New Year: personal

I intended for this blog to be about 3 sentences long. About how I’m a horrible person for getting so busy over the holidays that I pushed blogging to the backburner ;] and how every time I had the chance to sit down and write something I was in an airport without wi-fi. [*that* by the way, should be illegal] But posting just that seemed cheap and like I still wasn’t really making an effort because who really knows if I’m going to find the time to blog later this week between unpacking, cleaning, adjusting back to Pacific Time and trying to catch up on everything I missed over the last 2 weeks.

Instead, I’m going to write a suuuuper long post. You have been warned.

I was chatting with a friend recently and she told me "as we come into the new year one thing is for sure, you can't look back at 2009 and say you haven't changed." At first I was like, what? What does that even mean? But then I stopped for a second and remembered who I was at this time last year and I am not the same. The only thing I really have in common with the January 2009 Stacee Lianna is the red hair, and even that looks better now. ;]

“That’s my New Year’s Resolution. I need to let things go. Not let them rule my life anymore and just *simply* be with Jesus. I honestly think if I can manage that... then everything else will fall into place. Friendships will mend. I will loose my negative self esteem points. I won’t be so afraid of everything. Maybe I’ll be able to accept a compliment without fighting it. Maybe I will be able to make eye contact. ;] and maybe I’ll believe in love.”

That is a quote from my New Years blog post last year on my personal blog. If you’d like to read the whole thing you can find it here. [Don't judge my personal blog... I used to be super angsty…and sometimes it still flairs up. Also, don’t judge my punctuation… that’s improved in the last year as well LOL] I read that blog post on New Years morning after spending 13 hours in Times Square waiting for the ball to drop [more on that will come later]. While my 3 friends slept I teared up reading this knowing if I’ve learned anything this year it is to let things go. And in letting go I've discovered so much more about who God made me to be than I ever imagined possible in a years time. I am not the same person I was at the begining of 2009 and I am so blessed because of that.

I don't have any grand and profound Resolutions to share with you for this year, I only hope and pray that I can continue to let things go, lay them down at the feet of my Jesus, and continue to become who He created me to be. I'm *so* excited for what is to come in 2010!

Because no post is complete without a picture, here are the 2 things I missed the most while I was gone in New York. My puppy, who still snuggles with me even though shes 3 years older and not nearly as tiny as she is in that picture. And Jim, my penguin who as childish as it may seem means the world to me. :]