2012

They say the years go by faster the older we get, my goal is to enjoy them more each year.

Looking back over the last twelve months I would not have been able to predict what has happened. To keep my thoughts organized I've decided to go through each month.

January:
Heather came to visit at the end of 2011 and stayed through the New Year. It was an amazing visit since I hadn't seen here since she moved in June!

February:
I was invited to join a small group made up of women in their 20s whose common thread was knowing Becki Parr. We later became know as the Sweet Time Ladies and have created friendships that I know will last a lifetime! This is also the month that the Griki wedding photos came out!

March:
Again I was reunited with Heather. This time we were in Vegas for the West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament. We got to cheer SMC to victory!!

April:
I played in my first volleyball game in over 5 years. We went on to win the league and have since moved up to the next level. I am now in my third season and loving it.

May:
I passed my Real Estate License Exam!! Woo hoo totally worth the few weekends I gave up to study my life away! I also turned 23! I was blessed to get together with some of my closest friends for dinner!

June:
This was definitely the hardest month for me. I lost my grandmother. She was and continues to be such a role model for me. I know that she continues to watch over our family and is smiling! She had a special way of saying goodbye and would always end by saying "Love you" I can still hear her voice, Love you Grandma!

July:
I was able to take a few trips during July. First to Sonoma with the family,

and then to Chicago to visit Heather!

August:
I moved to Walnut Creek! Perhaps it was my wooing capability or luck...regardless Heather decided to move back to California! After a whirlwind real estate hunt with my amazing cousin. I found the perfect condo! A few weeks later Heather was here and we were unpacking and enjoying nesting!

September:
As things began to settle down after the initial move, I realized that I was on my own! Yes I had only moved a few towns over but it really sunk in that I was becoming the young adult I had always dreamed of. September was packed full with the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival and Heather's 24th Birthday!

October:

October was a busy month! The Giants won the World Series after a very exciting post season! This involved many trips to AT&T Park and some surprise visits from Gordon! At the end of the month I headed down to LA to celebrate Gordon's 21st birthday! 

November:

We celebrated an early Thanksgivings which involved the 2012 Christmas Photo shoot!

We also had our first visits to the "Pod House." Heather's younger sister and friend came to visit for a week! This involved late night runs to Fentons, Twilight marathons, homemade pizza and lots of laughter! 

December:

December was filled with lots of Family time! Griki returned home to us for the last two weeks and Gordon moved home after finishing his undergrad studies at USC. We decked the halls with laundry and laughs. 

Looking back there are a few other notable moments in 2012. I started attending New Life Church in June and have fallen in love! The Pastoral team is amazing as well as the Worship band. I have begun volunteering and continue to make new friends almost weekly! I attended two fabolous weddings, one in July for Lindsay and John Meister and the other in October for Abigail and Stephen George! I finally saw Rascal Flatts in concert, it was as amazing as I always hoped for! 

Looking forward into 2013 I know it will be an exciting year. I am training for my first 5k in March as well as studying for a new credential at work. We also expect to have Griki back in California by April and Gordon will be making his decision on where to attend law school in the fall.  I hope that everyone had a wonderful 2012 and is filled with hope and expectations of a great 2013. Please let me know how I can be praying for you!

With lots of love,

Caroline

Tis the Season

With Christmas just four days away I think it's about time it started to feel like Christmas! Perhaps it was closing the office early or knowing that I don't have to go back for a few days; regardless I am ecstatic to be celebrating with the ones I love.

A tradition that start many many Christmases ago, which is sure to put anyone in the spirit of the season, is the adventure of looking at Christmas lights. Tucked away in the valley of San Ramon is a neighbor draped in lights from curb to rooftop. Some even have opened their garages to festive scenes and musical sing-a-longs.

Tonight I was able to enjoy the beginning of this short Christmas break with a delicious dinner in Walnut Creek with my recent college graduated brother and few of our close friends. Afterwards we decided to head south and explore the neighborhood we had grown up visiting. After a few missed turns we arrived! Knowing we were in the right place by the line of slow moving cars and pure joy that was glistening from the houses in this quaint community. As we wondered court after court commenting on our favorite lights and the decorations we could do without we laughed and hummed along to Christmas carols on the radio. A few times we even parked and walked around.

