Halfway through January! Where is 2010 going?!

Hello!

As we approach the end of January, I become increasingly more aware of how fast time really goes and how truly precious it is. I have always been a very future-oriented person. I think in the future. I overanalyze how my actions will affect myself and others in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. While this can be a very positive way of thinking, my main focus in life was the future and brushing off the present. When I was in elementary school and junior high, I couldn't wait for high school. Once high school came around, my drive was to get through high school so I could get onto college and start "living life". Once I was in college, I was focused on graduating as quickly as possible so I could start working. While I have dwelled on this thought pattern of mine for most of my life, I've done little about it. There are no re-runs in life so you can only make changes for the future. It was about last year when I was preparing for my wedding that I really began to make a true effort to enjoy the now instead of looking for the next best thing. While it felt like an eternity waiting for the wedding day to come, I knew eventually it would be here and the day would come and go so quickly and life would resume to its normalcy. I now try very hard to find the happiness and greatness in every day - Thanking the Lord for giving me a beautiful day, a wonderful husband, a supporting famiy, a great job, etc. etc. The list can go on and on.

Now more than ever, I force myself to celebrate. Celebrate the little victories in addition to the big ones. When Tom and I were dating, I celebrated every month leading up to our year and even then, I jokingly would note that we have been together for 1 year and 7 months. When you find the truly special person, every day and little milestone is worth celebrating. I know those who have been married for a few years or a few decades will chuckle when I excitedly mention and celebrate being married for 6 months, but it truly catches me by surprise how fast life is racing by and I like to celebrate, be thankful, and rejoice those milestones. It is what makes life fun and worth living. I find that once you live with a certain mindset for such a long time, however, you do find yourself going back to the old way of thinking and living. What can I say? It takes work! After the caos of the wedding slowed down and the coming and going of the holidays, I have made more of a committment to live in the moment. I think this is the first time in years that I didn't have a concrete plan for myself for the next year or even the next few years. I must say, it is very nice. There is something to be said about living for the now while still embracing and looking forward to the future. I am trying new things because there is no time like the present. From making cards to taking more pictures to baking bread to exercising - why put things off until tomorrow, next week, next year, next decade? It is a morbid thought I know, but when I hear about people my age that are taken away from this world, I often wonder how they felt their life was lived. If they accomplish enough, did they tell their loved ones "I love you" enough, did they live . . . enough? While a scare tactic, this is what drives me to just try new things and make time in my schedule.

As I mentioned in my last post. Tom and I are wanting to spend more time together. Not that we are always apart, but we tend to do our own things (which is fine when balanced with things you do together). We are trying something new - This weekend Tom and I will go snowboarding at our local ski area. I broke my wrist the first time I went snowboarding, but now have all the gear and I am okay at snowboarding. Tom has never tried so it will definitely be a great day of learning, laughing, and memory making.

Much love!

Angela

The start of a new year!!

It is amazing how quickly the minutes, hours, days, and months go by without our memory making a concerted effort to remember these days. I decided that I wanted to create a yearbook starting in 2009 for Tom and I, documenting trips we take, fun pictures, milestones, etc. I recieved a great discount off a photobook through one of the many great companies out there and began eagerly compiling photographs from this year. I soon realized that other than some of the months with major events in it (June = Wedding!!), I couldn't find photographic documentation of what we had done for at least 75% of 2009. Even worse, I couldn't remember most of what we did either. Granted, most of 2009 was consumed with wedding planning, but I was still sad that between my memory and lack of pictures, most of my recollection of 2009 was gone. So in order to combat this issue, I have decided to keep a blog that will serve as a reminder of what we did during the days and months of 2010.

To keep myself up to date:
New Years was fun. We made homemade individual pizza's at the my parents house and watched Tombstone as we brought in the new year with my parents, my in-laws, my brother, and his girlfriend. We created resolutions, most importantly to find more hobbies to do as a couple. Snowboarding as a couple next weekend? Can't wait!

~Angela