All the time I’m constantly thinking of things I want to update my blog with… but then I keep falling behind.
But I realize that if I just don’t do it, it won’t get done. So… I’m back on track. I hope.
I realize that I’m coming up to my one year blog anniversary. Not that I’ve been very good the past few months. But at least I still have it right??
Okay… enough on me not updating my blog enough. On to real life.
I can’t believe it’s the holiday season already! It feels as though it’s happened so fast. And this past weekend has been awesome. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. While I do love Christmas – Thanksgiving is by far the most important holiday to me. Because it really is a holiday that my entire family comes together to celebrate. But it’s also a holiday that spans culture and religion. Sure, it’s an American Holiday and my friends overseas don’t understand it – but for all my friends and family here – it is one holiday that we all just celebrate and it’s just a fabulous time.
Helloooo – it’s a day to gorge yourself on fatty foods. And pretty much all weekend. Tomorrow- it’s the real world and it’ll be the day where I go back to eating “normally.”
But what’s weird to me to think about this weekend is that just a year ago I was in Guatemala. A life changing experiencing. A trip that changed my views on life and what is important. I’ve tried in the past year to make sure I didn’t forget the lessons I learned. But it’s easy to move on in your regular life. It’s easy to become complacent about how we live and what we consider important.
I’ve tried for that to not happen. And I think I’ve succeeded really well. I’m not perfect and will never be – but Guatemala is never far from my mind. I miss it and I can’t wait to go back. I think about my experience if not everyday, at least every week.
It was this day last year that I remember crying because I didn’t want to be home. That I wanted to be back in Guatemala. And now, I’m so thankful that I am home. That I am around my family and friends. And that I have the things I have. I’ve been extremely blessed in my life. I try not to take it for granted.
I guess I’m concerned about it – is because with the holiday season comes a sort of selfishness to it. It’s about, “what do I want?” rather than, “what can I give.”
So, I’m going to try and be much more conscious of how I feel and what I do this holiday season.
Some people say that they hate routine… but actually I’m the type of person that thrives on it.
I’m busy enough as it is – but knowing what I’m doing and having everything planned out… sometimes to the minute – is a great thing for me. I can’t help it that I find a fully booked calendar a beautiful thing!
But – I’ve been off my routine now for the past 3 months. With a lot of traveling lately as well as the holidays and well, with life just getting in the way – I’m happy to be getting back to my routine.
A lot of my friends think my routine and schedule are crazy and well, I tend to agree with them. However – it makes me happy. And a happy Millie is a good thing!
So what is my routine/schedule? Well – prepare yourselves!
Monday
Wake: 5AM (Do devotional)
Gym: 5:30AM
Back home: 7AM
Breakfast: 7AM
Shower: 7:15
Go to work: 8AM
Arrive at work: 9AM
Leave work: 6PM
Swim Practice: 7:50-8:30PM
Back at home: 9:30PM
Sleep (if I’m lucky): 10:30-11PM
Tuesday
Wake: 5AM(Do Devotional)
Gym: 5:30AM
Back home: 7AM
Breakfast: 7AM
Shower: 7:15
Go to work: 8AM
Arrive at work: 9AM
Leave work: 6PM
Spanish Class: 7:30-9:00PM
Back at home: 9:30PM
Sleep (if I’m lucky): 10:30-11PM
Wednesday
Wake: 5AM(Do Devotional)
Gym: 5:30AM
Back home: 7AM
Breakfast: 7AM
Shower: 7:15
Go to work: 8AM
Arrive at work: 9AM
Leave work: 6PM
Free night! Which means, I’ll make dinner plans with friends, rest and do nothing, go rock climbing, study Spanish and/or preparing for my ESL teaching class…
Sleep (if I’m luck): 10:30-11PM
Thursday
Wake: 5AM(Do Devotional)
Gym: 5:30AM
Back home: 7AM
Breakfast: 7AM
Shower: 7:15
Go to work: 8AM
Arrive at work: 9AM
Leave work: 6PM
Teach ESL: 6:45-9:30PM
Back at home: 10:30PM
Sleep (if I’m lucky): 11PM
Friday
Wake: 6:30AM – I’m going to sleep in… why? Because it’s Friday and I need to rest my body and not work out!
Breakfast: 7AM
Shower: 7:15
Go to work: 8AM
Arrive at work: 9AM
Leave work: 6PM
Free night – which means I’ll either be doing Happy Hour with friends or going home to veg out…
Sleep – who knows?
Saturday
Wake: 7:30AM – Woohoo! To my body that’s sleeping in!
