A more reflective reflection on 07, huh?

This would be going a lot better if I could think of something really smart to say about 07. But I’ve got nothing. Not because 07 was meaningless, but because I’m having a hard time not contriving words that I think you want to hear. I hate when people do that. Like forced profoundness. I read some things online where it seems that the author’s sole purpose is to stink my computer up with his/her crappy fake profoundness. So I’m working pretty hard at writing things that are entertaining and maybe quasi-meaningful, but I give you full permission to call me out for fake profounding all on your screen.

I really don’t want to make your computer stink.

It’s almost noon, not my most reflective hour. In fact, I’m thinking more about the piles of laundry that I need to attend to, the salad I need to make for our NYE party tonight, and the amount of things I want to clean out of my house if I would only get out of bed at a reasonable hour.

I think I have a sleeping disease.

Ok, I’ve come up with a way to reflect on 07. By month. Now don’t panic. I think this will be short and cool. I’m going to do one picture and one phrase for each month. Then we can kiss 07 goodbye, and this strangely-morphing post.

JANUARY: All things are new. [photo- Jarrett]
FEBRUARY: God’s transforming love.MARCH: Resting after the battle. [photo- Phil Wickham concert]
APRIL: Enjoying community. [photo- BATL]
MAY: Heartbreak. [no photo- a soccer player of mine was killed in a car accident. I loved him dearly and I honestly just can't put his picture on here again. It still hurts.]

JUNE: Praying big. [photo- proposal to publishing house]
JULY: The cornerstone of 07. This is who I always want to be. [photo- in Scotland]
AUGUST: Really hot. [no photo- too sweaty]

SEPTEMBER: Goodbye tonsils. [photo- pre surgery. Weird, I know.]
OCTOBER: All things working together. [photo- Funny man victory]
NOVEMBER: NaBloPoMo and a billion concerts. Awesome month. [photo- Wertz and Barnes]DECEMBER: Something new is brewing. Change is on the horizon. [photo- Stoners in sweaters. I just can't get enough of this one.]
Overall, 2007 was quality. The birthday I’ve waited my whole life for (07/07/07), lots of laughs, plenty of struggles, some sadness, but a fair share of growth, to be sure.

The truth is that God was good in 07. And I know Him better now than I ever have before.

Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good.

I’m not sure how you’ve made it this long without knowing the contents of this list, but I’m proud that you have. Your patience will now be rewarded. It is time, once again [this is the first time I've ever done this], to list for you a few of my favorite things from 07. Drum roll please……

Favorite new CD in 07: Cannons by Phil Wickham.

Favorite surprise CD I didn’t know I owned but found in my house in 07: Don’t Get Comfortable by Brandon Heath.

Favorite month of 07: November. It was especially good this year.

Favorite new friends of 07: Harry and Anne in Scotland. In the USA, Katie B’s manfriend. I like him.

Favorite song [according to iTunes calculations] in 07: “Lead Me To The Cross” on All of the Above by Hillsong United. Though I’m not sure I agree, who am I to argue with iTunes mathematics?

Favorite concert in 07: Dave Barnes and Matt Wertz in Chattanooga. But you knew that already.

Favorite YouTube addiction in 07: Brotherhood 2.0 [proceed with caution: this is truly addicting]

Favorite book (fiction) in 07: The Shuttle by Francis Burnett.

Favorite podcast in 07: The Relevant Podcast. Hilarious to the 4th degree.

Favorite neighborhood get together in 07: Tuesdays at Kathleen’s.

Favorite non-neighborhood get together in 07: breakfast club.

Favorite non-YouTube addiction in 07: Diet Dr. Pepper

Favorite book (nonfiction) in 07: Revelations of a Single Woman by Connally Gilliam. I am NOT a big fan of this type of book, but this particular one is fantastic and if single girls like myself didn’t get offended so easily, I would buy a copy for every single single I know. The best one I’ve EVER read. And I’ve been single book reading for a while. Ahem… moving on….

Favorite purchase in 07: MacBook. Thank you, tax refund.
[Least favorite purchase: The new camera. Dang it.]

Favorite baby born in 07: That is not fair and I can’t even believe you asked me that.

Favorite photo taken in 07: this one.Favorite blog of someone I don’t know that I found in 07: Brody Harper. Better known to you as “Phil Wickham’s handler“. Gracious…. if I could take back one label this year, that would be it. My humorous nature bites me in the backside again.

