I'm looking backwards today, reflecting on what has transpired in my life in 2013. It's easy to list what we've done in the last year.
Stephen and I spent a few days together in San Francisco.
Schroeder turned four.
Stephen turned thrity-one.
I turned thirty-two.
I stayed pregnant for 43 weeks and I was cared for so wonderfully by so many.
We celebrated our tenth anniversary on the same day we welcomed Etta Penelope May into the world.
We sold our house in Texas.
The company Stephen worked for, ExactTarget, was acquired by a company called Sales Force which we benefited financially from.
We took a trip to Destin, Florida.
Penelope and I travelled to Texas to photograph a friend's wedding which allowed me to see old friends and even preach at my old church.
We refinanced our Indiana house.
We re-DID our kitchen.
We bought my parent's van and sold our old one.
D'arcy turned nine.
Maggie Lu turned three.
D'arcy started 4th grade. Julian started 1st grade. Schroeder started pre-school.
Julian turned seven.
We travelled to Florida with my family to visit Disney World.
I had thirty-two photo sessions.
I photographed four weddings.
Stephen left ExactTarget and started working for Sendgine.
We purchased a 1972 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia to help Stephen get back and forth to work.
It's harder to take stock of what we've learned, how we've grown, what has hurt or scarred, and how this list of events has molded and shaped us. Our faith asks us to praise God in the midst of this big stuff and invite him to guide us, shape us, and protect us through it. That requires us to give time to praise and think and pray and read and reflect and listen, a Christian discipline.
Maybe, 2013 should be remembered by what we did in between these big events.
We went to church which was just hard this year. It wasn't the getting there that was hard but the being there. Just because it was hard doesn't mean it wasn't important.
I spent so much time this year snuggling and nursing a baby. For the most part (definitely for the first five months of the year), where I was, she was. If I wanted to hold her or she wanted to be held, I didn't talk myself into being productive.
I tried to find joy and fulfillment in rhythm. Life is not a task to complete. No matter who you are, life has it's daily tasks. For me that looks like housework, figuring out what's for dinner, a lot hugging and disciplining and cleaning and playing with children, occasional errands, spending time with Stephen, and a little photography. I did a lot of laundry this year folks, but I haven't been able to check that one off my list. I have to figure out a way to take joy in the process of life and not the projects.
I spent time with friends, lots of coffee dates and MOPS meetings, games with my siblings. I realized at the beginning of the year that a couple of desires I had for friendship had sort of surprisingly and unexpectedly been met.
I read books, Colossians and the AutoBiography of Malcolm X, books by Shauna Niequist. I'm finishing the year by reading The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King. Oh, and I've watched a lot of episodes of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He makes me laugh.
We didn't send out very many Christmas Cards this year. I've been working on a project for First Friday in February that I felt needed my time. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, though. Looking forward will commence in twenty-four hours.
Stephen and I spent a few days together in San Francisco.
Schroeder turned four.
Stephen turned thrity-one.
I turned thirty-two.
I stayed pregnant for 43 weeks and I was cared for so wonderfully by so many.
We celebrated our tenth anniversary on the same day we welcomed Etta Penelope May into the world.
We sold our house in Texas.
The company Stephen worked for, ExactTarget, was acquired by a company called Sales Force which we benefited financially from.
We took a trip to Destin, Florida.
Penelope and I travelled to Texas to photograph a friend's wedding which allowed me to see old friends and even preach at my old church.
We refinanced our Indiana house.
We re-DID our kitchen.
We bought my parent's van and sold our old one.
D'arcy turned nine.
Maggie Lu turned three.
D'arcy started 4th grade. Julian started 1st grade. Schroeder started pre-school.
Julian turned seven.
We travelled to Florida with my family to visit Disney World.
I had thirty-two photo sessions.
I photographed four weddings.
Stephen left ExactTarget and started working for Sendgine.
We purchased a 1972 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia to help Stephen get back and forth to work.
It's harder to take stock of what we've learned, how we've grown, what has hurt or scarred, and how this list of events has molded and shaped us. Our faith asks us to praise God in the midst of this big stuff and invite him to guide us, shape us, and protect us through it. That requires us to give time to praise and think and pray and read and reflect and listen, a Christian discipline.
Maybe, 2013 should be remembered by what we did in between these big events.
We went to church which was just hard this year. It wasn't the getting there that was hard but the being there. Just because it was hard doesn't mean it wasn't important.
I spent so much time this year snuggling and nursing a baby. For the most part (definitely for the first five months of the year), where I was, she was. If I wanted to hold her or she wanted to be held, I didn't talk myself into being productive.
I tried to find joy and fulfillment in rhythm. Life is not a task to complete. No matter who you are, life has it's daily tasks. For me that looks like housework, figuring out what's for dinner, a lot hugging and disciplining and cleaning and playing with children, occasional errands, spending time with Stephen, and a little photography. I did a lot of laundry this year folks, but I haven't been able to check that one off my list. I have to figure out a way to take joy in the process of life and not the projects.
I spent time with friends, lots of coffee dates and MOPS meetings, games with my siblings. I realized at the beginning of the year that a couple of desires I had for friendship had sort of surprisingly and unexpectedly been met.
I read books, Colossians and the AutoBiography of Malcolm X, books by Shauna Niequist. I'm finishing the year by reading The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King. Oh, and I've watched a lot of episodes of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He makes me laugh.
We didn't send out very many Christmas Cards this year. I've been working on a project for First Friday in February that I felt needed my time. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, though. Looking forward will commence in twenty-four hours.
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