Long Weekend Run: 9AM
Back home: 12PM
Saturday is usually a free day – but I’m usually running around doing something, lunch with friends, dinner with friends, cleaning, laundry…
Sunday
Wake: 7:00AM
Volunteer at Cherrydale Health and Rehab Center: 8AM
Back home: 12PM
Sunday is another free day- usually visiting my family out in the boondocks of Sterling, Virginia.
Church: 5:30PM
Dinner with the family (if one is planned): 7PM or later
Back at home: 9PM
Sleep: 11PM
Yes – that’s my week – generally packed to where I really am planning things down to the minute.
Looking at this packed schedule… well… I guess with one of my goals to rest more isn’t really being fulfilled… HOWEVER – the fact that I have two free nights (Wednesdsay/Friday) as well as relatively free weekends – that’s a great thing! Because for awhile I had something going on nearly every single night. And something going on nearly every single weekend for the past FOUR MONTHS!
So – looking at my crazy jammed packed schedule – and realizing that my time is precious – I’m going to really work hard at saying no when people ask me to do things with them… think I can do it? Well, I’m going to try.
But I actually am happy that I have this routine… I know…I’m crazy – no need to tell me again.
Can I saw however that being back in the routine means I’m making myself breakfast… and breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I LOVE breakfast. And this is what I had to eat this morning! Looks delicious doesn’t it?
I know I did my year in review already for 2009. And I’ve done my blog post for what’s to come for 2010.
But I can’t help but be a bit sad that 2009 is over. A lot of friends are all looking forward to 2010 because 2009 wasn’t actually all that great to them.
I’m looking forward to 2010 because I’m excited for new adventures.
But 2009 will always hold a special place in my heart. It could have been a bad year. Am I saying that 2009 was all happiness and great things? No, I’m not. Because I had my share of heartache and pain – and plenty of downs. But for once in my life – it was a year of ME.
Yes, a Year of Me.
Why is that? First- I bring this up because of a conversation I had with a real good friend today. She shared with me a letter that someone wrote her – and the letter was about her. And this said letter described her to a T. I read the letter and saw my friend. But I saw myself as well. Though our paths are different and our lives different – we are going through a similar situation. Though mine happened first and then hers shortly afterward – albeit our situations are completely unrelated – one did not affect the other – we have a shared experience and we both understand how each other feels.
You’re all probably wondering what the letter said – and in confidence I cannot release that information. Because it is about her – my friend – with a beautiful soul, who has helped me through so much and was a huge part of my 2009. And I can only hope that I am there for her as much as she has been for me.
But how was 2009 a Year of Me?
First, let’s go back to the 2001/2002. It was then that I started a relationship that lasted for 6 ½ – 7 years – it was my end all and be all. I was defined by this relationship. This relationship was me. As it should have been.
But in 2001/2002 – I was 17-18 years of age. I was a child/adult – I was still learning what the world had to offer. He was my first relationship… so my learning curve – it was a steep one. With no serious relationships before (how could there be a real serious relationship anyway under the age of 17) – everything was new to me.
I look back at the relationship – and it was a great one. We loved one another – how could we not considering we were together for so long. There were great times, okay times and of course bad times – as in any relationship.
The end of said relationship in mid-2008 –was not good. But is the end of any relationship a good thing? Does the end of a relationship really ever end well? There are hurt feelings on both sides, pain, and every other emotion that goes with suffering. With betrayal and loss of trust – I walked away. It wasn’t easy but these things never are. I leaned into my faith and into God in a way that I never had before.
But now, looking back there was beauty in walking away. Why do I say that?
Because in walking away – I walked closer to who I am and I learned more about myself and I am also walking closer to where God wants me to be.
I did things on MY own. I lived by MYSELF. When I went out, ate dinner, cleaned, did laundry or any of those mundane activities – all decisions were made by ME. When in the past 6 years – all decisions were made with another person. It was a freeing experience. I traveled on my own, I changed my own car tired (haha, just kidding!), I got my motorcycle license, took up new hobbies, and 2009 was just a year of saying YES!
And this all happened in 2009. Therefore, 2009 was a year of growth, learning, fun, new adventures as well as heartache and loss.
2009 was an amazing year for me. There were so many new adventures that I embarked on… it was a year of saying “Yes” and most definitely a year of coming closer to knowing where God wants me to be.
2009 was a year of new beginnings as well as big endings.
Here’s to 2009!!
January
What a better way to start off the New Year of 2009 with some Rock Band with two of your best girlfriends??? We rocked the night away!
February
What a busy month!! Spending time with some of the best friends a girl could have… there was running around DC… running around NYC…. a Guys in Ties and Girls in Pearls Party and hiking Old Rag in the dead of winter! What a crazy but extremely fun month!
Having fun in DC!