Favorite blog of someone I DO know that I found in 07: Again, not fair. Why are you doing this to me? I want to still have my friends at the end of this post, okay? Gah. Just look at all the links on the right and pick one. That’s my favorite. Now pick another one. Yep, that’s my favorite too.

Favorite rejection letter in 07: The one I got from the publishing house that almost broke my heart.

Favorite TV show that went off the air in 07: Gilmore Girls. [single tear]

Favorite TV show that remained in 07: The Office. [tear wiped away as laughter ensues]

Favorite addition to the social calendar in 07: Complete tie between Blog2Face and Stoners. [I'm sure you thought I would say grad school. It came in a close ... last.]

Favorite comedian of 07: My dad. You can see his 2nd place award winning stand-up act HERE.

Favorite red dot of 07: You are my favorite red dot. Just look at the map on the right to prove it.

Well, I think I’ve covered about all of it. Is there a favorite from 07 that I missed? Leave it in the comments and I will answer it to the best of my ability.

[A more reflective reflection on 07 to come.... sometime before 08.]

So, as I mentioned yesterday, Danny Garmin got an immediate workout as he directed me successfully to my friends Jake and Melissa [at her parents' house in Lawrenceville] ….. and their son SAM!! My mother is virtually in love with Sam, she begged to go to see him with me, so instead I took a bunch of pictures while she remained in Marietta. Danny and I needed to trek alone.Gracious, that’s a cute boy.

I got to visit Jake and Melissa a week or so before Sam was born in Charlotte, NC. I don’t even know if they know how important that weekend was to me. It was refuge. Sanctuary. Very necessary in that particular time in my life. So I was super-pumped to get the opportunity to see them because, well, because they are great friends to have. And with “risk” in my viewfinder [sorry no details yet], I wanted their wisdom and thoughts.

So we ate a DELICIOUS meal homemade by Mel’s mom (with some assistance from Jake and Mel), sat around and talked, took pictures…..and took some pre-crawl-but-I-really-want-to-move video……

and discussed many important life changing things, like blogging. And Microsoft Word 2007. And writing for money, which we all want to do. Their move to Prague. [Which you can help make happen by clicking HERE and donating- add them to your donation list in 08!! It's a good idea.] And we laughed. A lot.

One of the advantages of blogging (which I personally find many), is that friends like these, who I don’t see often, can still remain very updated on my life and visa versa. We don’t spend the first 25 minutes catching each other up. We just dive in. I like that.

So a big thanks to Jake and Melissa and Sam for letting me come hang out. And a HUGE thanks to Melissa’s parents (and uncle) for hosting and cooking and cleaning up and making me feel quite at home. I had a blast. It was a joy to visit with you.

I have a confession and I don’t think I’ve ever told you this.

I get lost. A lot. It’s embarrassing. It’s tragic. It’s lame.

Now I’m not saying that I get lost going to the same places, but every time I go somewhere new I get lost. There are some places that I can get to pretty easily- my job, my house, my church, my parents’ house- but everywhere else, well, to be honest, it’s a little risky. There is always a chance that I will make the wrong turn, mix up the names of streets, or simply not remember how to get somewhere.

Even worse- if I’ve never been there, buddy, it is ugly. Usually, on average, 3-4 wrong turns, 1-2 pull overs to check the directions that I’ve printed off the computer, and then the whole saga usually ends with 1 phone call. To my dad. Asking him how in the world to get somewhere.

If you think I’m kidding, you have never asked me to meet you anywhere. Because if we’ve met somewhere, you’ve had me call your cell phone because I was lost. It’s true. I know it.

UNTIL NOW.Oh yeah, that’s exactly what it looks like. A Garmin navigational system. I call him Danny Garmin. (Because the voice that gives me directions is “British English- Daniel”, but we’re such good friends already that I call him Danny.)

So no more of this getting lost business. Not for me. I honestly can’t tell you how excited I am. For weeks, Mom has been telling me that I would be SOOOO excited about my gift. And usually, that’s the kiss of death, is it not? I kept telling her not to over-pump it and leave me some space not to like the gift, but she INSISTED I would love it. She knows me.
Here is an action shot. Yes, I’ve already had the chance to use Danny Garmin. More about that tomorrow. But here are some things to notice:

1) Yes, I was driving down I-285 when I took this picture. Not super safe, but that’s how much you mean to me.

2) Yes, my tape player does say “play”. I still connect my iPod through my tape player. Back off.

3) I found my way home all by myself.

