it’s almost my birthday.

my birthday is on monday! last year i posted about all the things i was grateful for since the previous birthday, this year, i am again SO thankful for all of those things, but felt more like an ‘a few things i’ve learned this past year…’ post.

so here it is, enjoy :)

since my last birthday i’ve learned that…

• once you go fresh picked strawberries, it’s hard to go back to store bought… really hard.
• even at age 24, 27, 35 & 50 people still don’t always know what they are doing or what they want to be when they grow up… and it’s okay. because it’s not what job we have or how much money we make or where we live that matters. it’s not this life on earth. it’s after, it’s our eternity<3
• it’s time to start checking things off of my bucket list, big & small.
• best friends are few & far between. not everyone you meet & become friends with has to be a BEST friend. there are different levels of relationships & a place for each of them in your life.
• the diet of a teenage boy is probably not going to fly much longer & it’s time to eat like a grown up.
• frozen fruit for smoothies is the way to go… all that time i wasted struggling with fresh fruit & ice… geesh.
• God can change the lives & hearts of ANYONE. i have seen it with my own eyes and it gives me hope. hope for myself & hope for others. He can work miracles. He is good.
• SO many dog/cat foods contain animal-by-product and i learned what that is… let me enlighten you:  Animal by-products are ground, rendered, and cleaned slaughtered meat carcass parts such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, bones, heads, and intestines (and a small amount of feathers in the case of chicken) — yes, by-products are as gross and disgusting as they sound. The quality of animal by-products is very inconsistent between batches. In many cases, by-product meals are derived from "4-D" meat sources — defined as food animals that have been rejected for human consumption because they were presented to the meat packing plant as "Dead, Dying, Diseased or Disabled." ---- ewwwwww. DO NOT FEED YOUR ANIMALS THIS. if you wouldn’t eat it, you shouldn’t give it to your furry friends.
• even though i have grown so much in my relationship with the Lord, i am still desperate to know Him better & love Him more.
• pictures are not a waste of time. they are SO special and so important to have for enjoyment & for the future. THAT being said… i’ve learned that taking the same one over & over until you get the perfect one, diptic-ing // instagraming// twittering // facebooking// and any other app-ing that you spend precious time on instead of enjoying the moments that you are in CAN be wasted time. i caught myself doing this TOO often. now i choose to take the pictures in the moment & mess with them later, and i am not missing out on moments with the people i love :)
• brussel sprouts are not a meal… i’m still not convinced of this one, but husband would prefer if i ate more complete meals when he is away.
• colorado is still the best place to live. we have lived in california, missouri, north & south carolina, and texas… and while i know that isn’t a TON in comparison to some people, for us we love the fact that even after living in 5 different places we still call colorado home & hope our future brings us there.
• it is actually possible to love my husband more and more each day, and every time i think i couldn’t love him any more… he goes and does something all wonderful & there i go again :)

that’s all i’ve got for now. 

i’m excited for a new year! bring it on 24… or mid-twenties (as some might say) i’m ready for you!

happy weekend!

xoxo