Here's to a New Year

Above: Nosy Mr. Peeperz wanting to be photographed.

I'm fairly tardy posting a New Year's post, but hey, when you get the flu... timeliness goes out the window. For example, Sam's Club just called and said I could pick up my Christmas photo announcements. Uh-hum... guess so. Ordering them before I got the flu just wasn't practical.

I have a lot to say about 2010. I learned a whole lot, especially about myself. I am much more comfortable in my own skin. For most of my life, I have been a sort of chameleon. I have shifted and changed to please those around me, and depending on what stage of life I was in, my skin looked different. This year, God has really impressed upon me the importance of loving myself and His handiwork. Not in the arrogant sort of way that this may sound but simply learning to love myself first so that I could love others well too.

These are some of the things I have learned. The biggest lesson of the year for me was that I am an artist. Through and through. I am always looking at the world creatively. You may see a serving rack, and I may see an incredible piece of artwork for displaying photos in my home. I'm unconventional, sometimes a little odd, and am always in the elusive pursuit of being more organized. My head is often so far in the clouds that I miss the obvious. My taste in clothing and decor is a little quirky at times, and I delight in change of almost any sort. I am happiest when I am creating something, and I can get lost in projects for hours if I am not careful. I do not fit any certain mold, but I do not wish to anymore. I am me. God created me this way. If for nothing else than to show everyone that He has a quirky side too. I may not be athletic though I try to be fit. I may not be logical though I see its value. I'm not a cook- but I like to dabble in baking. I'm a work in progress, and I am learning to enjoy this journey.
One of my main goals for 2011 is to figure out how to leverage who I am in all of the areas of influence the Lord has given me. If I'm creative and artsy to the core, how can I leverage that for Jesus? How can that make me a better wife, mom, friend, church member, and etc? I've been praying about it and asking God to help me to find practical ways to step out and celebrate who God has made me to be. When I follow in the path that God has already laid out for me, I celebrate who He is and who He has crafted me to be.
This week I started in my home. Our living room consists of mostly hand-me-downs, wedding gifts, or craigslist items. While it was comfortable and nice, I could summarize the whole look in one word... safe. It lacked the color and personality that I wanted it to have, but I decorated it the way I thought a pastor's wife should. Traditional. In the end, I just didn't like it. It wasn't me.
Having a little extra Christmas cash left over, I spent $30 on art supplies, rearranged furniture, and decor from other areas in the house and ta-dah! Whole new room. Brighter, cheerier, and overall, much more fun. I created the artwork to make sure I could display the newest family photos and showcase Abby's art projects. Stay tuned in 2011 for more projects to come! I have tons of ideas!
I pray in 2011 you will learn to just be you. God created you the way you are for a reason! Celebrate Him by being you!

Living Room & Dining Room Before:

Living Room & Dining Room After:

My How Things Change

As I was trying to decide what 2010's resolutions will be, I had to review this past year's. It was neat to see how far God has brought our family in the last twelve months.

Personal resolutions for this coming year- 2009

• Understand God and His Word more fully through Scripture study, memorization, and listening to solid biblical teaching on a weekly basis (outside of usual church services)
• Be a consistent, loving, and settled Titus 2 woman of Biblical virtue with a God-centered world view
• Care less about what others think and more about what God praises
• Love Bryan as Scripture teaches a wife should- to keep him 2nd in the order of priorities after my relationship with God- to make him feel respected and loved so that he may feel secure and cherished in our marriage- to build him up and support him at home so that his ministry to the outside world may thrive in a way that draws others to Christ
  
• Train Abby in the disciplines and teachings of Jesus so that she may begin to understand from infancy the love, wonder, and glory of our great God and the beauty of this life He has given us
• Make our home a place of joy, love, and security- a refuge from the outside world to all who may enter in
• Find ways to serve our church and its ministries joyfully and fully that fit in with my spiritual gifts
  
• Be more intentional with relationships with others, especially family and close friends
  
• Guard my mouth and the thoughts of my heart more closely
  
• Try something new every month, whether it is an activity, recipe, craft, or etc.

Last year, even with Abby as a newborn, I still had the mental energy to detail out an extensive resolution list. This year- I'm thinking I will be sticking to the same list and continuing to work on it. Is that lazy or smart?