4) You can tell I’m going around the right speed- more than 30mph but definitely less than 80mph. And I’m going in the RIGHT DIRECTION.

Excellent, isn’t it? Don’t be jealous. Just ride with me.

I am a happy happy lady.

I think I may have just met the man of my dreams.

Danny Garmin, you had me at hello.

“And the first time that You opened Your eyes
did You realize that You would be my Savior?
And the first breath that left Your lips
did You know that it would change this world forever?”
- Celebrate the Day by Relient K

On today, my first day of vacation, I:

1) woke up.

2) read a book. the entire thing. start to finish.

I think that’s enough for one day. Don’t want to strain myself the first day out.

No blog tomorrow- remember, it’s Sunday. Just call me Chick-fil-Annie.

The other night I challenged my sister to a spur of the moment best-of-3 round of rock paper scissors. Both of our cars were in the shop and I said, “Ok, whoever loses pays for both cars.” I was getting a simple oil change- less than $30. I assumed she was doing the same. Nope. $175 check-up. Wha wha WHAT?!?! “Are you sure you want to do this,” she asked, “because mine costs a whole lot more than yours.”

I thought about it for a second. I would be dumb to play, right? Save $30 or spend over $200? All decided by a game of chance?

And yet I went for it.

It is the exact opposite of my usual reaction. ESPECIALLY when the loss is much more costly than the gain. But I’m in a funny place right now where risk is really important to me. Not necessarily taking risks, but evaluating them; where I’m trying to decide at what level I’m willing to risk and at what level I’m willing to lose.

Our family was piled in Mom’s minivan, driving less than a mile to the car shop, so it wasn’t some monumental experience. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yet it was for me.

Because in my heart, I’m deciding about whether to take some BIG risks that are VERY costly. And so I knew that I wanted to (dare I say “needed to”?) take this small risk, almost as practice. Just a way to prove this to myself: even if the decision doesn’t make sense, maybe I should just try it because I want to. Don’t think so much. It’s okay to be wrong. To lose. Quit playing it safe all the time and start playing.

Literally.

And so as we dueled to the count of “one-two-three-shoot”, I felt my insides grow. Weird, I know. But it’s true. I felt them expand to fill the shell in which they are housed. Maybe my soul grew? Maybe my risk-er grew? I don’t know.

I had eaten dinner with some friends of mine the night before and the wife said this, “ You can stay the same, not lose anything, but never know what there was to be gained. Or you can risk, guaranteeing some loss, and yet gain more than you knew was possible.”

So with all this turning in my mind, I threw a rock to beat her scissors. Then I threw a paper to beat her rock. I won. We got dropped off at the dealership where she begrudgingly paid for my oil change. I gloated.

And then I got in my car and cried because I think I’m going to risk.

What a week we are having.

As if THIS VIDEO wasn’t enough….
[Which I forgot to tell you that my favorite part was the 12 days of Christmas. Glorious.]

And THIS ARTICLE wasn’t enough…
[Which I forgot to tell you that my favorite part was all of it because I wrote it.]

THE LONGS WON THE $25,000 FROM HOME DEPOT!! Can you believe this?!!? I think we all know what Brian will be doing for the next few ….. uh …. months? Years? Congrats, y’all- enjoy the new water heater, pressure washer, ceiling fan, attic ladder rungs, and uh, pretty much any other thing you want.

And may I say that you, bloggites, again flexed your internet muscles and played a large part in their victory, or so I choose to believe. Thank you and well done. I do have an interesting plan for January that is going to again call on your combined computing powers, so rest up now, kick back and just read, but prepare to blog flex [Blex? Fleog?] in 2008.

I’m super excited to tell y’all that an article I wrote is the front page of Radiant Magazine’s website.

The title is “Holiday Pause”. Hence the blog title. See, I’m creative and original. So I took the picture and the title that Radiant put with my article.

You can read the article HERE! And I hope you do.

If you like it, let them know!! Send a comment to the editor. Probably don’t start it with “I’m Annie’s mother and I loved the article!!”. Unless you comment, Mama. Then I guess you can do that.

If you don’t like the article ….. uh, how bout you just tell me that. Don’t tell Radiant. Okay?

The bigger picture is this- God is opening doors to creative outlets that allow me to feel completely alive. And allow me to attempt to live a life, in full view of other people, that glorifies Him. Or so I pray.

And did you get the read the article? It’s HERE. And HERE. And HERE.

Sue me. I’m excited.