Goodbye, 2012.

As we start 2013, I look back and am surprised by how much has changed in my life in the past few years.  I've had this blog since high school but it never really went anywhere.  I plan to change that.  I tend to be a person who likes to keep on moving ahead without looking back but this past year has been especially eventful for me so here are my milestones of 2012:

1. I survived student teaching.
Being a teacher is hard - especially in our times and in an urban setting.  Such an occupation forces you to see the harsh realities of our society.  Teaching is not just Math, Science, and the other subjects....it's so much about socializing the future generation and creating community.  There are no quick fixes to many of the issues in children's lives.  That's the hard part.  You have to be a dedicated and resilient person to choose to keep on struggling through.  No teacher education program can fully prepare you for the strange situations you encounter in teaching.

2. Ryan and I became members at the Cathedral.
After a few months of church-hopping, we decided to become members at the Cathedral.  We love our church and the people we are getting to know.  Although my mom was raised Catholic in the Philippines, I was confirmed just less than two years ago and am now more at peace than ever before.

3. Blanche became a part of our family.
Oh, Blanche.  So beautiful and yet she was so terrified for the first few months...probably constantly afraid that we were going to eat her.  That's thankfully no longer the case.

4. I graduated from college.
While in college, I wanted so badly to have it done with so that I could move on with my life and start my career.  Buy a house.  Get settled down.  Have two children - obviously anticipating one boy and one girl.  I really did love my college but, by focusing on the future, I wasn't able to be fully present and just enjoy the experience.  Now that I'm graduated, I miss my beautiful little campus and the people.  It's likely that my group of friends will never be together again all at once and that fact is too much for me to comprehend.

5. We added Spencer to our family.
I went to Petco "to get birdseed" and came out with this cutiebug.  Only about two months old when we got him, this bouncing (literally) baby boy brought Blanche out of her shell.  The two of them bring me so much joy and they make our home so much cozier.

6. Ryan and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary.
Our first milestone anniversary....celebrated in San Francisco.  (The city decided to celebrate our anniversary with the Gay Pride Parade - complete with fully nude people in the streets.  What being publicly nude has to do with being gay, I'm not entirely sure.)

7. I received my teaching certificate.
Annoyingly, not the same thing as graduating with a degree in Education.

8. I started my career in Montessori education.
This will be my life's work.  Going to work just feels like an extension of my home.  I love it.

9. I began training in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a beautiful blend of Catholic formation and Montessori.  Nothing could be more perfect for me.

10. I was a victim of identity theft.
This caused me two months of extreme anxiety.  The detective on my case decided to go on vacation after contacting me and then worked at a slow pace afterward.  It turns out that someone used my maiden name and drivers license number to commit a theft.  How is that even possible?  I still don't understand.  What I do know is that I pondered the existence of living a second life that was secret to even me - maybe something like The Three Faces of Eve or Inception.  I mean, what exactly is reality?  If you are ever in this kind of situation, the detective questioning you will likely inflict guilt and try to trick you into confessing.  And it can be really confusing.  So much for the legal principal of innocence until proven guilty.

11. Ryan and I celebrated our six year anniversary.
My husband and I have been together since I was 16!  He has been my best friend these past six years and from the start he's been intent on loving me.  I'm continually learning what love really means and I can't imagine my life without him.

12. We are buying a house!
Originally, we were planning on moving into a cool loft in the city and, then, after taking a look at a studio loft apartment consisting of a mere 550 square feet with a not so small price tag, we started looking into buying a house instead.  It's a better investment in our case and the mortgage is about the same as what we currently pay for rent even though we're getting a five year old Energy Star home.  Plus, it's within walking distance to the library, farmer's market, cafes, and restaurants.  We close and move in this Thursday and I am so excited!

I'm looking forward to what this year brings.  I wish you lots of happiness for 2013.

Peace,
Elizabeth


P.S.  Here's a great prayer I found while preparing for my next class:

I am the New Year.
I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.

I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned
during the last twelve months about life.

All that you sought the past year and failed to find is hidden in me;
I am waiting for you to search it out again with more determination.

All the good that you tried to do for others and didn’t achieve last year is mine to grant
- providing you have fewer selfish and conflicting desires.

In me lies the potential of all that you have dreamed
but didn’t dare to do,
all that you hoped but did not perform,
all you prayed for but did not yet experience.
These dreams slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened
by the touch of an enduring purpose.

I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Christ who said,
“Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5).
I am the New Year.

Author Unknown