What Are You Doing New Years Eve?

One of my favorite songs about the New Year! Hope you all have a fabulous New Years Eve, and you set resolutions that you can keep throughout the year!

Here is to 2013. Here is to 2014.

I will be out of town for New Years so that I can celebrate the ringing in of 2014 with my fella and his family. I decided that this post on New Years was to important to me to not do, so here is my EARLY New Years Post.


2013 was a HUGE year.
It was a year of excitement, happy tears, stressful tears, Celebrations, successes, burdens and endless Possibilities.

In 2013:

I turned Twenty Two (probably one of the best years of my life)

Had the privilege of Leading my Sorority as their President.

Was accepted into two wonderful Graduate Programs for my MSW. 

Had to make one of the biggest life decisions upon going to Graduate School.

Graduated from Appalachian State with a Bachelors degree in Child Development, FCS and a Minor in Social Work. Became an Alumni of my Sorority. 

Was given the opportunity to spend my summer with the NC Infant Toddler program as their Intern.

Wrote my very first Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) for a wonderful family.

Worked along side of the Best people I could have asked for. 

Started Graduate School at Appalachian State University. 

Moved back in with my roommate Karen. (We transferred from ECU to ASU in undergrad together. She has been a HUGE part in my College experience, and now MSW experience.) 

Became NC Early Educator Certified Level 11. 

Started an internship with a local school with their Counseling department. 

Became a Great Grand Big. 

My childhood best friend became a mom!!!! 

Spent two years with the most amazing man I could ask for. 

Learned to knit.

Made grades I was proud of for the Fall Semester. 

Came home for the WHOLE Christmas Break, and have enjoyed my time with my family, friends and relaxing.

In 2014 I predict these things will happen: 
I will turn 23! 
I will start my second semester of my MSW program. 
I will be getting my own Clients at my Internship. 
I will be leading groups with my students. 
Marc will Graduate from Appalachian with his MPA!!! 
I will spend the summer taking classes, and trying to make some MONEY!
I will finish up my first semester of my last year of my MSW program. 
I will create a list of my own One Thousand Gifts
I will become involved more in my Church in Boone, NC. 
I will get involved in a small group. 

 When looking back at 2013 I am so amazed at how far I have come. How many great moments were apart of this year. How many achievements that have been apart of this year.

 I can honestly say this has been a year of learning, growing, and striving to be the best version of myself that I can. Though this year has also brought pain and disappointments my way, I would not trade this year for anything. I am looking forward to what 2014 holds for my life. I know that at this time next year, I will be just as amazed at the work the Lord has done in my life.

Here is to 2013. Here is to 2014. 

xoxo,
Mindy

Sunday Social

Today I am linking up with Ashley from Ashley Lately's blog and starting my hand at the Sunday Social. This one is Holiday themed, and since I am home for Christmas break, it makes perfect sense.

1. What is your favorite Holiday Movies/TV Specials?

Home Alone is my all time favorite Christmas movie. I don't completely consider it Christmas unless I have watched this movie at least 20 times. 

I also enjoy watching: 

-Elf

-Miracle on 34th Street 

-The Santa Clause 1 and 2

- The Holiday 

2. Do you do any volunteering during the holidays if so what? If not what would you do?

My family always does an Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box. I love getting the opportunity to pack a box filled with goodies and needed items for a child in another country. It has always been a dream of mine to be on the team that distributes the boxes to the children. Their is an OCC processing center in the town where I go to College at. Last year I was able to go to the processing center and sort the boxes and pack them to be shipped. The experience at the processing center was so humbling, and a lot of fun. I would recommend it to anyone that has a processing center near them. 

3. What is your favorite toy received as a child for the holidays?

A Karaoke Machine! I got one when I was younger. Though I can not sing to save my life, I enjoyed singing songs for hours on that Machine. I became pretty good at singing Brittany Spears and Christina Aguilera. 

4. What was your must have item in high school for the holidays? 

The style when I was in High School was to have Hollister, American Eagle, and Areopostal clothing. I always wanted clothing with the name of the stores written on them so that you could tell that they were from there. Looking back on it now I see how lame that was. 

