It's Thanksgiving today and here I am reading my blog from a year ago thinking to myself, where am I today this year as opposed to where I was today last year.
If I could take inventory of the past year what has changed? Where have I grown? At the beginning of the year I set out to do stuff I had always wanted to do or had never done before. And so far here's my list of things I did and how they went:
1. Ran my first half-marathon with my baby brother - I ran 90% of the way, I couldn't believe it. Crossing that finish line and seeing my best friend (who surprised me cause she lives out of town) and family there to congratulate me was so precious.
2. Went to South Padre beach (multiple times) - it's absolutely beautiful to be able to wake up and walk along the beach shore with the waves crashing against your legs, while the sun rises all while talking to Jesus. I highly recommend it!
3. Went to see my favorite musician in concert..JOHN MAYER! And to make things better I went by myself. 5th row back from the stage. It was amazing! Definitely hands down one of the best concerts I have ever been to.
4. Then, I got a little carried away with the concerts. Went to see Carrie Underwood, Rhianna and John Mayer (again). One of which I did by myself. There's just something about going to a concert by yourself, where no one knows you, and you can just let your hair down, dance your heart out and sing along to your favorite songs with your favorite musician. So much fun!
5. Tasted 2 new kinds of food and fell in love haha Thai food, all I can say is YUM! I'm pretty sure I had Pad Thai at least once a week for like 2 months straight after my friend Chris introduced me to it lol Then Sushi...OMG....I didn't know that sushi could taste so delicious until my friend Stacy introduced me to Momiji! Wow hands down my favorite sushi place ever.
6. Traveled to California and drove from Los Angeles to San Diego with one of my girlfriends. It was the best 5 days of my summer, got to go to the God Chicks Conference, the beach, Rodeo Drive, and so much more. Absolute blast!
7. Learned how to sew. This one wasn't earth shattering fun but at least it made me a little more domesticated haha
8. Reconciled a friendship that I thought was over. Asked for forgiveness. Cried. Laughed. And now we're best of friends again. Power of forgiveness is incredible.
9. Learned how to country western dance. This one was quite fun. It's not everyday you meet a Colombian who likes country music but I really do. And one of my girlfriends and I took an informal dance class for 6 weeks at a local university. So much fun!
10. Had my heart healed from the inside out by my amazing, all powerful, all consuming, loving Savior.
While all of these things were new experiences and were an absolute blast, the one that meant the most to me was the last one. Jesus, took my very broken heart this time last year and made it something new and beautiful. This year I have so much to be thankful for, family, friends, new experiences but most of all Jesus and his amazing work in my life. Jesus, help me to continue to grow, to be stretched outside of my comfort zone for the good, to try new things, to love again, and to be more like you.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Make this next year the best one yet! And try something new :)
XOXOXOX,
Michelle
