ready or not 2014...here we come

I can't believe another year has come and gone. Some points it seemed to fly by and others have seemed like it would never end! So much has happened this year and as hard as it has been I've also learned so much and have become stronger than I ever thought I could be. it always sounds so cliché to say "this year has been such a roller coaster" but I don't know how else to put it. I don't want this post to be a downer because this year there has also been so many things I'm grateful for and blessed:

• My husband and I went through a nine month deployment and he made it home safe! It taught us so much and I truly believe it brought us closer as a couple. So happy to have him home by my side! Also during those nine months I moved home from Germany to stay with my family, and I never would've looked at it as such a blessing as I do now! Being there for all of my parent's 'lasts' without knowing it </3
• My mom and brother got to come out to Germany and we traveled around Germany and Austria! We took my mom to see castles and Austria for the sound of music, always had been one of her life long dreams. Again, such a blessing it is now knowing she accomplished one of her dreams before she left this earth. I'm so glad I have those memories to look back on now and seeing how happy she was! (also, when they were here we joked that my dad was probably going to go out and buy something...well, that is when he bought the Harley and I still remember it like yesterday him skyping us telling us he bought it and how excited he was! He had always wanted one!)
• Justin and I got to go on a Mediterranean cruise. It was our first cruise and it was so much fun. We got to see Italy, Turkey, Greece and Croatia. So happy we got to travel around while we lived in Germany!
• Losing my mom and dad has been the hardest thing I've ever gone through and probably ever will! I miss them more and more everyday! I was always so afraid of losing someone close to me and never imagined what it would be like without them. Losing them both at the same time? I still feel like I'm living in a nightmare. But I have felt them with me every day! It has been so hard without them but it is such a comfort knowing they are together <3 I can't wait until I see them again and so blessed to know that families are forever!
• We gained guardianship of my little brother Corban. Again, something SO unexpected. But he has been such a blessing in Justin and I's lives! He has always my family's pride and joy ever since we adopted him. I can't imagine life without this little man. He keeps us going and has taught us so much! It's been a challenge to play the parent roll and still have a sibling relationship also, but I know that my parents have been helping me! <3
• We had to leave Germany earlier than expected, sell the house I grew up in and move to a new place but we have been blessed to become home owners to our gorgeous home in Colorado Springs!
• We have had to go through birthdays and holidays without my mom and dad and it has been so hard on us all! But we have been beyond blessed with a "second" family (and my brother's soon to be in-laws)! They have been there for us from day one, moved us, been shoulders to cry on, laughed with us, have taken us in as their own, and let us spend Christmas with them. I am and will always be beyond grateful for this family and will never be able to repay them for how much they have done for us! We love you forever, for always near and far!
• My little (big) brother, Logan, just got engaged and I couldn't be more happy for him and Jordan! I'm so excited to see them start their lives together and gain a sister to the family! I'm so proud of my brother and the man he has become! He reminds me so much of my daddy each and every day!

As tomorrow is the first day of a new year, it's like opening a blank 365 page book. This year I want to make sure I let the people I love know how much they mean to me and cherish them, and be the best sister, friend, wife and mother role I can be! I want to be a healthier me and get to my goal. I want to start school and find out "what I want to be when I grow up". I want to hopefully start our own little family! <3 And most importantly I want to live bigger, bolder and better in my mommy and daddy's honor!