January Shmanuary!!

January is a month were many people experience the bluuuuues. The holidays are overrrr. Things return to "normal" again. It's still winter [at least for many of us]! Many people long for spring. Some experience S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder). At the psychiatric hospital where I intern, we definitely experience an influx of patients as many people deal with an increase in depression.

And I heard that last Monday, January 17th is literally the "saddest day of the year". As I mentioned the holidays are over, it's winter, and people's holiday bills are starting to roll in. Plus it's a Monday. The sheer fact that it is a Monday is enough to put some of us over the edge some days.

How bout you? Is January a rough month for you? Do you long for the warm breezes and sunshine of spring? Are you waiting with bated breath for new growth and flowers again.... Wherever you find yourself, January is almost over and then comes February with Valentines Day (ugh) and the Superbowl (yay for wings, men in tight pants, and commericals)!!

There are a few people I love who celebrate special days in January!! I celebrate with you!

My best friend Amy and her husband Eric celebrated their
first anniversary:

My brother and his wife celebrate their 6th (I think) anniversary:



And my LOVE MUFFIN turned 4 -- I can hardly believe it myself:

Till next time,
*Lauri*

Forgive me Blogger for I have sinned....

........it's been several months since my last blog!!

At the end of a year or beginning of a new year, I usually like to take some time to reflect on the past year. I read my journal entries and see what kinds of things I struggled with. I look at the goals I set and see how many of them I reached. Sadly usually very few. I also like to see what kinds of things I prayed for or believed God for. For the past couple of years the result wasn’t very encouraging or positive. This year I kind of hit the ground running because I was busy with friends and family and starting classes. So a couple of weeks into the new year, I took a few minutes to reflect on 2010. And I loved the results. It seems I have reached a few of my goals and seen some things I have been praying for years for come to pass!!

It helps to strengthen my faith and encourages me to believe for even more! I met and got to know some new friends who seriously impacted my life. They encouraged me in my faith, challenged some long-held beliefs, and showed me another side of myself. I love getting to know new people. Making new friends. Experiencing another world outside myself. People who stretch me and cause me to re-evaluate things I think I know.

I gave up some things last year that I thought I had to have. Things I thought I wanted. I admitted that maybe....just maybe God had a better plan in mind than what I thought I wanted for my life. And as always He has been faithful and I've gained so much more than I've given up. It's beautiful. I'm still a work in progress....there is so much more I want and need to work on, but I'm also excited to see progress.

I've been challenge to choose a word or theme for what 2011 will look like...kind of like a vision and I feel like 2011 is going to be a year of Growing and Changing!! I am excited to see what that growth and change looks like.