looking forward to a new year.

what i love about christmas is being with people i love.  my family spends all day christmas just enjoying being together.  it is hard to find my family gifts- because no one just runs into the mall and grabs a sweater or a dvd.  well. except for my dad.  he buys his OWN gifts and then opens a "store" in the living room, then we are able to go pick out what gift we would like to pay him for and wrap up and then we put it under the tree hoping that he forgot that he purchased it in the first place.  but other than that--my family gives the most thoughtful/homemade gifts which makes christmas very special.  from a picture my brother painted me to remember my chicago days- recipes from my sister so i can attempt cooking, a scrapbook from my boyfriend, to my favorite necklace of all time from my best friend amy.  

  

     i'd take my family and friends wrapped up in bows under my tree any day.  

i started this year off right in chicago with my girlfriends and josh (even got an extra night due unorganized united airlines to watch the movie UP!) it was so good to be with amy, laura, and kristina at favorite local swedish restaurant--tre kronor for hours disturbing everyone around us with our constant outburst of laugher reminiscing about living in a tiny apartment with one bathroom and six girls- making two thousand nine the best year to date. 


although it was the best year to date it was probably the most challenging, funny how that works-so many new things happened: student taught. graduated college. got baptized. traveled to thailand. japan. and africa. started dating josh. moved to colorado. and started a new job. lots of transitions but i can see how god has been preparing me for all these changes for a very long time. 


i am encouraged by the large amount of growth that hopechest has had just in the past couple months that i have worked there.  can't wait to see the great things he has in store for me, for hopechest, for my friends, for my family and for all of those kiddos i love in swazi and zambia in two thousand and ten.