Happy New Year.

(our holiday card this year)

As I reflected on the new year, I didn't feel a strong pull to make resolutions, but instead to look back at some favorite adventures in 2013 and one simple hope for 2014. 

Highlights of 2013:

-Traveling to Costa Rica with seven students for two weeks to attend workshops at the United Nations' University for Peace and visit surrounding tourist destinations (and the endless hours we spent fundraising leading up to the trip). It was the most challenging and rewarding thing I've ever done professionally.

-Finding a renewed passion for teaching. It's a roller coaster of a career, with the highest highs and the lowest lows, but I do love it so.  

-Traveling to Merida, Mexico for ten days to attend a professional development workshop with five of my colleagues. Such great lessons learned and such great people to spend time with.
-Buying a house in the city I love to call home, San Diego. Never really thought we'd be able to make this a reality as teachers, and yet, after many years of saving money, it kind of all came together. 

-Backpacking with Matt from Mammoth to Yosemite. Over sixty miles, five nights, and one freezing cold hailstorm as we went over a mountain pass made it a trip to remember. So much beauty.

-Hiking to the top of Half Dome for the third time.

-Running three half marathons to accomplish my goal of completing the San Diego Triple Crown.
-Finding out we are going to have a baby!

-Turning 30 in Palm Springs (instead of Yosemite due to the government shutdown). It was a birthday to remember, because I got to tell my parents and my brother on my 30th birthday that we are pregnant!

-Traveling to New York to celebrate my 30th birthday with Matt. 

-Traveling to DC to spend Thanksgiving with some wonderful friends. 

-Finishing the year off with a road trip to Santa Barbara and Big Sur.

Hopes for 2014:

My due date is five months from today, which means this will be a year of transition. I predict extreme amounts of joy mixed with extreme amounts of exhaustion, but mostly I think this will be an unpredictable year, because I have no idea what it's really like to be a mama at all. We have been putting off a lot of decision making until this new year, because I guess it just seemed easier. Now January is here, so we've got lots to think about like baby names, childbirth, diapers, work schedules, childcare, budgets, etc. It will undoubtedly be a year of transition, so my goal for the year is to 

BE PRESENT.

Whatever that may look like. Maybe it means picking up my camera more than last year. Maybe it means actually uploading and looking through photos more than I did last year. Maybe it means journaling more. Maybe it means spending more time in solitude. I'm not sure yet. I do know that I don't want to take this season of life for granted. I don't want to let the little moments pass me by. 2014 will undoubtedly be a full year with lots of moments of joy and difficulties, and I am ready to be shaped and changed by them all. Here's to 2014.