26

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25 was a good year. A bunch of really big and wonderful things happened...
I got a new sister {who I adore!}. We bought a house. Both of my sisters got knocked up and I got a nephew and niece {who is home from the NICU!!!} out of the deal. I got my Master's degree.
And a lot of little great things happened... I got a new camera and started taking more pictures, we travelled to FL for Thanksgiving, I finally cut my hair after 2.5 years, I did a lot of fun crafts, I got to watch my hubby do the Tough Mudder, my alma mater went viral, and I thought a lot about faith, desire, and love. Oh, and I made my first quilt!  
Of course, there's the stuff I didn't blog about, too.  We made our little life here a home. We found a few more friends. We continued to search for a church that fit. We took the pups hiking to our favorite state park. We ate a lot of good food.
Still, there was the tough stuff too. We had a miscarriage and found ourselves immersed in grief.  We continued to search {and struggle to find!} a church family that we felt a part of. We learned how to communicate with each other a little bit better. 
25 was a good year. I say that more for my sake than for yours. Gosh, looking at that list you'd think it'd be a no-brainer. The good clearly outweighs the bad. But the bad sometimes seems SO much bigger and weightier.  Taking stock is so important and helpful for me. It helps me see the bigger story, to take a step back from what's right in front of me. And the bigger picture screams blessing and hope and joy. Not perfection. But definitely hope.
Even still, today I'm glad its a new year. 25 was good and full and busy with great stuff. The hard stuff though, it was pretty hard. I know 26 will for sure have its challenges,  but I've learned a lot this past year and grown to rely on Jesus even more.  I look forward to being an aunt and snuggling my sweet niece and nephew. I look forward to a vacation with sweet friends and time with family in Florida and maybe a trip to Denver. I look forward to a job that is right for me in this season. I look forward to settling more and more into our home. I look forward to investing in our new church more and more and finding community there. Good things, for sure.