As I sit here on this beautiful winter day, the last day of the year, quite literally on the brink of the dawning of a new year, I am caught up in reflections of times past, contemplation of the present, and thoughtfulness about the future that is to come. Saying goodbye to 2010, is a bittersweet endeavor, as it means saying goodbye to the year that held my final months in New Zealand, a blessed summer full of weddings and family time, new adventures (moving to DC), and finally my first Christmas at home in two years (by far perhaps one of my best Christmases). This has been a blessed year indeed. Pictured below are some of the highlights…

This photo was taken January 2, 2010!! What an incredible start this year had! New Years Day 2010 I was in Queenstown, NZ half way through a 13 day trip around the South Island of New Zealand with four great friends and one 12-seater rental mini van, which we inevitably named John Denver! Such an adventure! My eyes have never seen such beauty!

PS. For a VIDEO of our South Island trip, check out the tap on the side titled “Oh the Places You’ll Go”

I spent the entire day being pampered by Kerstin and Krista (massage, pedicure, mineral spa), had lunch with my dear friends Stella and Anne, and then a blessed Mexican dinner out with all of my dearest friends!

March was the month of “Set Free!” New Zealand’s first ever weekend-long youth conference with international speakers and musicians in attendance from USA, Australia, and NZ! Running that weekend, with such an incredible team and for such amazing teens, was perhaps the most blessed event I have ever been a part of!

PS. For a VIDEO of our Set Free Conference, check out the tab on the side titled “Oh the Places You’ll Go”

My dear friend Mel entered the Church at the Easter Vigil this year and I had the incredible blessing of being her sponsor! I was also privileged to become Chloe’s (one of our youth) God-mother!

In May we welcomed Kelly and Richard Sealy as the new missionaries at St. Thomas More Church in NZ! They and their two daughters took over as laborers in the vineyard. Such a beautifully bittersweet month as we spent our final weeks with the friends and the island we had come to love so dearly over the past two years.

Upon returning to the States, June began the summer of weddings! First off…my beautiful cousin Victoria married her best friend Anthony mid-June in Michigan!

July was spent traveling to be with family and friends I hadn’t seen in years! My trip to Boston to see my friends Melissa and Josh also resulted in my first ever Lobster experience!

Between my dear friend Amanda’s wedding to her now husband Casey, my family’s vacation aka a cruise out of New York to the Caribbean Islands, and then Jamie’s, my close friend from high school, wedding…August was one big continuous dance party!!!

What a blessing that after saying goodbye to them only three short months earlier, Kerstin and I were able to see Fr. Michael (the priest who invited us to come to his parish in New Zealand as missionaries and start youth ministry) and his parents here in the US!

In October, I moved into a house of amazing women in the DC area and prepared to start my next big adventure with the Lord!

Nannying has been such a blessing to me this year. It is continuously teaching me about patience and love! I am grateful for the family and the two beautiful children the Lord has placed me with.

This last month, I have been so abundantly blessed to be able to celebrate my brother’s graduation from Kent State University and to spend the most precious time of Christmas with my family!!

2010 has been blessed indeed! I am so utterly grateful. It is hard to believe that it could be topped, but 2011 holds the wealth of  many unknown gifts and graces and I welcome it with intrigue and anticipation of all that God has in store in this New Year!

May God bless you and those you love in this New 2011th year since the death of our Savior.