twenty ten

happy new year!

2009 has been filled with SO many things, that the things i put below will surely not do it justice.

i have definitely been stretched in a lot of ways- from how many hours i can study and how many things i can fit in my brain to joining a new women's small group and meeting new friends at church. i was away from home for the longest time ever in my life(!), fell in love for the first time, finished up my first year of dental school (hurray!), and celebrated the 7th anniversary of my liver transplant experience (praise Jesus!). heidi and i welcomed little mia into our apt, and she has been such a blessing to us- a stress relief, someone to laugh at and snuggle with, and someone to knock over the christmas tree and run into walls. my mom got remarried this year, making her and steve's 10 year relationship official- so i gained another set of grandparents, more aunts and uncles, a little step-cousin and a step-dad! i traveled across the atlantic for the first time, flying to london to visit one of my best friends sara, and visited a dental clinic in the inner city that reaffirmed my life goal of serving the underprivileged. some of my best friends also had very exciting life changes- anne got engaged, melissa welcomed  a new addition (the most adorable little caleb mark), and sara got her masters at lse. congrats to all of you! i'm so proud and excited. i also had some wonderful visitors in dc this year- ashley, camilla, anne and matt, dan, ben and sean this winter, and matt k just after new year's; and some super fun more extended houseguests with allison, casey and sara. God put so many wonderful people in my life this year! i have met so many new friends and been blessed to cultivate deeper and stronger relationships with those i already had.

the Lord definitely taught me a lot this year. among just a few are the importance of sharing my faith and learning about other world religions. He broke my heart for the poor and homeless once again, and taught me how important it is to live with intention. He showed me that my actions do speak louder than my words, and that i want others to be able to recognize my faith by my good works, not just by what i say. He increasingly teaches me that my possessions belong to Him, not me, and that i need to let go of some of them in worship and praise to Him- i need to trust Him to show me how i can better allocate my resources to bring Him glory. above all, He showed me that He is my strength and my comfort and is/will always be there when i need Him. He is still teaching me the power and importance of setting out more time for Him in prayer, which i will say i overlooked prior to the beginning of 2009.

for 2010 i guess i'm supposed to make some resolutions! i had three resolutions for 2009, which were:
1. pursue God with passion
2. stop biting my nails
3. stop cracking my knuckles

i did the first two to the best of my ability, but the third i gave up on by spring.

for 2010 God has put different things on my heart, so for now, i want to:
1. focus on living my faith out through my actions (actions speak louder than words)
2. embrace who i am and who God made me to be in all areas of my life
3. TRUST God's plan for my life and the promises He has for me; trust in His plans for my future
4. be joyful always (inside and out!)
5. stop cracking my knuckles (haha, perhaps i'll give it a second try)

so, happy twenty ten! i think it's already off to a great start- i have a feeling that this is going to be a really really REALLY great year.