I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I have not given up on this blog. If my two years of teaching stress didn’t stop me altogether, then I don’t think anything will. I’m not going to declare myself to be “back” again, though. Today will just be another post and just happen to be my annual recap. I’ll make a good effort at Booking Through Thursday this week, and we’ll see how it goes from there.
I only drew this in the cards of people I knew were Christians (and some of the ones for my friends with new babies, tee hee).
When I sent out my Christmas cards last month (happy octave day of Christmas, by the way), I couldn’t decide how to personalize them. Last year, I drew Christmas-themed decorations in each card with sparkly gel pens. (That inspired the baby Jesus from last year’s Ash Wednesday commentary.) This year, I had originally thought about writing a Christmas letter. My life feels boring and average, but I knew it couldn’t actually be that boring, so I went through my Google calendar month by month to see what had happened to me that was exciting.
You’ll only know what my top seven items were if you got my card, but the full list follows here.
January: I went to my friend Jess’s wedding at Notre Dame. It was a fantastic opportunity to see my friends from my second year of teaching, have a friend date with the lovely Sarah, and attend my very first Catholic wedding. (I know, right?) My blogging was definitely weak, and I hadn’t yet latched on to 7QT to help me keep track of my week.
February: At work, one of my coworkers and I formed a subcommittee to redevelop an old position into a new one. We hired someone just before we closed for Christmas, which is exciting. I also attended the Rite of Election as the RCIA director. It was such a blessing to see all our RCIA catechumens and candidates taking that step. Here at Lindsay Loves, I reflected on my initial experiences with the revised translation of the Mass, which remains one of my most popular posts (because of Catholic Ryan Gosling, I think). Come to think of it, I ought to update that reflection. It’s been over a year. I have a few different thoughts now.
The flowers were pretty, I really liked my outfit, and I wanted a good #lookingdown shot. Did I get it?
March: I went on my annual work mission trip again, to Nicaragua, where I got my first ever sunburn. (Review that story in parts one and two.) I picked up a few old “to blog” articles (on moral relativism and Glee), and I gave blood for the last time before going to Nicaragua put me on the deferral list.
April: It was Easter, finally! I heard Lino Rulli, the Catholic Guy, speak at the local Catholic Charities luncheon. I took notes and planned to blog about it, but you know how that goes with me. At work, I started shadowing marriage preparation, and I hosted Dr. Ed Shirley for what was probably his last ever “Harry Potter and Christianity” presentation, because he died suddenly in August.
May: I saw see Twelfth Night at Zilker Park with some friends to kick off the Zilker summer. I reported for jury duty, but I didn’t have to serve! That was a sweet break. My friend Theresa invited me to the Paramount for the first time; we saw a restored print of To Kill a Mockingbird, and it was amazing, of course. Here on the blog, I reviewed October Baby. At work, I officially started saving for retirement. That’s not exciting, but it’ll pay off in the long run, I hope.
June: Sarah came to visit! It is always good to see her. I don’t really like traveling, but I do like hosting (or at least hosting her, I guess). I started the Great Adventure Quick Journey Through the Bible, which was incredibly eye-opening. I love Bible study. On the blog, I listened to and reviewed Vice Re-Verses, and I also unfortunately had to attend a funeral for a child.
I was cold, but it was so worth it! (For comparison, Google an image of Pocohontas from the Disney movie.)
July: I watched Independence Day fireworks with friends at Auditorium Shores, which was delightful even though I was hot and dusty all evening. I went back to Zilker for The Sound of Music, and I started working with my first couple for marriage prep. Here on the blog, I finally remembered to share my love of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. (It’s still going strong at nearly 80 episodes, and Lydia has taken off. It’s about to get real!) I had one of my most popular posts ever, about my favorite love songs, thanks to jumping in on Hallie‘s link-up right when it started.
August: I went on my annual retreat; that is, the one I get to participate in rather than running in some way. I got new glasses, and at work, I started preparing people to be godparents.
September: I shared a fantastic prayer method, and then I fell off the blogging wagon again. At the end of the month, my friend Sabrina got married, and I was invited to the wedding. I can now say I have even been to a Catholic wedding in town.
October: I went to what I think was my third football game ever (all on the high school level), and for Halloween, I dressed up as Hipster Pocohontas. My costume went very well with my new glasses.
November: I was invited to speak at a youth group retreat at Holy Cross Parish across town, which validated my public speaking skills and general knowledge of campus ministry. I was finally able to actually do some volunteering with Pure Fashion, and I had a quiet Friendsgiving in Austin.
December: As a great follow-up to my summer Bible study, I attended the “Psalms in a Day” seminar presented by Jeff Cavins. We got off schedule, but I had a good time, and then I attended a friend’s birthday movie marathon. It turns out that Newsies really is delightful. To be honest, though, I rang in the new year hoping that next year, things will be different. I don’t know what’s to come, but I hope it’ll be amazing.
