One month/One year

It's been 1 month since I last blogged. Busy month to say the least! Spent 10 days in Barcelona/Madrid/Paris which was quite a trip of a lifetime! The week prior was full of planning and preparing. I can't believe that the trip actually happened though! Kind of boggles my mind. Another thing that boggles my mind is the year that just passed!

Last year at this time I was so stressed about the upcoming academic year since I knew that my life would be so hectic with the events coming up...my marriage, Anna's marriage, Ben's graduation, Ben's moving away, and then the Spain/France trip. I thought, worried, and stressed how I would get through it all. God, as my continual rock, proved faithful and strengthening!! All of these were FIRSTS for me and things that were outside my comfort range. God grew me and showed me that I really could do it. Getting married in the middle of the school year and then moving from a house that I have lived in for 13 years and doing all of the moving by myself really gave me new confidence in my abilities!! Planning a low budget wedding for Anna and then getting her actually married (with my sisters' and good friends help) was another event that made me think, "I can't believe we did it?". Ben and John's college graduation was another event that occurred with an incredulous mind (thanks to my dear husband, Bobby Forrest!) because we had to move furniture (Anna & John Mark's)to a 4th floor apartment as well as getting *ALL* of Ben's furniture and stuff moved out and ready to depart for Portland, Oregon. All of this moving occurred in the time frame of 2 days!! The Spain trip was another HUGE weight on my mind mostly because I was taking such a large group (29 folks) and it was something I had never done before...another FIRST! Overseeing behavior (of high school students), striving to make it a fun trip, as well as coordinating the daily agenda was quite a challenge. But I did it (thanks to my sponsors and the adult men in the group who were INVALUABLE! Thanks Tye Geppi and Bobby Anderson)! Not a perfect trip but then nothing is especially when 29 different and various personalities are involved (LOL!) I still loved the trip and would not change anything because the group bonded and had so much fun together!!

So the year has been "fast & furious" but it's been good. Once again, I wouldn't change anything. God used every event of this past year to grow me, mature me, and give me confidence as his child. This is truly the mantra of my life.