Happy (late) 1year Blog-versary to me!!

I can't believe it's already been a year, and trust my being late writing this post is seriously the story of my life lately...

One year ago I set out to start blogging as a way to challenge myself out of my comfort zone and to write down and share my many thoughts. To be honest I still struggle some with getting out of my comfort zone especially when it comes to posting my blogs and speaking up. I sometimes wonder, "why would someone care what I think..." but I've been blessed by the positive texts, emails, calls, and even topic suggestions I have received over the year. I am overwhelmed by the amount of views and new readers each week and I’m grateful for all the support given.

I have also been blessed by the opportunity to guest blog on my friend, Jayme Hull’s, encouraging website since February. www.jaymeleehull.com I still don't know everything there is to know about blogging and I have tons of improvements to do, but I'm glad I went ahead and took the first step and just got started instead of waiting for everything to be perfect first. This is something that typically hinders me from moving forward in my goals.

This year in a nutshell has been a very "testing" year for me. I've been challenged beyond what I even thought I could bear at times. I've been stretched and I’ve questioned my goals and direction on multiple occasions. Sometimes I've been negative and compared myself to others and sometimes I've held onto God's wise counsel and compared myself only to who He has called me to be. I've also really struggled at times w/ balancing being a wife, mom, and friend.

It's been difficult to say no and not over-commit to requests. It's also been hard for me to take time for myself and not feel guilty about it. (Mom guilt!) I’ve struggled with being in the middle of unnecessary family drama. I can think of some moments this year that God has told me do something but I procrastinated and put it off because of fear of failure. At times this year, Ive not been 100% supportive of my husband, nor opened my Bible to read nearly as much as I've needed to.

BUT GOD...Thank God for hope and grace because on the flip side, this year I've also had many beautiful moments where God has continued to show me how faithful he is. I've seen him make a way out of no way for myself and those around me. I've had prayers answered and situations turned around. In the midst, I've learned many lessons that will only make me a better person. I've gained some amazing new relationships and have worked hard to try to do the things that are “eternity focused” but not always popular.

The goal of my blog was to share my faith in God, my marriage, my parenting, and my life with others and I believe I ultimately accomplished that goal this past year. I pride myself on being a super real and transparent person. I don't think I'll ever be the “life of a party” but I do believe that people know that if they need someone to talk to about real life who is relatable, I'm that person! ;) I want people to know I don't have it all together. I have similar struggles and fears as the next person. I'm human and flawed and good news- I don't have to be perfect because I'm not God!

As I continue to blog and work to become the person I was created to be (which sometimes is a challenge in and of itself), I hope you join me on this journey and challenge yourself as well. Thanks again for your love, encouragement, and support and I look forward to what God has in store for the next year!! Love you all!

~ Nicole