Here's to 32 and 2012!

Three weeks ago, I hit my 32nd birthday. I had been hoping for a decade a little bit less stressful than my twenties when I hit 30 two years ago. That did not happen. Not that all my stress has been bad stress. In the last two years, here's what has happened.

God turned my world upside down in good ways.
I got out of debt.
I lost a significant amount of weight.
I broke free of insecurities and damages I'd carried for years.
I had one of those "instant connection" moments with someone.
I learned how to fall in love again and not be afraid of it.
My heart was broken and I survived.
I finally came to see and accept myself as beautiful.
I survived two car accidents.
I visited Latin America for the first time.
I started grad school with an aim.
The things I want are becoming clearer.
I've come to let grace & unconditional love from God invade my heart.
I made choices to be happy rather than not.
I learned what forgiveness really means, and how to live it out.
I came to a place of accepting everything God put in my heart
The phrase "lean into" whatever God is doing is something that I love.
Worship began happening more often - I'm not talking about music.
I view myself wholly different than I did 5 years ago.

Now that I'm three weeks into the new year, I have been thinking of what I want out of this year. What challenges I want to put before me, what hopes & dreams I want to see fulfilled.

I want to start my book(s).
I want to let my creativity have an outlet - whether that's design, silly photography, music or art, I just want to let it out again.
I want to stand and look at the Himalayan Mountains in the early morning and hear God's voice.
I want to run a 5K before the end of the year (this is happening)
I want to do something productive with my fountain of useless knowledge.
I want to chase lots of sunsets.
I want to love again.
I want to write film reviews of the movies that move me.
I want to be a better teacher.
I want to be a better writer.
I want to not be afraid of people's opinions.
I want to see all of my non-blood nieces and nephews this year.
I want to not go a day without noticing the beauty around me.
I want to worship like crazy...with every breath I breathe.
I want to have a Lord of the Rings series of nights and soak in that experience again.
I want to plaster one of my walls with words.
I want to write song lyrics on my bedroom wall.
I want to have a year that, no matter what....I end it knowing it was good.

So, here's to 32. There are things and people I will have to say goodbye to. There will be hard things, easy things and some things that are neither. But ultimately....it's going to be a year of good. I've chosen that and I will, a year from now...I hope, say that it turned out to be precisely that.