Hello 31!

So I'm a week late in getting this post updated, but better late than never, right?

Last Monday, May 6th, I turned 31, how did that happen? I still think of 10 years ago as being the 1990's, not the 2000's ! As I reflect on the last year, I am struck by the amazing amount of change and growth that has happened in only 12 months. Some of it has been incredibly good and some not so good, but through it all, I can confidently say that I'm not the same person I was 372 days ago! So here's some high's and lows of the past year.

The Awesome (an extremely condensed version):
~God has drawn me closer to Him than ever, teaching me to be an obedient follower, even when it's difficult (sometimes I wish He wouldn't give me so many opportunities to practice this obedience amidst difficulty)
~I started leading a Sunday morning Bible study on various topics and attendence is increasing weekly.
~I had (and continue to have) the opportunity to work with talented and dedicated people who minister to me and whom I learn from everyday
~I got to spend a lot of time with friends who become more like family every day
~I met some new people and deepened relationships with neighbors.
~I got to see my family more than usual between my visits, thier visits and trips to random places
~I lost about 30 pounds through diet and exercise

The Awful:
~The AC in my house broke (an unexpected and costly repair, but a necessity in Houston)
~My dad discovered that I had a termite infestation (another unexpected and costly repair- a huge thanks to my parents who footed the bill for both the termites and the AC)
~Two new administrators who know very little about actually running a school...

I also thought it would be fun to update you on the progress of my 30 while 30 goals from a year ago...


1. Walk Riley at least 4 times a week--this one's hit or miss, depending on my schedule

2. Go to a fitness class (like Zumba or belly dancing) at least once/week (I'm so not a gym person)--I love my Zumba class and I go regularly at least twice a week!

3. Finish reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation--Finished Revelation on Sunday, May 5th despite some major laspes in reading my Bible daily- God is so faithful to provide!

4. Have quiet time at least 4 days a week- see above, but I would say the average was at least 3 times per week.

5. Increase my financial giving to the church- still working on this one. I have definitely increased my giving, but I'm not where I would like to be yet.

6. Read two books/month not related to school- sadly, school won most days/months, but the books for pleasure that I did get to read were incredible!

7. Volunteer my time at Trinity with the youth group and women's ministries- I have been able to give lots of time to various ministries at church, ironically, not so much with these specific ministries

8. Visit Miriam in Boston- check :-) It was an epic weekend!

9. Visit Bethy in Maine :-( adding it to the list of goals for 31

10. Try one new recipe a month thanks to Pinterest, I definitely did this!

11. Write at least two blog posts/month- too much life got in the way... also still on the list for 31

12. Learn to drink/like beer tried to make it work many times, still don't like it!

13. Increase my fruit and vegetable intake- :-)

14. Decrease my fats and oils intake (less desserts after dinner):-( I love dessert, although I have significantly cut down on portion size.

15. write one email/letter or make one phone call to a friend who lives out of state/month (mass emails do not count)I'm not sure if it was once a month, but I did do a reasonable job of this!

16. Take a real vacation (one that involves sitting poolside somewhere in the tropics)sadly, too many unexpected home expenses prevented me from doing this... hopefully in 2013

17. Learn to make macaroons not yet

18. Believe I'm worth it- getting there... some days are better

19. Go talk to friends at school about non-school related items once/week success and fail- I did increase communication significantly with friends at school, but mostly it was school related given the change in admin....

20. Curse less thanks to the incidents described above in the awful section, I think I actually increased this :-(

21. Hang curtains in my bedroom they exist, but I need to get some different ones that block out the light better!

22. Grow in my relationship with God (learn to trust Him more and myself less)Only by His grace and faithfulness!

23. Visit a museum in Houston every other month I think I was only at one musuem- sad!

24. Take 4 cooking classes @ Sur La Table Thanks to my good friend Kathy who helped me achieve this

25. Pay off my credit cards- work in progress, almost there!

26. Take more deep breaths-God has certainly given me many chances to practice this...

27. Have friends over for dinner at least once/month Nope...

28. Buy myself fresh cut flowers for no reason I need to do this more often!

29. Visit the farmer's market- still haven't been in Houston, I miss the one in Allentown!

30. Be more spontaneous/open to new experiences- oh, I'm learning this...