As is the tradition on P|Grace blog, I like to close out the year looking back at the moments that stood out and the 2016 memories that will not soon be forgotten. From the vain to the meaningful - here are top highlights of 2016.
<10> Highway One Road Trip. In November I was honored to finally check off Highway one roadtrip from the ole bucketlist and getting to take the trip with one of my favorite people was the cherry on top. If I could only recommend one United States travel for your bucketlist, it will be the Highway one roadtrip. Read highlights from the trip here.
<9> K-Drama obsession. I discovered Korean Drama ("k-drama") in 2016 and one day, maybe over a cup of coffee I will share the back story. It is my vice and a happy place. Forget going to the spa, winding down with my favorite cup of tea and an episode (or ten) of my favorite K-Drama has been my stress-free zone. If you are curious - might I recommend some of my favorite ones that concluded in 2016 - Descedants of the Sun ; Another Oh Hae Young ; Marriage Contract ; Beautiful Mind. Happy Binging !!!
<8> Not Traveling Solo. If you had told me at the start of the year I will only have one solo trip this year. I might have laughed in your face. I know it seems odd but if I have my way, I will always travel solo. When you are accustommed to travelling solo, traveling with others is tough and I was very apprehensive about it. Thankful I let go of my fears and went for it. Noting like travelling on your own, but getting to share the experience with others has been priceless.
<7> Christmas in London. This was the first year I got to experience Christmas in London Town. Europeans generally have a way of adding umph to the festivities that is lacking stateside (or at least where I reside). Christmas day itself was quiet, stayed in doors and enjoyed a relaxing day filled with food and movies with new and old friends. The days leading up to Christmas was all about skating at somerset house, Christmas market in Oxford and at the Tate Modern. Exploring decorations around London - from Leandell hall market to Covent Garden. Hope you were able to catch my insta stories tour of fab London christmas decor if you follow me on instagram. hint hint, you should here).
<6> Letting go and rethinking my business. In the last months of 2016, I had to make some tough decisions regarding the print shop. When it launched last year, it was a five year dream come true and as much blood and sweat as has gone in, the returns have not matched up. Having to make some tough decisions regarding the print shop and the team was one of the hardest things I did in 2016. The realization that the road to seeing my dream come to reality will be long and sometime rough was a hard pill to swallow.
<5> Election to the Board of OFP. A few months ago, I had the incredible honor to be elected to the board of an organization that means the world to me and the work they are doing to help young women suceed is beyond amazing. It has been a great honor to be trusted to serve on their board. Visit their website here to learn about their work and see how you can help.
<4> Finding Community. I was incredibly honored to meet some incredible people in 2016 and it all started with an Instagram conversation (yep, you can form meaningful relationships via Instagram online). I met the kindest, selfless, large hearted, most creative people I know this past year and finding these communities has changed a lot of my perspective for the better and it has helped me to grow as woman and as a Christain. If you live in the DFW area - you should check them out - Open seat and Leave your beauty mark.
<3> South of Spain. I returned from Europe a few hours ago. While I was there, I spent five days in the South of Spain with two of my favorite people. We had an incredible time exploring the South of Spain from Seville to Granada. We toured palaces, ate Tapas to hearts content, we laughed, we got on each others' nerves. I will not tade a moment of the trip.
<2> Azusa Los Angeles. Back in April, I got to go to Los Angeles, This was probably the most meaningful trip of my life. I got to attend Azusa conference at the LA coliseum. Getting to lift up the name of Jesus with thousands of other believers is an experience I will never forget.
<1> Letting God. It is easy to list off all the travel things and accolades, but 2016 was also about letting go and letting God. Learning to trust that he is able to do just what he said, learning that he is a good father and trully works all things together for my good. Letting him show me the things about me that were not so pretty and willingness to let him do his work in me. Even the things that seemingly did not go as I wanted have worked out for my benefit. There were tears, there were dissapointments, but through it all he has remained faithful to his word and there was not a time I called that he did not answer.
Looking forward to 2017. Not sure what it holds, but grateful that I know a God who knows the end from the beginning and whatever 2017 holds or brings, he got it handled.
