2009 Part I: What I Learned

The next few days I've decided to recap 2009. It's been a great year, and I feel like I've learned SO MUCH in this one year. I've also gone to a lot of fun places, tried a lot of new things, and made a lot of great and even not-so-great memories.

So here's to 2009!

Lessons I learned in 2009

1. I really learned lots of hard lessons this year in responsibility. I'll be the first to admit that I am not a very responsible person. I always thought I was, but apparently that was just my parents really pushing me to be responsible. Because as soon as I was on my own, I noticed that I let a lot of things slip through the cracks and I put things off a lot. I missed deadlines this year, I turned in doctor's bills late, I disappointed my husband on more than one occasion due to my irresponsibility. I put off housework, phone calls, emails, etc. I think you get the picture. The result of all this procrastination was a lot of stress. I think I learned the hard way, but I had to learn! I finally realized that the only way the stress was going to go away is if I caught up on all of the things I was behind on. I'm actually still in the middle of doing that right now, but I really think I have learned my lesson! I don't want to put myself through such self-inflicted worry again. 2009 has really taught me that I need to grow up and be responsible!

2. I learned a big lesson about friendship. I kept trying to force friendships with people just to have lots of friends. I've since learned that this is silly. I've learned to respect myself more and recognize when someone is using me. I've also learned who my true friends are, and I'm thankful for each and every one of them. Through these situations I've also learned that Luke is my best friend. I had always heard lots of women say that their husbands are their best friends. I didn't understand that until this year. I'm thankful that my relationship with Luke has reached this new level.

3. I believe that blogging has helped to teach me what my dreams and goals really are. I think you get to know yourself when you blog, and you are able to keep track of your thoughts by actually typing them out on the screen. This year I learned that my passion is in my home more than my classroom. And I realized that my real dream in life is to be a stay-at-home mom. I don't know whether my dream will become a reality, but I'm so glad that I have something that I'm aiming for and working toward now.

Skills that I've Learned or Improved in 2009

1. I learned to knit
2. I've become a better cook and baker. I spent hours in the kitchen, and actually enjoyed most of that time. Don't get me wrong, I definitely wish I had spent MORE time and effort there, but there's always next year, right?
3. I've definitely become more computer and internet savvy...thanks to my blog :-)
4. I hope that I've become a better writer. I've posted over 300 times this year, so I would hope there's been some improvement there.
5. I've gotten very interested in photography, and learned a lot of new things about it. Hopefully I'll purchase a dSLR in 2010 and REALLY be able to learn about photography. There's only so much a point and shoot will do! Although, according to my files, I did take over 3,000 photos with mine this year. Wonder if I can top that next year ;-)
I wish this list were longer, but I really can't think of anything else!

Come back tomorrow for some more memories :-)