[A Year In Review: 2012]

[2011 Year In Review]

Favorite New Experiences of 2012

1. Loving my birthday. Celebrating the precious gift that life is. 
2. Discovering my love of public speaking. 
3. Learning the importance of and developing a craving for solitude.
4. Developing my love of crafting.
5. Sleeping outside in a tent for a summer, just because I felt like it. 
6. Completing my first triathlon.
7. Learning to cook and bake and experimenting with new recipes. 
8. Discovering my true identity in Christ and what it really means to follow Him. 
9. Getting a tattoo. 
10. Becoming a leader in an intentional community.
11. Running my first half marathon with my mom and my sister. 
12. Learning the power of prayer.
13. Voting in the 2012 Presidential election.
14. Working with students in the EBD program at Ferber. 

Favorite Travels of 2012

1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [Leadership LLC] - February 2012
2. Orange City, Iowa [to visit Hannah] - March 2012
3. Austin, Texas [to visit Garrett and see the city] - July 2012
4. Milwaukee, Wisconsin [to celebrate Jamie's birthday] - July 2012
5. Kettle Moraine [bike trip with Lara] - August 2012
6. Monroe, Wisconsin [Cheese Days with the Hetricks] - September 2012
7. St. Paul, Minnesota [Zimmerman Christmas] - December 2012
8. Cascade, Wisconsin [King Christmas] - December 2012

Favorite Media and Entertainment Discoveries/Releases

1. Puzzles
2. Babel - Mumford and Sons
3. Uncaged - Zac Brown Band
4. The Carpenter - The Avett Brothers
5. Believe - Justin Bieber 
6. Imagine Dragons
7. Fun.
8. Downhere
9. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis 
10. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
11. Rules - Cynthia Lord
12. The Hobbit
13. The Amazing Spider-Man
14. Captain America
15. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Top 5 Favorite New Recipes
1. Crab Cakes with Chipotle Mayo (recipe c/o Garrett Hetrick)
2. Avacado Orange Bulgur Quinoa Salad (modified from here)
3. Pistachio, mushroom, and zucchini veggie burgers (modified from here)
4. Roasted Strawberry + Chocolate Grilled Cheese
5. Sweet Potato Quinioa Chili 

Top 20 Favorite Songs (In no particular order)

1. Time To Pretend - MGMT
2. Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars
3. Forever Reign - Kirsten Stanfill
4. Soldier - Gavin Degraw
5. I Won't Give Up - Jason Mraz
6. Never Say Never - Justin Bieber
7. Call Your Girlfriend - Erato
8. The Axis of Awesome - 4 Chords
9. Quiet Your Mind - Zac Brown Band 
10. Cruise - Florida Georgia Line
11. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
12. Hopeless Wanderer - Mumford and Sons
13. I Will Wait - Mumford and Sons
14. One Foot - Fun.
15. Beautiful Things - Gungor
16. On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons
17. It's Time - Imagine Dragons
18. 10,000 Reasons - Matt Redman
19. For Life - Downhere
20. The Alter of Love - Downhere

Things I Am Most Grateful For

1. My support system of brothers and sisters who love on me and pray for me.
2. The opportunity to pour into others. 
3. My family and the strength we have gained despite the trials in the past 2 years. 
4. An incredible roommate and 4 halfie roommates who make my life so much more interesting. 
5. Physical well-being, especially the ability to run, bike, and swim. 
6. Education and the means and motivation to continue to pursue it. 

Blog Stats 

1. Rejuvenated - July 2012
2. Reinspired - November 2012

Looking Forward to in 2012

1. Whatever God has in store for me to serve Him this summer.
2. Being a bridesmaid in Hannah's wedding this June!
3. Living in Eau Claire and the opportunity to be around people I can be filled by this summer.
4. Going to the Pine Ridge Reservation for spring break and loving on the people there. 
5. Growing as an emcee at IV Large Group. 
6. Furthering my relationship with my sister, hopefully including a trip to Montana. 
7. Running the Eau Claire half marathon in May. 
8. Welcoming a new roommate into my life this fall.