As we realized our time visiting this magical winter wonderland was coming to an end we all agreed the spirit of Christmas was alive in our hearts!

I hope everyone is able to be with the ones they love this Christmas and although life can be busy I hope that we can all take a few days off to enjoy Christmas!

Give em' Heaven

30 days of Happiness
During the 30 day challenge I found myself delighting in simple pleasures and letting the little things goes. To be happy is choice that is 100% our own. I also learned that being unhappy sneaks up on us. I know that life is not always rainbows and sunshine but with the right perspective it can be pretty darn close. In the worst situation there is always something to be grateful for. This doesn't mean that we aren't allowed to be sad or take the appropriate time to grieve when life changes unexpectedly. I have learned that through faith and in my case great friends and a strong family any situation has a bright side.  Don't let yourself get down about things that are temporary and let's face it, the only thing constant in life is change.

AMAZE-ING News
Two weeks ago I got a phone call while working out (yes this is a plug to tell you all that I have been working out) and I let it go to voicemail. I was surprised when the phone rang immediately following the last ring. As I paused the music and tried to catch my breath I answered the phone... it was my sister and brother-in-law. My heart stopped- could I be an aunt?? No- not yet! EVEN BETTER, they found out they will be moving back to California later next year! No surprise to them I started to cry! I could not believe a prayer that seemed to be unanswered had finally come true! I am so excited to have Griki back in the California sunshine!

AMAZE-ING News Part 2
If you haven't caught on by now I am a huge fan of my families. They are kind of a big deal. I have a younger brother who is a complete genius! He will be finished with his undergrad studies at the University of Southern California in a few days and then moving home to work at a Law Firm in the city. His amazing news came as I was commuting from one meeting to the next last week. He has been accepted into Berkeley Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Yes, this means he could be going to law school in Berkeley, California! Again I am thrilled. He hasn't made his decision yet so fingers crossed that his heart stays on the West Coast.

Mother's Day
I know what you're all thinking, I am a few months early for this one. I don't think one day a year is enough to say thank you to our moms. I want to take a few moments and tell you want an incredible person my mom is. My mom has always been the first awake and the last to bed in our household. When we were little she made sure lunches were made, classroom activities had supplies and volunteers, and made sure Dad stepped up to coach our soccer teams. As we got older her love transformed into a love that was more unconditional than I thought possible. Mom, you know how much I love you but I wanted you to hear how much I look up to you and hope to be like you one day. You inspire me to be a better person and to never stop believing in myself. Thank you for supporting my dreams and helping me to overcome my fears. I love you, forever.

Unlikely Friend
I started going to a new church back in June and for many Sundays I would go in and sit by myself. Earlier this fall an gentleman began to sit next to me, we would chat during the friendship break and wish each other a good week on our way out. He became a person I looked forwarded to seeing every Sunday. After a few weeks his wife joined him at church and she and I began the same ritual. This past Sunday after not seeing them for a few weeks I was delighted when Bill came and said hello and asked me to save the seat next to me for his wife who would be joining me any minute. After a wonderful sermon we turned to say our goodbyes. She looked at me as she hugged me and she said "Go give them Heaven." All I could do was smile. She was so right. We so often hear the phrase with quite a different ending. As I walked out of church I was encouraged to rise to the challenge of giving them Heaven.

So whose ready to give em' Heaven?

Peppermint Tea

While sipping on some peppermint tea in hopes of fighting off the sore throat I woke up with, I am reminded of the simple things in life. As cliche as it sounds each day is a gift and while most of us are busy 95% of the time we are awake, we are truly blessed to be living the lives we live. Second, tea is extremely comforting. Not only for my sore throat but for my soul. I drink peppermint tea because of my sister. She is a huge advocate of peppermint tea and I am now learning why. There is something calming about the cool refreshing mint taste delivered in a steaming warm beverage.

I have to be honest and say that I have not lived up to the expectations I set out for myself in this journey. I am not discouraged because I know that in these moments of struggling I am learning more about myself and who I want to be.  I have come to the realization that I have heard from my mom for years: I am really hard on myself. Regardless of what I am doing I like to be doing things to the best of my ability and I get upset when I fall short. This reminds me that I am human. I will not have enough time to have coffee with every friend or finished every project at work in one day. Part of being able to do things to the best of my ability is by saying no. This is hard for someone like me who likes to make everybody happy. By saying no I am allowing myself to be more invested in the things I do say yes to. I am able to be more present in the time I spend with others. I often catch myself saying "Sorry I missed your call" or sending a text back to a friend "Hey I was away from my phone when you texted me" when did apologizing for not being available 24/7 become instinctual? I want to challenge myself to become unplugged from the craze of social media and technology.

