This Year I Promise To...

I know I am a few days late in saying this, but I just want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am still in shock how fast this year has gone. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in Iowa with my roommate ringing in 2011. When I think about this last year I can't help but to think about how much my life is changed in just twelve short months.
I started the year off right in January by starting my final semester at Wartburg College and had one of the most amazing experiences during my student teaching.
In February, I decided I really did want to avoid the real world for a little longer and applied to become part of one of the greatest programs ever (that would be YAGM.. in case there were any questions).
Just a few short months after that in April, I met some of the most incredible people in Wisconsin at the D.I.P. event for YAGM (so many acronyms, it's a little crazy). In that same month/ same weekend I found out where my next chapter of my life would be taking place... In ENGLAND! I was also reassured because I knew I would not be alone over here and that both Jess and Britney would be coming along with me.
May was the month that I not only had my last class at Wartburg, the college of my brightest days, but somehow I actually graduated!
Skip ahead to July when I got to spend four glorious weeks at home spending time with my family and my friends before setting off across the ocean for twelve months.
About the middle of August, I was finally reunited with all my fellow YAGMs for the last stage of our preparation for this wonderful journey we are on now. It was such a great experience to be all together... all 50 of us sharing this common path of our lives. All united in this desire to share ourselves and our talents with people we had never met before.
September brought much adjusting and learning about a new place and a new job. It brought nine new roommates and new co-workers.
October brought twinges of home sickness and a much needed reunion with my YAGM ladies and a splendid holiday in Bath.
When November rolled around it found Jess, Emily and I in the kitchen for about six hours cooking up a Thanksgiving feast for twenty six people. That time made me see how much I truly have to be thankful for.
December brought with it one packed month at work and the sudden realization that I would not be with my family at Christmas. It also brought with it a wonderful English Christmas full of Christmas crackers, Christmas pudding, turkey and a family from Liverpool that showed me the true meaning of Christmas. They opened up their home to me and for that I will forever be grateful.

Now that 2011 is in the past, I am looking towards the future and what this year can bring. Putting Christmas aside, New Year's has to be my favorite holiday. While the fireworks are always spectacular and the pure happiness in the air is always a welcomed feeling, for me, it means so much more. New Year's is a chance to start over. Everything that happened the year before is gone... done... you can't change it even if you tried. We are all given a clean slate... a fresh start. Every year, I make New Year's resolutions and I can count the number of resolutions I've stuck to on one hand. This year, instead of making resolutions, I am making promises. For me, the word promises sounds much more "unbreakable" than resolutions. So this year, I have made promises to myself. I have promised myself that I am going to communicate more with people back home and with my fellow YAGMs around the world. I promise to care more about myself and take time to really explore what this whole experience means to me. I promise to build deeper and more meaningful relationships with the people around me. All of my promises are written on a piece of paper in my journal and will be hung up on my wall soon. They will stand as a reminder to myself that these are the things I have promised... and you can't break a promise... especially to yourself! I hope this New Year can be as wonderful as you want it to be and that you aren't afraid to make promises to yourself.