Here's to 2013. Bring on 2014

Talking about 2013 with the boys today make me start thinking about all the stuff that I accomplished during the year. The year itself has been a bit of a blur so I was actually a little surprised when I realized the highlights. In no particular order.

1) Completed my first ever athletic type competition when I did the bike portion of a sprint triathlon relay. I finished. Fast enough for my time to be recorded and I wasn't absolutely last. I would never in a million years have thought I could do that but it was a fundraising thing that was important to me and so I gave it a shot. In 2014 I am doing TWO pieces of the relay. Bike and running and now I KNOW I CAN DO IT! That is a totally awesome feeling.

2) Got IRS approval on a 501(c)(3) application for a charity that is near and dear to my heart. I had no idea what I was doing, and I was terrified that I would somehow screw things up beyond repair, but I did it!

3) Took my family to Ethiopia to visit people precious to our hearts and to just "be" in Ethiopia. Something I needed to do and nothing was going to stop me but the scope of the trip was a little scary. And priceless. Beyond words.

4) Actually crossed several things off of my homeowners to-do list. Course added a bunch more but I still call it a victory.

5) Said goodbye to my beloved host daughter and friend, Roxann. The goodbye was not a highlight because we miss her desperately just for her wonderful self, but it was a relief to know that I can actually run this house by myself given the need. We are not tidy and perfect but we did not crash and burn. And we know for sure that we will see Roxann again.

6) Started dating again which was a really big deal for me. I am not very organized about it and it's definitely much, much WEIRDER out there than it was 20 years ago, but still. Yeah me.

7) Watched my guys become even more amazing. Johnathan embraced some adventures. Big deal for for him. Atinafu learned to read and tie his shoes. And at four years old, he held my hand and did some pretty brave and powerful stuff. They each had their first trip to a beach on the Pacific Ocean and agreed that was really cool. And both of them got kicked out of my room to sleep in their own. Mostly. Another big step.

8) Bought ANOTHER car. Hopefully the last for the next decade. I figure 12 months without a car being totaled is a really good sign.

9) And more and more and more...

Overall, this was a year of change, of risk, of adventure, of growing and definitely one where I found a boatload more confidence and strength. I got a little more graceful about some stuff and a little less tolerant of other things. The loss of tolerance is probably more obvious to the general public than the increase in grace but oh well. Anyway, it wasn't all delightful but it was all worthwhile.

Here's to 2013. Bring on 2014.