One verse that was repeated in the sermon this weekend was Deuteronomy 6:5 "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."I am saying yes to this. People often say if you want to know what a person cares about look at their calendar and wallet. The expression is used to imply that people are "who and what they invest their time and money in."  I want to be invested in God. By choosing this I am choosing to say no to the customs of this world (Romans 12:2) don't worry I am not going to run off and join a third world refugee project. I believe that God has called me to be where I am. This does mean that I am going to make choices that may look different than those of my past and I am asking those in my life to support me in this uncertain time. I am scared of the crticisim a choice like this can cause. I am more scared of what my life would look like if I don't make this choice.

Nov 1st

If you know me well you know that today is much more than the first of the month... today is the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year!

I believe it is no coincidence that today is the first day of the AIM Commitment. Today as I was reading about others doing the challenge starting to achieve their goals I was fired up to chase after mine. I have to be honest and say there was not enough time to do everything but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day. Today I was able to read in the New Testament (spirit) and squeeze in a 45 minute workout at the end of my day (body). I plan to dedicate some time over the weekend to my first mind goal- passing my LEED GA exam.

Today was also the first day of RED Starbuck cups. Now if this doesn't excite you I'm not sure what would! I went out of my way to grab a drink before a small group tonight and it brought just as much joy as I remembered! While sipping on my Vanilla Steamer I realized that the happiness I was experiencing should not be limited to a sales gimmick at a coffee shop. I have decided to have a mini-challenge within the greater AIM Challenge.

For the next 30 days I will refuse to be unhappy. I know what you're thinking, sure I'll be happy until the first early morning arrives or snide comment gets thrown my way. Nope not this girl! For the next 30 days I will live in the joy that we are given everyday by being alive. I am not saying my life is going to be filled with bliss over the next 30 days but I will refuse to get down. I will however keep a list of everything that would normal alter my mood. At the end of 30 days I will reflect over my list and if I feel I still need to get upset over the item then I will deal with it then. My guess is by the end of 30 days I won't remember the items from the first 15 days and the last 15 days won't matter. I believe being happy is a choice we all can make. Who wouldn't want to be happy?

You have to start somewhere

Day one.

I am new to the blogging world. I don't know what will fill the posts of this blog but I know that a year from now I will look back and be proud of what I have discovered about myself.

My goals are simple. Be happy and live with a purpose.

Most days I would say the first is a guarantee. I have and always will find my happiness in those around me. I remember a class in high school where we had to go around the room and talk about our hobbies and interest. We were asked to tell our peers what it was that made us really happy. As you might guess most students identified their happiness in playing a sport or something to do with the performing arts. When it was my turn I stated my answer: people. People have always been the base of everything I do. From playing sports on teams with all my friends to being an orientation leader for new students and their families in college. Even in my career I am working with people every day.

The second is a taller order. I know that my purpose in life will have to do with people. I believe that God puts in all of our hearts desires that he wants us to discover and use to the fullest potential. My goal over the next several months is to discover the best possible version of myself. This means getting honest about everything: mind, body and spirit. (I have to given credit where credit is due and thank Canvas-SF AIM Commitment if you haven't heard about Canvas-SF you will learn more as my blog goes on.)

Mind-"A mind is a terrible thing to waste"
I will set and accomplish several goal geared to strengthen my mind.
-LEED GA certification -learn to play the piano -read more -write more -solve a crossword puzzle

Body: "It's never too late to become what you might have been"
I will push myself to get in the best shape of my life.
-Run a 5k start to finish -try yoga -run on the trails 

Spirit- "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body"
I will take time to listen to what my heart's desires are and grow closer to the God that put them there.
-Overcome anxieties -read in the Word more -find inner peace (who knows what this will look this)

So as I wrap up my first blog post I am relieved to know that I will probably be the only person to read this and mortified to live up to the goals set out above. If you do stumble upon this blog and take the time to read it, I invite you to join me in becoming the best version of you possible. 

Until next time...