blessings I call my friends and how much I have grown in the past year.

At this time next year I wonder where I will be typing this blog and even though I do not know the answer to that yet, I know God does and I know it will be wonderful. Because life is wonderful.

Remember to giggle folks, it makes the hard times easier and the good times funnier. :)

xoxo,
Whiteroo