New Years Intentions

As the year 2009 approaches everyone is talking about resolutions and reflections and what not  I decided that instead of sticking my usual norm and avoiding the mainstream makingaresolutioniwillneverkeep I will set out some goals for '09 because this is a big year for me! So first I will start with a cogitation of the year that is almost complete: the late great 2008.

2008 has been crazy to say the least. 

Blessings: 

• I went to Morocco, met amazing people, fell in love with an amazing country and culture,  grew much closer to God, and had time to educate myself through reading (finally). Oh and watch 9 movies I had never seen before during the 2 twenty hour plane rides I had to endure.
  
• Two of my best girl friends (T & Z) and I became much closer, I hope we all continue to grow together, becomes stronger women and have fun together.
• I have stayed single. Is that a blessing? Kinda. I gotta look at it in a positive way, maybe the high standards I hold will be met in 2009, or never haha. You never know. But either way, I have learned a lot about myself and gone through some tough times alone so I would have to say it has strengthened me. 
• Barack Obama?! Haha. The blessing is really more that I got to vote and become politically active than filling out electronic petitions for causes that I believe in, and finally help out a little bit (very little) with Students for Barack Obama. I prefer to remain party free and will therefor never join the college democrats, because lets face it, everyone screws up and changes ideologies. The person I vote for should suit my ideology, not my party's. Groupthink kills, kids.
• I traveled to Venezuela. For those of you who know me, Venezuela really is home (aside from Africa in the near future I hope) and I missed it terribly. So going back was amazing and emotional and fun and I wish I could go back right now haha. And considering the political situation, it really is a blessing that our whole family could make it out there with no big problems.
• Friends. I have amazing friends and hope that my new acquaintances can become friends, good luck though I have trust issues (that I'm working on). I love my best friend of 10 years (ahh we're getting old!), my insane roomie/wife haha, my Zeta girls, my latina ladies (who I have grown so much closer to this year  thanks to crazy latin frat parties and other events haha), my "big bros" who have helped me through so much bull this year, Shanaynay my crazy "macro," my actual younger brothers who are some of my best friends  and a small group of other people. 
• It may be cheezy and I don't mean to sound like a hypocritical music artist when they receive an award but I figure I haven't recieved an award and this isn't a speech and it's true so; last but not least I would have to say that God is a blessing (ironic?? I dunno). I really honestly would not have made it through 2008 without Him. There were some dark moments but I'm still here :)

So now that the blessings have been laid out, I think I'll set out my intentions (not resolutions, they're close enough right?? Me thinks....yes) for 2009.

The word that I want to define 2009 is 

Authenticity

My goal is to share more of myself with the people around me that care about me, be the same person in whatever group I am in, and seriously work on my trust issues. Having major trust issues before one completes two decades of life cannot be healthy.

Other goals, aside from becoming an authentic person in 2009, include growing stronger with Christ, traveling and serving others as much as possible, entering my 20's in a fabulous fashion and with a new attitude and learning to love more. 

So 2009 is kind of scary, exciting, but I'm ready. I wonder if this stating of goals and intentions actually works... guess we'll have to wait and see.