2014 -- Now THAT'S Something to Be Thankful For!!!

It's funny how we can get so caught up in our day-to-day, that it's easy to not "see" how incredible a span of time has been to you!  Such was my realization today in deleting photos from my phone from 2014--I was deleting all of my pix from my phone that have already been transferred to my laptop and had the realization I didn't just have a good year…i have had one of the BEST years of my life! Yes, there were some very painful losses--losing my Mema--grandma, piano teacher, first-grade teacher, mentor and friend was extremely hard.  Have there been battles?  ABsolutely.  But as I look back at the year as a whole, it is so clear to see that 2014 was an incredible year, so I'm sharing in my victories with my head lifted high and my face towards more of His goodness for 2015!


2014 Victories and Events

*Began new role as Project Coordinator for the Southwest District of the Foursquare Church (I have the best boss and work with one of the greatest teams destined for greatness!)

*Moved to and finally settled in Orange County

*Directed and Produced first NEXT Conference (http://www.thenextcon.com)

*Traveled to Illinois to direct, produce (& train) combined Jr. & Sr. High Summer Camp services.

*Produced my FIRST Foursquare Southwest District Fall Conference in October.

*Wrote, directed and produced "Hooray for Hollywood," a musical number in tribute to our denomination's founder, Sister Aimee Semple McPherson.



*Co-ministered with my baby sis, her hubby and friend, Cheyne, at Camp Hickory, in Illinois. This week was incredible AND I got to be with my schnookums for a week+.  A staple in my 2014.

*Honored to be a bridesmaid in one my girlfriend, Andrea and Gene's wedding in March.
               
*Honored to sing in one of my girlfriend, Gaede (Katrina) and Dave's wedding in Santa Barbara in May.
             
*Began serving in ministry as Worship Leader at The Rock, Lake Elsinore, serving under Pastors Erin & Todd Funk under the ministry of The Rock, Anaheim, led by Pastors Jerry & Kimberly Dirmann.

*Blessed to serve as a newscaster in Dallas, TX for our annual Foursquare Connection.

*Blessed with tickets for TWO to see Wicked at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

*Zip-lined for the first time in my life at Forest Home @ beautiful staff retreat.

*I got blessed with a new car to ME -- a 2004 Acura with ALL of the bells and whistles!!! (Leather seats, sun/moon roof, seat warmers, satellite radio and more…of all the cars I join on the streets, I love mine the most…thank You, Lord!)

*Travels:  - Started my New Year at the Space Needle in Seattle, WA
                 - Visited my Mema (before she passed away) and Aunt in Huntsville, AL
                 - Celebrating my best friend's 40th birthday in Charlotte, NC
                 - Short two-day trip to a town that has my heart, Austin, TX
                 - Newscasting for a week in Dallas, TX
                 - Five-day trip to my hometome and love visiting my niece and sister in Tulsa.
                 - Trip to Madison, WI with baby sis, bro-in-law, niece/nephews July 4th.
                 - Week+ trip to Camp Hickory in IL capped off with a two-day stay in Chicago!
                 - Celebrating my girlfriend/lifetime friend, Maya & Gabe's wedding in El Paso.
                 - Trip to Flagstaff & Phoenix, AZ for a writers' workshop with gifted writers.
                 - Cross-Country trip from Alabama to Cali, visiting friends in Nashville, Tulsa,
                   Amarillo, Flagstaff & Phoenix.

All of this and SO very much more…I would never have even realized that all of these beautiful events and blessings happened in my life in just 12 months!  I think I will have to keep logging on as more things come to mind…but for this past year, I am truly grateful…besides the fact that I haven't worked on losing my recent weight from the last few years, who cares?!?  Why do we keep looking at that one thing?  Looking at that one thing keeps you from seeing everything else.  Stop looking at only that, and look at EVERYTHING else in your life that is good and beautiful.

I am thankful I have been taught the importance of declaring and speaking OUT of MY mouth, promises in the Word of God that to me, are yes and amen!  I am thankful for knowing that though things may be tough, I can still thank and praise a faithful, loving God who has ALL the strength, joy and comfort I need, even if and when those around may fail. And you know what?  They will.  Why?  Because people are people.  We are human and make mistakes.  The good news is that God makes the difference.  So stop being hard on others, or on yourself.  And be hard on His promises and what His Word says about you!

This whole year I can say that despite some of my "temporary" circumstances, I felt like the most spoiled 45-year-old single gal in the world…and from the looks of it, I think I just might have been! :)