Goodbye, 2010!

Happy New Year, everyone! A new year, a new blog entry!

I am happy to see 2011. While 2010 certainly wasn't my favorite year to date, there were also many blessings. I like to focus on the blessings. This year my dad had surgery, but came out so much healthier than before, my sister and brother-in-law found out they were expecting (a boy!), we moved into an apartment where our neighbors don't bang on our walls (I really should share that story sometime...), we watched Food, Inc. and successfully changed many of our unhealthy eating and shopping habits, we celebrated 1 year of marriage with a weekend in St. Augustine, we were both able to enjoy a care-free summer, including a trip to the beach, I was blessed with a wonderful group of kids at work, my best friend got married, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Jon's family and enjoyed a wonderful and very cold week in North Carolina for Christmas with my family (our very first White Christmas!). I know there were many more blessings as well.

Last year, my sister took on Project 365, where she would take a picture every day for the year. I love that idea (I look at her pictures to help me remember things that happen. I have a terrible memory!) and have decided to attempt to do the same here. More for myself than anyone else. I remember more of what happened in her life last year than my own. Haha!

So I will leave you with the same type of picture that is probably 75% of my pictures... Food!

Our New Years Day spread. A wonderful tradition started by my family when I was a child: gorge on a ton of snacks while watching the parade and various movies.

The red velvet cake I made yesterday. One of the few cakes I have ever made from scratch (I usually stick to pies), and it left my kitchen as dusty as if a construction crew had been working there. Thanks, cocoa powder!

The Hoppin' John we made for dinner. I had never had this before going over to my parents last year on New Year's Day. Apparently, it's a southern tradition to eat black-eyed peas on this day. We decided that it was a delicious enough tradition for us to continue.

I am so excited to see what God has in store for us in this new year!

“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments." Deuteronomy 7:9