Obligatory Year-End Recap

Well, here it is. The end of 2011.

This year was so good. I feel like I summed up most of it in my anniversary post because a large chunk of my year revolved around my new husband. I've changed and grown so much this year, and it's definitely one I'm going to look back on and smile about. I'm so thankful for what God has done in me this year.

Here are some pictures to wrap it all up.

Marriage!! We got married in December, but really it didn't have time to affect 2011. So let's just throw it into January.

First flowers from the hubby :)

 Brittani, Lacy, me, Bev

In April, we went on a cruise with some of our closes friends. It was so much fun, and we were really blessed by our friends' generosity with that trip.

In May, Lauren and Max came to stay with us and it was amazing. Lauren is super generous and shared her photog talents with us, taking some pictures of us, which we've never really had before.

Also in May, my grandma passed away. She lived with us my entire life and was such a huge part of my childhood. I got to go be with her the week she died and it was one of the hardest decisions I made all year but certainly one of the best. To see her one more time and gain a stronger hold on all my memories of her was really nice.

July was my birthday, and I got my favorite little fluffy thing ever!!! Spricket was my birthday present this year, and I was so excited to get her. She's so tiny and fluffy in this picture. It's ridiculous how much I love her.

September was awesome! I got to fly out to Colorado and see one of my best friends get married!! Lauren and Max's wedding was one of the best parts of my year. That weekend in Colorado, I saw more love and generosity than my heart could handle. I get excited just thinking about it. One day I might convince Rob to move there. So amazing.

In October, we were Barbie & Ken for halloween. It was awesome.

I also got to go on a trip to New York with my mom and brother. We went back to where we grew up and saw all the awesome childhood stuff I love reliving. This picture is my brother and I with our childhood best friends Erin and Carla. We spent the whole day with them talking about our 5-year-old selves and watching Jersey Shore haha.

Nothing really happened in November, but this picture was taken of me. Probably one of my favorite pictures of me ever.

December was great. Rob and I got to travel to Baltimore for some classes for work and take a day off in DC. It was an incredibly beautiful day, and I'm so glad we got to have a day off together to just explore and spend time together.

That's it!! 2011 was phenomenal. This year has meant a lot to me. A lot has happened. A lot has changed in me. I'm so grateful for it all. Here's to 2012!!

One Year

Today is a milestone. It's our one year anniversary!!

This past year has absolutely flown by, I can't even believe it.
It's seriously been one of the best years of my life. It's been a year of love, friendship, laughter. The Kelly that I am today is so different from the 2010 Kelly. So different. So much of that is because of Robert and the amazing man that he is. God knew exactly what I needed when he dropped this funny, caring, kind, patient man into my life.

my god, he's just so good looking.

Marriage has been so surprising and so wonderful. We both realized pretty quickly that it wasn't anything like what we were expecting. I actually have no idea what I was expecting. It's amazing that this year has gone so well considering my extreme naivete about marriage, sacrifice and sharing a life with someone else.

In honor of my favorite year of my life so far, here are some things I love about Rob and some things he's taught me:

+ Forgiveness. Robert is one of the most forgiving people I know. Honestly, part of it may be that he has the worst memory. Ever. But I like to think he's just that amazing. He forgives me so easily for everything, big and small. I can be a pain. I get emotional, I get whiny, I have a conniption if I don't eat when I'm hungry. He always forgives me for my growing pains.

+ Love. Robert loves people. He goes out of his way to make people feel loved and welcome in any environment. He makes people feel at ease, and he loves to love people.

+ Business. He's a genius. He opened an independent garage at 28 after poring over business plans and praying over God's plan for his life for years. He worked hard at other jobs while he was preparing to do something bigger. He runs his business with honesty and integrity, and he's a strong leader. He's a good boss and an incredibly hard worker.

+ Faith. His faith in God inspires me. He knows that God has him and will take care of him. He is faithful to God and steps out in blind faith if God calls him to something. He is generous with what he's been given, and he always acknowledges how God has blessed him.

+ Humor. He. Is. So. Funny. I consider myself a funnier person because of him. This year I learned to think that I am absolutely, 100% hilarious. He and I laugh all the time. He tells fart jokes and political jokes. Sometimes I roll my eyes because he forgets to have a filter, but 90% of the time, I think he's the funniest person I know. Here is proof:

There have been some unpleasant moments in this past year, for sure. I'm so thankful to say that they were few, far between, and very small. I've been stretched and grown this year, but it's been such a huge blessing. I'm so thankful that this man is my husband, and that I get to share the rest of my life with him. This year has been an amazing start.


{all photos taken by Lauren Lankford}

Love

This year, I'm going to embark on the One Word journey. My word:

love.

I've been reading about the One Word project for a lot of 2011, and it's been amazing to see women pore over a word and it's meanings and implications in their life. It's something I want to be a part of.

When I first thought of using the word "love" as my one word for 2012, I felt like it might be a cop-out. Everyone wants more love in their life. Love is such a common, over-used word. We say we love things, places, ideas. We "love" a lot. But I think a lot of the time we love from a half-hearted place. We say we love something or someone and we think that is enough, just to say it.

The dictionary definitions of the word love do not satisfy me. They are not what I'm looking for this year on my journey. What I want is to find real, deep, vulnerable, sacrificial, agape love. Here are some of my first thoughts on my word:

"I want love to be a part of me. I want it to permeate me. I want You to shine through me. I'm so bad at love. It's so easy to forget people, to brush them off, to want to get away. What does it look like to love people? What does it look like on a daily, mundane, practical basis? I don't know, and that's why love is my One Word this year. I want it. I want to explore it, learn it, feel it, know it, become it. I want love. Teach me, Lord. Show me. If I learn love, what will my life look like? How will my words sound? Where will my steps lead? Who will I meet and how will I treat them? What kind of relationships and friendships will I be a part of? How will love change me?"

======

{in this life, we cannot do great things. we can only do small things with great love} -mother teresa

{love is the voice under all silences, the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force is feebleness: the truth more first than sun, more last than star} - e.e. cummings

{love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within} -james a. baldwin

{love rules his kingdom without a sword}

"When Jesus is presented only as the answer that saves individuals from their sin and death, we run the risk of shrinking the Gospel down to something just for humans, when God has inaugurated a movement in Jesus's resurrection to renew, restore and reconcile everything on earth or in heaven." Rob Bell from Love Wins

God has been speaking to me in new and exciting ways lately. This quote is random here but it's one of many that has cased me to open my eyes a little wider and push harder to search for what is true and what God wants to reveal to me. There is a lot of processing and thinking happening right now and a lot of rediscovering what I know and believe. I have plans to grow and change in this space, but I don't think it's smart to begin diving into new territory when I'm just at the beginning. I don't like claiming new things before I've had the chance to really explore them and make sure they align, if that makes sense.

I'm excited for this new season in my life and on this blog. A lot in me is about to change and grow, and I think that during this coming year, I will really begin to grow into the name I've chosen for the blog. I'm hoping, at least.