Running around NYC on a very very cold winter day.
With ladies from my Small Group.
At the peak of Old Rag on a cold February day.
March
Spring slowly came into the area… with it there was much fun to be had at Shamrock Fest and the beginning of my running racing season!
Running a 10K Race in Richmond with the Cofie Sisters!
A Very Rainy Day celebrating St. Patty's Day.
April
What a crazy month April turned out to be – but one of the best! Why? My best friend, Jo, who I’ve known since I was 5 years old got married. I was so happy to be her maid-of-honor… but what was even more amazing was that she got married on my birthday… my 25th birthday to be exact! What a great way to celebrate 20 years of friendship – at her wedding on on my birthday. It was a fantastic day. April also was my 3rd year running the Cherry Blossom 10 miler.
With my two best childhood friends - Meriam and Joann
With Linda and Laura, ready to run the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
May
Wow – another crazy month! LOL – I competed in my first ever triathlon – which I thought I would die (in the swim portion) – but God was Good – and I survived and finished the race! In May, I was also able to travel to the Bahamas with my two sisters to celebrate the marriage of our good friend Meghan. It was a great trip with my sisters and a wonderful location for the wedding.
Mid-Race - Bike Portion (18 Miles)
With my parents at the end of the race.
Margaret, Emmile, Meghan, Lucy and I at the Atlantis Resort.
Meghan and Drew...
June
June was no better in terms of slowing down – June was the month that I got my motorcycle’s license (yes, I’m a bad ass motorcycle chick now! Hahaha), I went camping for the first time in years, and with the start of the summer, it was BBQs, festivals, and tons of outdoor fun!
Justin and I riding our first Carnival Ride!
Jess and I roughing it out in the "wilderness" for the first time.
July
Go-go-go… that describes July pretty well! July 4th in DC, a weekend of hiking in Harpers Ferry, more hiking and getting lost on a mountain the George Washington National Forest, a day in the NYC and a weekend in Boston… man, I’m tired just thinking about July! But it was a blast and I’d do it all over again!
The girls and I at Iwo Jima Memorial to watch the fireworks!
Linda perusing a record store in NYC.
At the Boston Harbor...
Jenn and I celebrating her birthday!
August
August was a bit of a slower month… though I did some traveling. I was able to go to Dunedin, Florida for work and see the beautiful beaches of Clearwater, Florida. I went on my Guatemala team retreat to Harrisonburg, Virginia and I also got to throw in some kayaking in the Potomac River… and August was the month that I packed up my apartment to move into a new townhouse with roommates!
At Clearwater Beach, with white sand and blue water!
Kayaking the Potomac River
September
While August was a bit of a calm month… September was the beginning of the final sprint toward the end of the year. September was moving into my new place with two awesome roommates, more camping and a fun weekend at the beach.
Camping at Big Meadow Park in the Shenandoah
Heather and I at Bethany Beach!
October
This month started off with a fun day at Kings Dominion, followed by the Army 10 Miler Race (2nd year and counting), fall festivals and hayrides, rainy outdoor concerts, karaoke fundraisers, housewarming parties, birthday parties (Mom and 3 year old nephew) and fun Halloween activities, which included the Dupont Drag Queen High Heel Race and a visit to the Markoff’s Haunted Forest – with a fun Halloween party to cap off October!
With two amazing roommates - Shri and Amanda.
My adorable two nephews and niece (god-sons and god-daughter) at the rainy outdoor concert.
Only Lady Gaga would be surrounded by a 5th Element Characters and a Magician with her Rabbit in a Hat!
November
Okay – I said April was the best month… November is way up there as well. First, I went to Atlanta, Georgia to visit my good friend Courtney and I photographed her wedding. And November was also where I was able to see my dream of going on a Mission Trip come true! I along with 11 other beautiful women were able to go to Guatemala to do God’s good works. In Guatemala I learned the lesson of God’s love, what it means to really serve others and what fellowship really means. It has so far been the most amazing trip of my life and I can’t wait to go on another mission trip.
Courtney and I at her wedding! (Thank goodness for tripods!)
Courtney and Howard
December
The end of 2009. The start of the holiday season has begun… which of course includes holiday parties and time with the family. Getting together to spend more time with friends and family was a fun time. While I’m excited for the start of 2010, I didn’t want to see the holiday season to end.
Family Reunion with my cousins... it's a Filipino Christmas!
Ringing in the New Year 2010 with friends
2009 – what a wonderful, amazing year. I wish I could go over every single thing I was able to do – but that would be an entire notebook! I’m just so thankful to have had all the opportunities I was able. It really was a blessed year and thanks to God, my family and friends – I know that 2010 will be just as amazing.
