dear twenty-fourteen

Celebrating the final night of twenty-fourteen
My year would not have been so amazing if it weren't for him

As twenty-fourteen comes to an end, I sit here in my tiny living room, with the candles lit, and a death cab for cutie vinyl playing in the background. As sparse as my blog posts are, I always look forward to my "end of the year wrap up" post. It's always interesting to reflect back each year to see what season I was in, and see what type of perspective I had on the year to come.

Twenty-fourteen was a great year for me. We entered into our second year of marriage, which has been so much fun. The first year was amazing, new and exciting. But, the start of the second year has proven to be more comfortable, familiar and settled. This year, we also went back to college (6th time for me), and I am proud to say I completed two classes, and passed them both! We traveled a lot this year. Mostly little weekend getaways, but we made it a point to pursue adventures every chance we got. Catalina, Santa Barbara/Solvang, San Diego (twice), San Francisco (anniversary trip!), Big Bear (twice), Palm Springs and Indio. We started (and stopped) working out at a local bootcamp. This was a great addition to our day to day routine, but sadly had to end due to finances and also just having way too much on our plate with starting school again. 

A few major highlights but so many more simple things that brought me joy. I feel like I am in the best place I can be in life. There are days I feel like I am getting so old, and then I quickly snap out of it and realize I have SO much life ahead of me, and it's time to start pursuing the things that I feel called to; that bring me joy. 

Twenty-fifteen is starting to look like it might be one of the biggest years for me yet. Lots of plans in the making, and that brings me so much excitement! I'm not necessarily a person who creates "resolutions" for the new year, but I definitely have some goals and hopes for this season. A few dreams of mine are:

(In no particular order...)

Move into a larger apartment

Get a dog

Find a church to call home

Continue taking classes

Pay off our car

Find a healthy regiment/lifestyle that works well for me

Keeping it simple, or at least that's the goal. I'm finding that simplicity is such a beautiful way to live life, and truly enjoy the things in front of you. 

XO

Brenda

bucket list: updates & progress

It's been a year since I wrote a blog post about my Bucket List. I thought it would be fun & motivating if I revisited it. I was surprised that although I may not have accomplished a lot of these things, I have started the process of several of them! I figured it would be good to edit my Bucket List with my progress!

bucket list #14

bucket list #17

bucket list #31

1. Write a Bucket List   7/26/2013
2. Bungee jump
3. Skydive
4. Visit every state in the USA
5. See Death Cab For Cutie live 7/12/2015
6. Publish a book, &/or a piece of my writing
7. Have complete tattoo sleeves on both arms & have both of my thighs done
8. Go in a hot air balloon
9. Learn to sew
10. Travel the country in an RV with my husband (& kids, if applicable)
11. Eat pizza in Italy
12. Drink Framboise in Belgium
13. Get over my fear of the ocean
14. Take up photography as a hobby 12/25/2013 Jamey bought me a Diana Camera. I've been taking it with me on our trips to capture photos unique way. I want to make it more of a hobby though!
15. Spin a globe, point my finger & travel to the place I've landed on
16. Have a pen pal  I can't remember when we exactly became pen-pals, but my beautiful friend Leah & I starting writing each other last year. We worked very closely together at LiNK, and now she lives in NY. I love being able to write each other and keep in touch!
17. Go to a shooting range 11/30/2013 We visited Jamey's family in Little Rock, Arkansas for Thanksgiving. His Uncle Jim took us all to a shooting range, and we shot clay pigeons!
18. Hang glide
19. Spend New Year's Eve in Times Square
20. Raise a family 
21. Climb Half Dome (Yosemite)
22. Be a professional Blogger
23. Go on a cruise 1/14/2016
24. Go to Israel, and walk where Jesus walked
25. Live in another state
26. Go sailing
27. Climb up the Statue of Liberty
28. Graduate from College I'm very far from taking this off of my bucket list, but I am going back to school this fall & I am very excited about it!
29. Learn to make candles &/or soap
30. Learn to garden
31. Eat a meal & talk about life with my favorite author, Shauna Niequist 11/23/2013 This didn't "technically" happen, but I did attend a women's event where we had a meal, and Shauna spoke. Afterwards, I got her to sign my Bread & Wine book, and we chatted for a few minutes. I'm pretty sure that's the closest I'll ever get to scratching this off of my bucket list.
32. Retire comfortably 7/31/2013 On my one year anniversary at Biola, I was able to sign up for a 403b (equivalent to 401k). I committed to putting away 5% of each paycheck into my 403b. The best blessing is that Biola matches 8% of my 5%. One of the best decisions I've made!
33. Have an all-natural, at home (or birth center) delivery
34. Have a home with a wrap around porch
35. See the Northern Lights in Iceland
36. See one of my favorite bands from backstage/side stage
37. Have a White Christmas
38. Go to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day
39. Be fluent in American Sign Language
40. Visit where my ancestors are from in Romania
41. Plant an Avocado Tree

dear twenty thirteen

Dear 2013,

You brought me so much joy and excitement. You were filled with many intense days of planning and preparation for the most significant day of my life. You gave me rest and you gave me exhaustion. You reminded me that although I am not a perfect person, there is someone who loves me more than his own life. You showed me that an honest, loyal and faithful marriage is possible. You gave me opportunities, and you helped me to better my character. You helped me to revisit my past and take steps towards a promising future. You were the year that allowed me to become debt-free, for the first time in my adult life. You opened doors for me to travel with my favorite people, and experience new horizons. You instilled in me more desires and passions. You taught me that God is much bigger than a church building, or a simplistic worship song. You taught me grace. You revealed to me the importance of community. You gave me a chance to embrace optimism in the midst of a rather negative world. You reminded me that I am loved, blessed and capable. 

2013 you were a fabulous and exciting year, thank you for exceeding my expectations.

January - December 2013

Dear 2014,

Here's to a new chapter, and a new year. I am confident that you will continue to grow and change me, for the better. I welcome you with open and anxious arms. I am excited to observe how far you will stretch me, and what doors you will guide me through. I have a inkling that you will not let me stand still, but instead you will keep me on edge, and on the very tips of my toes. 

Here's to a new adventure, a new season & a new year.

XO,

Brenda