old year reflections

This year has been... gosh it's been a lot. The four of us were all reflecting over dinner last night how far God has brought us in the past 12 months, and we were just in awe over how much has happened. If someone had told us December 31, 2010 all the things that would culminate in the next 52 weeks, I know we would have laughed!

I want so much from the new year. I finally want one year to be the one that miraculously brings me all the skills I've been craving so deeply; that brings the extra hours in each day to accomplish all the things running through my mind at any given moment. I want one of these years to be the one I can credit with finally getting it all together and being the Mom I know God wants me to be; to finally be in shape and be that muscular, toned mom that isn't still carrying around 20lbs from her last baby (um, 7 years ago).

But it hits me that all of these things take work. I could have a million new, fresh years but the only thing that is going to bring about the changes I want to see in my life is good ol' effort.

I can complain about not knowing how to sew all I want, but as long as the sewing machine is boxed up in the garage, nothing will change. I can look in the mirror and want to cry at all the new dimples (oh, the dimples!) and rolls, but as long as I'm eating Hershey's kisses for breakfast {hypothetically of course} I am going to go out on a limb here and say those dimples ain't going anywhere. And my goodness, I can pray and pray about being a better mommy every single day of my life (and I do), but if I'm not willing to put into action those thousands of things I swear every night I'll change, it's all just intentions.

I had a totally different direction I wanted to take this when I sat down at my computer. Maybe it's ADD and I just forgot what I was going to say, or maybe I'm just being really hard on myself and don't want to let myself slide anymore. I don't know. But I'm tired of getting older every year and never accomplishing the things that are so important to me.

I can look back on every year of my adult life and see so many things that God did. Ways He pulled us through even the toughest situations; ways He orchestrated huge life changes through even the simplest baby steps.

But why am I willing to stop there? He gives me the desire to do so much more and surely gives me the tools, yet I sit here and let them gather dust. Am I going to see how much He has done, yet be content with not showing how much He can do through me?? Why am I not willing to shout from the rooftops "I'm doing it!!" only so I can point to Him and let my life be a testimony of how fantastically I can fail on my own, but how amazingly He can pull me through and lift me up?

Am I gutsy enough to put it out there, knowing it's not just in the quiet of my home that I voice these desires? Am I willing to be honest about where I want to go with the future so I can be held accountable?

Or, ahem, am I going to close this blog post now with those question marks lingering, never fully opening myself up? Man that's tempting. Then when I fail, no one ever really knew, and I don't have to be honest with how disappointed I am in myself for not trying. I can pretend that I accomplished everything I wanted, and I am fully satisfied with where my life is; who Melody is.

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okay I had full intentions of putting it all out there. but I am so stinking long-winded (which would explain the glazed over look my husband gets when I talk) and the post got WAY too long. so instead I'm putting the rest in a separate blog post. still putting it out there! just in a shorter-winded kind of way. :)

Home

We're here! Weeks of packing and moving and cleaning and tons of the never ending, and we're here. I must be getting older (though I sent out a memo forbidding this) because despite our 15+ moves, it is just getting harder and harder.

The house we moved out of is about 1400 square feet. A lot of our stuff was already in boxes from our last move because we had so little space, an the move seemed like it would be a bit simpler than in the past. But my gracious. It got to a point where I felt like I was still living at the old house and nothing would ever get done. I can tell you, there is no worse time to move than right before Christmas. Augh. And here we are less than two weeks from Christmas and my house is in chaos and I'm trying to get up decorations and have friends over this weekend for a spontaneous little Christmas get together (I guess because I know it will jump start making this house into a home) and I will never move again in December as long as I live! God willing. Because He has a sense of humor like that.

But as I lie here in my comfy new bed (our first since 1996) and flannel sheets and contemplate taking that first step onto the cold floor (that journey to make a cup of coffee is the longest in history), I KNOW that I am blessed so abundantly. I have a million things I would change if I could, but thank you God for it all.