2009.

ok, so i never do these and even when i have i rarely accomplish them. we'll see how 2009 goes in about 365 more days, right?!

1. no more coke.
2. pay off credit cards.
3. make a trip to kansas.
4. make a trip to colorado.
5. make a trip to arizona.
(i'm betting i won't/can't make all of those trips...)
6. go to Orlando with some of my best friends.
7. find a boy. a nice one, a little older, mature, good looking, etc...
8. read the other 3 books after Twilight. (this will be done within the week)
9. every years resolutions: work out more, read the Bible more, trust more, fear less.
10. enjoy life.

that's all, for now. those seem pretty do-able. well, except # 7 probably :) but my imaginary boyfriend Edward will suffice until something better comes along.

2008 was.....some of the worst times of my life, some of the greatest change in my life, and some pretty good times. i can't say some of the greatest times were in 2008 but i sure am thankful for a lot of things -- like my friends, my family, my job, and grace.

and to all a goodnight.

--oh, and a thought i should remember next year. do NOT spend New Years Eve on the beach when it is 35 degrees....(75 the last 2 months tricked me tonight!!)

Dear Cupid....

We have got to discuss your aim.

mg at her best.

At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing, where we all keep our distance and pretend not to care about each other, is usually a load of bull. So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to, and once we've chosen those people, we tend to stick close by. No matter how much we hurt them, the people that are still with you at the end of the day - those are the ones worth keeping. And sure, sometimes close can be too close. But sometimes, that invasion of personal space, it can be exactly what you need.

At the end of the day, there are some things you just can't help but talk about. Some things we just don't want to hear, and some things we say because we can't be silent any longer. Some things are more than what you say, they're what you do. Some things you say cause there's no other choice. Some things you keep to yourself. And not too often, but every now and then, some things simply speak for themselves.

Maybe we're not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes to simply be human. Maybe, we're thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we're thankful for the things we'll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate.

Pain, you just have to ride it out, hope it goes away on its own, hope the wound that caused it heals. There are no solutions, no easy answers, you just breath deep and wait for it to subside. Most of the time pain can be managed but sometimes the pain gets you where you least expect it. Hits way below the belt and doesn't let up. Pain, you just have to fight through, because the truth is you can't outrun it and life always makes more.

I've heard that it's possible to grow up - I've just never met anyone who's actually done it. Without parents to defy, we break the rules we make for ourselves. We throw tantrums when things don't go our way, we whisper secrets with our best friends in the dark, we look for comfort where we can find it, and we hope - against all logic, against all experience. Like children, we never give up hope...

At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. It's like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it's not so important happy ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you , and once in a while people may even take your breath away.

At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them. But there are some lines... that are way too dangerous to cross.

don't stop believing .... wooooah

You know how when you were a little kid and you believed in fairy tales, that fantasy of what your life would be, white dress, prince charming who would carry you away to a castle on a hill. You would lie in bed at night and close your eyes and you had complete and utter faith. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Prince Charming, they were so close you could taste them, but eventually you grow up, one day you open your eyes and the fairy tale disappears. Most people turn to the things and people they can trust. But the thing is its hard to let go of that fairy tale entirely cause almost everyone has that smallest bit of hope, of faith, that one day they will open their eyes and it will come true.

flying.

2008 flew by... at least in retrospect it totally did.

and to see where i was at the beginning of the year (uggh, hated life -- hah) and now where i am at the end of the year (it's WONDERFUL....)

not much more than that to say right now.
we had our work christmas party today! it was fun -- got a $20.00 gift card to target so that never hurts. getting ready to have small group at my house (we are watching The Truth Project -- my advice, unless you want to feel like you're taking another college Bible course don't do it)

it's freezing here, almost. no one told me it was cold in savannah.

i THINK i may go to kc for new years. sounds fun. new years kiss? neah...but fun at least.

xoxo.

--will some things never change? will some genders never change? :)