Happy New Year! 2011 is out the door and 2012 is here and ready to play! woo hoo for second chances and new beginnings :) 2011 has been a crazy year, but I am beyond thankful for everything i've gone through. i'm super duper excited for 2012 and look forward to growing more as a daughter, sister, best friend, class mate, co-worker, or whatever other labels i will hold this new upcoming here :)
life is beautiful.
i got to spend my last day of 2011 with these people and some other folks from church. we ate in-n-out and went over our Pastors house to ring in the new year. than we watched 2012. ya know, since it was so appropriate ;)
on Sunday I decided to stay home and watch church online. staying home in pajamas and bible study...YES! my mom cooked a huge sea food feast (apparently it's good luck to eat sea food) and i met up with a friend to exchange gifts. i've worked with lorraine for the last year and a half, and when you work with someone everyday and drive with them 2 hours everyday, you really get to know someone lol. she gave me a collage of pictures from all our crazy times together (and yes, that is me in the bottom right corner as a robot...we would get bored at work sometimes..don't judge us! ;) she also gave me that nikon lens......CUP. when i opened it, i just stared at her because i totally thought she actually bought me a camera lens lol my thought process went like this...
"oh my gosh, lorraine. no you didn't. you seriously bought me a camera lens. wait...i don't have a nikon, i have a canon so i won't even be able to use it!!!! oh wait...what...it's a coffee cup. oh i knew that"
lol
but i think the best thing of all was her card. for the record, i'm the emotional one of the group. when my friend got proposed to, I CRIED AND SHE DIDN'T EVEN SHED A TEAR. yes, internet...i'm that annoying friend that cries during movies, commercials, and still refuses to watch the part in lion king when mufasa dies. annnnnd what.
but in her card, it was different. she told me i changed her life. she told me i made an impact. she told me that she believed in me to change the world. and that's when the water works came. sometimes i really don't believe i'm anything special. sometimes, i think i'm completely stupid. sometimes, i get this crazy idea about changing peoples lives.
but what i've learned over the last year is that it's not that i fear failing...it's that i fear i will succeed at everything i want to do and i don't know what to do with it.
yes, world. i am afraid of doing something greater than i'm called to do.
my fear will often get in the way of me achieving my dreams. but than i get these little reminders from friends, family, God.
"Anneliese, I believe in you. Stay amazing, Stay strong. You WILL change the world one day"
and my fear disappears instantly.
so my resolution this year is to stomp out fear and live vivaciously (hey now..using big words!) and walk in the name of love always.
salute to an amazing 2012 start!
