Expectations: 2012, lets get real 2013!

I've been reading so many "Happy New Year" blog post, I think I have them coming out my ears. And because I'm a very goal oriented person I've LOVED to hear/read about what other's are hoping to accomplish in the new year. My personal hope was to soak it all in and spare you my own list, but here I am about to spill my inner most desires. 
But before we get there let me share with you 2012; it was a year of surprises, unexpected decisions, hardship, sorrow, and new beginnings. So there you go, in a nutshell that was my year. Ok, ok, since you're twisting my arm, I'll elaborate.  

The year began pretty much like any other year: on January 1! We spent the eve with our dear friends the Chung-Otterson, much like we have the last couple of years. Watching movies, eating yummy food and sharing a bit of what we hoped the year would hold. But in a few months our expectations of 2012 shifted in a dramatic way as we realized our priority was not to the rat race of making ends-meet but of having a richer family experience. And what I mean by that was we wanted to spend more time as a family and less time at work chained to the "man". So we packed up our things half way through the year and moved to a desolate town in Central WA. Friendships were tested, and only the lifers stood the test distance held. Mr. M. started looking for work in a slower paced environment and I got busy with the task of making home more cozy. 
After only one month of trying to settle we almost lost Mr. M's mother to an Aneurysm. The following two months seem a bit of a haze to tell you the truth. Isolation, loneliness and so much unknown. But in the midst of it all of this many dear friends and family rose to the challenge of being God's love to us, we grew the strength to help my in-laws navigate the hardship and find endurance for ourselves to keep on pushing forth. Mr. M. received his Bachelor's degree and we celebrated all the holidays surrounded by our family and a few friends. 

We even tried to make Tamales for our Christmas Eve dinner, which let me tell you, were a huge colossal fail! 

And the year ended with a three day celebration with our friends the Chung-Otterson.

So you ask, what are my goals for 2013? Well they are to expect less from others and more from God. That's right, my desire is to see the world a bit more through the eyes of our Maker and less through my own. Don't get me wrong, I'm still working on my 29 before 30 list, I still want to eat something green every day, exercise frequently and drink more water, but what I want most is to feed my soul. To earnestly seek after our Creator so that I may be a sunbeam to a hurting world. I'm starting by trying to connect with our Maker through as many ways as possible. By investing more time in other Jesus-followers, reading the Love story our Creator shared with humankind (aka the Bible), praying more, and being more available for those around me. My hope is that we'd stop making resolutions that last a week or two and instead embrace a lifestyle of healthy choices all year round.

Thanks for reading this very wordy installments and Happy New Year!