2010 in review.

I've been avoiding a 2010 year end post. In fact, I keep writing and unwriting it.

I thought it was a great idea at first - I love year end lists, I love recaps, I've been scouring through all the top news or top gadgets or top whatever to remember the year. My friends have summed up their year well.

But for me this is what I don't want to admit: I feel like a lot of 2010 was spent running in place.

Overall, for me 2010 was the year of unmet expectations.
I want to be oh so careful saying that because please understand: This was not a bad year. This was not a year that shook me to my core. I have friends that really hit rough seas this year and I am very aware of that. And when I say unmet expectations its not a complaint. But that's simply what it was. Where I expected to be at this point in my life and where I actually was did not add up. And instead of dealing with it properly with God I ran around wildly. I was constantly busy with something. And it left me socially depleted.
It's not to say that I didn't enjoy times with those people, because I really did. But it wasn't helping the real problem. (Which to be entirely honest I'm still not sure what that is. Maybe at the end of 2011, I'll have that answer.)

Now for the other side of the coin.
2010 was not wasted entirely. I did gain some ground on all I just talked about. I realized ultimately I was telling myself (and everyone else and God Himself) that I was open to Him, but really I was telling Him exactly how I wanted it to go. And that was the crux of all the unmet expectations. I let go of Africa, for now. That was enormous. I have to let go of it for now. And honestly, that's the only one I'm willing to talk about on a blog yet. ;)

Enough. Let's talk about the fun stuff. Because hey, I was busy, so there was a lot of that! :)
The Awesome:
* In March (March 10th! I still have my calendar) Holly, Sam & I ventured up to Kansas, stayed with her parents, ate extremely fantastic pasta at Martinellis all to see Great Big Sea in concert for the first time. Which was awesome. They pulled songs from all their albums (which seems really rare now at concerts) and even played "Chemical Workers Song" which I never even dreamed they would play. I would travel again to see them in a heartbeat. They were wonderful. They are one of my favorite bands, but I had only heard them via cd's. I can assure you they are even better live. I loved them. You should go see them. They also played "Yankee Sailor." Swoon.
* We celebrated my grandfather's 80th birthday with a surprise bluegrass get together.
* Zoo with the Holly, Julie & the Ledesmas. Eating Chick Fil A. Playing in the park with Robbie. Staying up late with friends. Not counting getting lost in OKC cause that was really stressful.
* Zoo with the Nickersons, Philip & Eric. And the Meerkat King. Hysterical. I so wished I had had a video camera.
* VBS!
* Summertime with my cousins!
* Getting to go to Sulphur with the Plumbs & Pucketts!
* Rock Band 2 at Eric's with everyone. Singing with Brad and Philip really tops the list because it was oh so much fun.
* I finally read Till We Have Faces and Enders Game, both of which were outstanding and changed my top 5 list. I want to read more about Ender & Valentine please!
* Getting to enjoy Thanksgiving with my Oregonian family for the very first time. Traveling with grandma. Wii with Amanda. Eating Diane's fabulous cooking. Pestering Brian. The golden goblets. Flowers with Brent. Zoolights. The whole trip was phenomenal. All of it.
* My kids. All of them. The way their faces light up. The way they play. Their hugs. Little Khloe dressed up as Tinkerbell at her birthday. Amy & Kylie, growing up so fast and lovely. Holding Jace at the sleepover. Ashlyn & Carson being Ashlyn & Carson. :) Anna Banana is not Anna Orange and loves knock knock jokes. Videos of Robbie that always make me grin. Lexie in her 1st tutu. Ashia teaching me how to play WiiSports and watching her run. Video games & Alien with Kaden. Holding Tate for the very first time.
* The entire celebration of Tate gets its own mention. Taaaaaaate!
* Little Women with Phyllis & Amy.
* Christmas was really lovely this year. This year had that touch of magic over the whole week and I feel like I actually got to spend time with each set of family and friends. And the stocking with my name embroidered topped it off. ;)
* The very last week of December I settled over a year's worth of debating and pierced my ears. I'm really happy I did.

I know I'm missing things.

Work:
Whoa. Can you believe 2011 will be my fifth Valentine's Day?
I really developed a lot at work this year and I'm glad of it. Sure, May was chaos and the new computer system still makes me twitch at times, but its no longer making me tear my hair out. I also completed my very first wedding from start to finish and have strengthened my casket pieces. A few weeks ago a lady come in and asked if I was Sherri when I went to help her. I told her I was, but there was obviously no recognition on my face. She smiled. I didn't think much of it- this happens a lot and they either knew my parents or grandparents but when she left I asked my boss. He remembered that I had helped her pick out her son's casket piece. My heart melted. Whether that was the only reason she knew me or not may forever remain unknown, but that continues to sum up why I love my job. That moment was priceless.
Another lady came in, much earlier in the year (either this year or late last 2009). She knew exactly what she wanted and was having trouble conveying it and was very concerned that it wouldn't be what was in her mind. I was also afraid of getting it wrong. Even when you don't build a piece (which in this case I didn't), whoever does build it has to talk with the person who helped the family to ensure it's done right. A few days after the service the same lady came back in, approached me, grabbed my hands and thanked me extensively for understanding her. She had tears in her eyes. I practically had tears in mine. Can I use heart melting again? Heart melting. Butter.

Movies:
There wasn't a lot of movies I really wanted to see this year, but for the most part I really enjoyed the ones I saw. How to Train... is probably my top pick.
Alice in Wonderland , w/ Kris & Kylie
How To Train Your Dragon
Iron Man 2 , for Julie's party
Robin Hood, w/ Philip, Kelly, Brad, Regina, Holly, Sam, Eric, Cambria
Toy Story 3, w/ grandma!
Despicable Me , um. See Robin Hood list.
Inception w/ Holly & Sam
Scott Pilgrim vs.The World w/ Jesse
You Again w/ Amy & Phyllis
Red See Robin Hood list.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader w/ Regina

Really? I feel like there was more than that. Am I missing something?

Alright. That's it. Sweet dreams 2010. You were real. You were great. You were really great. But now it's goodbye. It's not goodbye. It's just goodbye. (Thanks Elizabethtown, you summed that up nicely for me.)

Hellooo 2011!