We renovated the house for six months straight. God gave us strength to labor over the home every weekend and every weeknight, with many nights into the wee hours of the morning. Burnout was experienced and I still feel the effects.
In February the Holy Spirit led me to ask my church if there is someone needing a free place to stay until they get back on their feet. That is when I was introduced to a woman named Teresa and her dog who stayed with me for a couple months. We looked over her finances, helped cut out expenses, and waited for her to save money to move into her own apartment. Food, shelter, and a bed was provided for her and she left in April.
The spring and summer was filled with garden fun. I grew vegetables, flowers, and raised two chickens! That was a neat learning experience and I felt empowered to realize the simplicity of nature's ability to provide food for us. Ben's sister, Sarah got married in May to James. Ben lost his job in May too. I also got licensed as a CPA in May.
In September I purchased my coworker's 2002 PT cruiser for Ben. After expenses it came out closer to $3700. His jeep kept having issues for years, and the brakes kept going out. He was so happy when I told him, that he stared at the envelope with his finger rubbing against his name for along time.
The fall flew by with only one trip to the Cider Mill this year. On October 19th, Ben asked me to marry him. We have dated for the past 5.5 years. He got me a sparkly diamond just under .74 carats. I love staring at it in low light or in the car. Ashley provided Ben with hourly work in construction earning $12/hr. In November Ben got a part time job as a paralegal for $13/hr. He is still considering law school if he can get in somewhere close to free. 2013 will be telling of whether that is still something to pursue.
November brought us tons of time spent with family. December brought 6 parties! It was a whirlwind season.
My struggles this year consisted of difficulty getting up in the mornings, bad attitude about work, and loss of motivation and drive. No physical issues this year which I am grateful for. No OCD flare ups this year which I am also very grateful for. I also got really out of shape while renovating, and had to start watching my diet at the end of the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment