Hello, 2015!

Wow, I can hardly believe that 2014 is over! It seems like yesterday that we screaming because the world was going to end in 2012, that we welcomed in 2013 and many many dreams came true for me, and then said hello to 2014, a year that was full of...well...posts like these. 2014 brought a lot of heartache, a lot of sweet memories and a lot of excitement. Unlike most years, where I'm kind of sadly hanging on to the year gone by, I'm excited to begin a New Year. I'm dedicating this year to becoming a better me - a better Christian, a better daughter, a better sister, a better aunt. You get the gist. I'm dedicating this year to feeling good and living my life with less anxieties, less depression, less fears. I'm going to go after dreams that I was too scared to go after before. I'm going to pray more. I'm going to be more forgiving and be kinder. But most importantly (to me, at least) outside of becoming a better Christian, of course, I'm going to let go. I know, I know, how cliche, considering the Frozen craze in 2013-2014. (a faze that...can you please end, frozen faze?) I'm going to let go of things that held me back and kept me depressed all the time. I'm going to let go of certain people and stop torturing myself because of them. I'm going to forgive them and let go of them. That, I suppose, is one of my New Years Resolutions. (can I say New Years Plans instead? Everyone breaks resolutions...) But enough of that, let's talk about the year that we're about to say goodbye to.

 

January- In January, I met three of my best friends whom I had met on Pinterest! We live about 2 hours away from each other and finally got a chance to meet! I still talk to these girls daily and am so thankful for their sweet hearts.

February- February was a slow month, but the best memory I had from then was definitely taking a ride with my mother and our horses, blinded by the sunset the time while riding in a beautiful farm. 

March- March was full of blessings! We bought the farm behind our house and began working towards bringing our horses home at last! It was busy and full of hard-work, but we managed to sneak in some free time and do a photoshoot in the woods with my sister behind the camera. (Also, I almost died while climbing over thorns!) 

April- April was the beginning of our Esther Bible study! We read from Beth Moore's book about Esther and had put together a small online group full of lovely friends and grew closer to the Lord while learning about Queen Esther.

 

May- May was a busy month! I had a birthday and got to share it with Lydia and Kayla (the two Pinterest friends!) who share the same birthday. And of course, we celebrated at the barn (with Hannah, another lovely friend!) and then I went to Dixie Stampede. I also celebrated my horse's 13th birthday, because what equestrian wouldn't? 

June- June was another very busy month! I welcomed in another animal, Windy, after being talked into buying her when my mother and sister found her on a Facebook group! She is the first dog I've ever bought by myself and is sitting in my lap whilst I write this!

July- July...a hectic month! We had weddings to go to, parties to attend, concerts to go to...my favorite memory would have to be the Josh Turner concert! (also my first real concert ever.) I went with my step-father and had a wonderful time!

August- In August, I went to a party and saw Pinterest Friends again! (let's label them that now.) Hannah was leaving to travel for a few weeks so it was a little going away party. :) As always, it was a lovely time and it was great to visit!

 

 September- September was a really good month. I celebrated being a horse owner for 2 years, we were able to bring my horses home(!!!) (which was a surprise for me, had no idea they were coming!) and we also rescued an appendix Quarter Horse who was off the track. He was renamed Shalom. 

 October- October was a very hard month for me. Emotionally, I was drained. There weren't many good memories in October, honestly, but we did have a nice night at the rodeo. (even though I got terribly sick that night after being "glutened" and thought I had appendicitis...)

November- November...another very hard month. We sadly said goodbye to Shalom. We had to humanely euthanize him and it crushed us. Even now, I cry all the time over him. He had too many injuries and illnesses to live a good life, and with the help of many vets and in the company of those who loved him dearly and fought for his life, he took his final breaths. 

December- This month, although it's been hard after family issues and Shalom's passing, has been a nice month. I've spent most of it at the barn, which is always a plus. I've also gotten fairly serious with my photography (only horses..no humans!) and I'm quite proud of how I've come. Christmas came and went, time was spent with family and friends. All in all, December has been a good, fairly warm, month.

All things considered, this year has been good, but I'm eagerly awaiting 2015 and can't wait to jump right in. Here's to old memories and creating new ones. Happy New Year, everyone!

Philippians 3:13-14
No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.