5. What do you do on Christmas Eve? If you are Jewish what does your family do for Hanukkah?

My family is always at my Mom's side of the families on Christmas Eve. We open presents with them and sing carols. A few years ago, my Church started a candle light service. Since my Dad is a Pastor, we now go there from my Grandparents. Now that me and my sister are older we do our families Christmas on Christmas eve. 

Time

Since I am on Christmas break, I have finally been able to be dedicated to reading for pleasure rather than for my knowledge of social work. Pleasure reading has always been a highlight of mine during every break of school I have. I always tell people to give me a week at the beach, Nicholas Sparks, and I am set. 

I have owned a copy of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp for about three years now. In those three years of ownership, I have tried to start the book at least half a dozen times. Since something always came in the way of me and my attempt to read this book I retired it to my self. This August, I picked it up again. Since I started Grad School in August as well One Thousand Gifts soon became replaced with Research Methods, Human Behavior, and Social Work skills. Sadly, yet another thing came in the way of finishing the book. The last week of classes, I made it a point to not buy any other books until I finished this one. 

This week I have gotten to work a few hours at the Child Development Center I worked at during Undergrad. Most of these shifts were during nap time and we are allowed to bring books to read during that time. Nothing says Joy like the sound of snoring babies and a good book. Which begins one of my items on my "Gift List." (more to come on that in a later post)

5. The sound of snoring babies.

Today, while I was reading and hearing the snores in the back ground, God spoke to me through Ann's words. 

"Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, line in the wake of all the rushing...Through all the haste I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away." 

I run out of fingers counting the times where I have rushed the time away. I have done it several times this semester actually. I did it all throughout undergrad, thinking things will be "better", "different", things will "slow down", I'll find better "routines." I'll "work out more", I'll "hangout more." All these various things that I say will happen after the WAITING stops. I realize after reading those words that we will always be waiting: If you get married, you'll be waiting to start a family, If you have children you'll be waiting on the Grand kids. If you have a successful career, you'll be waiting on a promotion. 

The time during the WAITING is what makes life beautiful. The times where we just take the time to be and enjoy the mess. The chaos that life brings, The papers, The portfolios, the lectures that prepare us to be professionals. Being fully present in the moment. Not thinking about what is going to go on two weeks, six months, or years from now. By seeing the present moment we are able to see the gifts that God has given us within those moments. We are able to experience authentic eucharisteo (Joy). "When I'm present, I meet I AM, the very presence of a present God. In His embrace, time loses all the sense of speed and stress and space and stands so still and...holy." In those present moments we can see how faithful God is to us by counting those gifts that he delivers for us. 

I pray that every day I live, I live for that day. Seeing the eucharisteo. Seeing the miricles. Seeing the ordinary. 

xoxo, 

Mindy 

"There is a place only love can go"

It is hard to believe that at this time in my life last year I was taking the GRE, finishing up Graduate School Applications, and stressing over if I would actually get into Graduate School, and only having one hundred some days left of my College Career. It is hard to believe that a year ago has come and gone so quickly. 

Fast forward and I am in Graduate School, I am learning so much about Social Work, I have celebrated, and I have felt defeated.This season has taught me so much about myself, about true strength, and about becoming an adult.  I know that I have been placed here for specific reasons, and I cannot wait to see where God takes me.  

Throughout my program, I am learning that it is not always about the skills, it is about being genuine in your work. One of my favorite Beth Moore quotes is "God shines the brightest light in the darkest places." No, we are not all called to be Social Workers, and see the "hard" of this world. We are not all called to be "that special person" and to go out and save the world. But we are all called to be genuine and love others deeply. I am learning that the responses I get as to my chosen career path are not meant to be negative about my chose profession, they are only a reaffirmation from God telling me that he has placed me, set me apart for a very specific purpose. 

"Oh, I know this song won't do
Enough to prove my love to you
In my heart you'll always know
There is a place only love can go
There is a place only you can go"

This song has been one of the many themes of this semester. To always remember there is a place only love can go. There is a place only [I] can go. 

xoxo, 

Mindy