Stephanie and Jeremy Dowse (my sister and brother-in-law) came up to spend New Years with us in Logan, and it was so much fun! We had a delicious dinner of little barbecue smokeys, pineapple, rolls, gingerbread cookies, and lots and LOTS of candy! It was great. We played Clue, and Dance Central for the Kinect, and watched old home videos of me and Steph as little kids, and had a total blast!
When midnight came around, we made New Years Hats and ran around outside banging pots and pans. I swear we were the only ones in the whole neighborhood celebrating New Year's; the whole place was totally dark and silent! So we made even more noise, to make up the difference :) Here's some pictures of our extravaganza!
We brought in the new year by going around in a circle and naming a memory from 2011, something we learned, and a New Year's Resolution. We drank Martinelli's to each person's answer :) It was a lot of fun! My previous post, 2011 in Review , lists all of my favorite memories of 2011, and I have blogged throughout the year (namely in these 4: Walk By Faith , Love Yourself , Of Things That Matter Most , and Priorities ) about different things I have learned. If I were to try and sum up those things I've learned into a brief statement, I would say:
We were not sent here to Earth to be perfect, nor to have perfect lives. We were sent here to learn, prioritize, and walk by faith. Life does not always go as planned, because we need opportunities to strengthen relationships with those we love, and to turn to God. Heavenly Father loves us, and only He knows the true path to lead us back to Him. It is by patience with ourselves, love towards others, and faith in Him that we can find that path and be happy.
2011 was overall a pretty tough year, but I learned so many things that I never would have otherwise, and for that, I am grateful. Here's to new goals, new resolutions, new achievements, new starts, and wonderful friends and family. I am so blessed. Happy New Year everybody. Welcome, 2012 :)
