I, as usual, had 5 resolutions to focus on throughout the year. I'd like to tell you about each of them and how I really embraced them.
1. Call more/Text Less (have meaningful conversations)
I'll admit, I did a poor job on this one. I still text more than I want to. It's just so convenient! But.....luckily I have friends who helped me with this one without even knowing it. I met a few people this year who really had awesome conversations with me. I learned so much and I really cherish those deep and meaningful conversations. I also had a moment when I accidentally pocket dialed my friend Lara. In the end, I had a 50 minute conversation with her. That meant so much to me and I realized, I should do that more often, but not just on accident. I love talking to people, so I hope that I can continue to have meaningful conversations in the years to come.
2. Keep a photo-a-day journal
Indeed I did! For Christmas 2012 my sister Stephanie made me a journal with 365 pages for photos. I was exciting to get it started. At the beginning of the year it was hard. I felt weird taking pictures of people or what not. And some days, I missed. But the more and more I did it, the more I loved it. And people understood what I was doing so I didn't need to feel stupid. I had a blast and looking back on the photos I laugh at all the things I did during the year. It's awesome to see what describes each day.
3. Let faith grow greater than fear
At the beginning of 2013 I have never been so positive in my life. I didn't really fear too much and my days were happy. When a down time came, it didn't last long. I loved it. Towards the end of the year, this resolution sort of went to the back of my mind, and at times at the back of my heart. I slipped a little and let fear take over. But I found refuge when I started going to the temple regularly. Every Friday I tried to go right after work since the temple was right around the corner basically. That definitely helped me in so many ways and I found more peace in my life. I also found refuge in going for walks. I would walk from my house, to downtown, to my favorite place: Memory Grove. I find nature very important in my life and it builds my faith. I let go of fears and let my heart guide me a little more. This is definitely a resolution I will always work on. Fear is prominent in our lives. But that doesn't mean we have to let it consume us.
4. Don't let people walk all over you (become a leader)
I think I did a good job and a bad job on this one. Throughout the year I really just did what I wanted. I wasn't going to wait around for people. I think that's being a leader in a sense. I showed people that I would go on an adventure, or do something I wanted, even if it meant alone. A leader doesn't need direct followers. Sometimes becoming a leader means leading yourself. And I did just that. Again, towards the end of the year I found myself slipping and I might have let people 'walk over me' in one way or another. But that isn't going to happen again. I learned from my mistakes and this year taught me that I can be a leader.
5. Fall in love
Now I want to tell you that this didn't mean fall in love with someone. That was an option, but I put this down as a resolution to fall in love with someone OR something. I fell in love a couple times. I wanted to fall in love because I wanted to open my heart to new things. Embrace life you know? So I fell in love with my job. I LOVE being a mentor to high schoolers. Honestly I would work at this job forever, but it's not a career. It's a foundation. But having a foundation of love is definitely a good thing so I'm grateful. The other thing I fell in love with? IRELAND. I travelled outside the country for the first time in my life! I knew I'd fall in love. The beauty, the culture, the adventure. Everything was amazing. And I was able to get away for away.
Sorry if I disappointed and didn't fall in love with 'someone', but one day I will, and that's something you just can't force or make a resolution about.
This year really set a mood for my life. My future. I feel motivated to make changes, changes that I've always wanted to make. I feel better than I have in a long time. And I feel like I know what I need to do in order to be happy and make a difference. Of course it's going to take time, but I'm going to hold on to what I have.
In 2013 I:
-Travelled outside the U.S. for the first time
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| Finally got my passport! |
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| Cliffs of Moher, Ireland |
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| Ireland |
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| Irish Singer at one of the pubs |
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| Boston Harbor, my favorite |
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| Went to a Red Sox game by myself (and on a whim) |
-Dated a lot more
-Saw two of my siblings get married
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| My brother (May 2013) |
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| My sister (September 2013) |
-Met a lot of new people
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| Matty and Seth |
-Learned that I want to work in Education
-Sang a duet with a guy
-HIKED
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| Donut Falls |
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| Mt. Olympus |
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| Memory Grove |
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| Cecret Lake |
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| Bells Canyon |
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| Stewart Falls |
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| Billy Goat Trail with my cousin Cydney |
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| Hiked with my mom along the Bonneville Shoreline trail |
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| 7 v. 7 Summer Tournament (Tribal West Lacrosse) |
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| IDAHO |
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| Went to Yellowstone for the first time |
-Got promoted at work
-Went to a Hanson concert
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| Hanson! |
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| Finally hear Mmm-Bop (after 5000 other songs) |
-Got a smart phone
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| Goodbye sliding keyboard |
-Took pictures
-Laugh constantly with friends
-Experienced heartache
-Luray Caverns adventure in Virginia
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| Reflecting pool |
-Got a tinder account
-Deleted my tinder account
-Hit 50,000 miles on my car
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| Guinness Factory in Ireland |
-RAN
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| Moab Half Marathon with Katherine |
-Rode in a six man plane to Arizona (Jordan was the pilot)
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| Party Plane! |
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| Five people in a plane. |
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| Practicing for Halloween |
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| U of U game with Carlitos |
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| Flag football aftermath |
I'm so happy with what 2013 gave me and I'm ready to take on 2014. Stay tuned for my new slogan as well as my new resolutions. Trust me, it's going to be good.
