2013

It seems a little silly to do a "2013 Wrap-up" kind of post, but I'm not sure why. It's very stereotypical, but as I sit in Starbucks typing on my Mac in my leggings, Ugg boots, and sorority fleece, that aspect isn't bothering me for some reason.

Yes, I know George Clooney is judging that previous sentence.

Maybe it's the fact that my entire year has felt like a wrap-up?

The process of (secretly) auditioning for grad school, getting in, actually saying yes to that adventure, keeping the secret for months, finally telling everyone, packing up my classroom, promising students I would send them postcards, moving out of my first adult apartment, driving away from DFW, leaving my family and Texas, starting a new chapter, falling head over heels for London, performing at the Globe, finishing my first term, getting emotional over saying goodbye to my classmates and new city for just a few weeks, coming home, seeing how much my nieces have grown, reconnecting with old friends, spending time with my whole family....it's all felt like conclusion after conclusion. A little epilogue that began in early January and snowballed down the hill to fill up the rest of my 2013.

There are lots of big obvious 2013 moments I'll never forget. The thing is- y'all know all those. There's blog post after blog post devoted to them. For some reason, when bringing up these experiences now I imagine my tens upon tens of loyal readers to be slightly...over it.

The thing is, there are smaller moments too- just as important as any of those big ones. In fact, sometimes the little things stick with you in more tangible ways. And no, I haven't written whole blog posts over them. Here are a few of those little 2013 moments and what they meant to me:

Potential

     I'm not big on selfies (no really, go check my instagram - we're talking less than five total) but as I was riding the tube Wednesday morning, January 23rd to audition at East 15, this picture needed to be taken. 

Bittersweet

     One of my coworkers snapped this picture right after the school was told that I was leaving. It was an end-of-school pep rally of sorts and afterwards two of my absolute favorite students came up to me with tears streaming down their faces. These were two fourth grade girls who were a part of my audition-based girls dance team. Missing their final fifth grade year was a heavy burden on my heart. I could barely say "I love you" before they both hugged me for half a minute. It ended with smiles and reassurance, but my goodness it felt like someone was literally pulling on my heartstrings.

Joy

     As soon as I snapped the pic of my two nieces the day Chandler was born, it automatically reminded me of this one of Clay and I. Trouble was, no one else could remember it. I was determined to be proved not-crazy, so I went digging through the OVER TWENTY photo albums buried in our den cabinets. As soon as I found the picture, I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face. These two pictures paired next to each other will never not make me smile.

Gospel-centered community

     My DFW church The Village uses this concept of "gospel-centered" heavily in its mission statement. Never ever have I experienced such a Christ-centered, healthy relationships as I have with the people I met there. This was taken the morning after Jody and I spent the night at Hannah's- the last time we would see each other before I left for London. It's another bittersweet moment of course, but mostly when I look at it now I see the magnitude of grace and faithfulness these two have shown me in just a few short years.

Faithfulness

     JoJo and I had plans to make a Christmas card to mail to all our friends and family around the world, but time and money got in the way, so instead we just put the pictures up for all our Facebook friends to enjoy. The blessings of both having this girl as a flatmate and the ability to even take Christmas pictures on the Millennium Bridge before rehearsal at the Globe perfectly encapsulate God's faithfulness for me this year. 

Love

     Let's be honest, my parents would have preferred me not to move to London. Their single daughter moving overseas was not high on their "Wants of 2013" list. But they love me. A lot. So my mom traveled to London three times during the year with me during the whole process. (This is us at the top of the Shard in July.) The sacrifice and care my parents have shown me throughout my life and this year continually amazes me. Without their support, getting where I am today would be near impossible.

Okay, enough of a look back. Here's to looking forward- new year, here we come!

To 2014!