Another 365 days down, huh? Gosh, I feel like a grandma sometimes when I say that these years go by faster and faster as I grow older. Even more amazing, though, is how God can pack so much into such little time.I think it's important to look back, remember, reflect, learn, and grow from as many life experiences as possible, aaaaand these posts seem to be pretty dang popular as the New Year celebration approaches, so I'm hopping on the train :) come along with me and let's look back at 2016... well, mine at least.
WOOPS:
MY PERIOD, BABY. Oh yeah, you heard me. This girl finally regained her period after almost two whole years! Of all the struggles my eating disorder threw upon me, amenorrhea was one of the most terrifying. I feared permanent infertility and how that would affect possible relationships/marriage. My period's long-awaited return was a product of weight gain, decreased exercise, and full surrender to God (and those three all tie hand-in-hand, I guess). Want to know how I did it? Read the entire post here.
WEIGHT GAIN. You'll see this guy again later on, but in this case, I'm highlighting it because without it, I couldn't say that I'm recovered from my eating disorder. I probably couldn't have modified and expanded my workout routine. And I definitely couldn't have built a solid trusting relationship with God. At my absolute lowest weight throughout my eating disorder, I'd step on the scale and see somewhere between 114-116 pounds. Just about a week ago, and for the first time in a long time might I add, I stepped on the scale at my parents' house and saw 124 pounds. No greater feeling of accomplishment could've flooded through my veins at that moment :)
NUTRITION MAJOR. I'm officially a nutrition major at Cal Poly SLO! From my freshman year until about halfway through my sophomore year, I studied journalism. However, I remember calling my parents one night as I walked home from a racism, sexism, and the media journalism class, practically sobbing as I realized I hated it all. Of course, I'm passionate about social media, as well as topics like racism and sexism, but journalism just wasn't for me. From that day until the end of June, I was stuck in transition from journalism --> nutrition, stressing out like never before over chemistry, but also peeing my pants in excitement to finally take classes on topics I study in my free time (nerd, much?). When I saw that I passed my hardest chemistry class which determined whether or not I'd officially be a nutrition major, I'm like 97% positive I actually did pee my pants a little bit.
BAPTISM. Ultimate highlight, right here. May 22, 2016 - by the far the best day of my life :) I'd been baptized as a sophomore in high school, but at the time, didn't truly understand the depth behind it nor who God really is and His significance in my life. I can't say that my recovery prompted me to be re-baptized, but I can't really say vice versa, either. Rather, God perfectly intertwined both, enabling them as one to pull me out of that struggle. Read more here :)
EBOOK. I wrote, designed (alongside my Daddy-O), and published my first ever ebook! Okay, I know it sounds suuuuuuper exciting, and it was, but it proposed a pretty big challenge. Balancing school, a social life, and blogging all while dealing with one of the hardest chunks of my eating disorder? Somehow, this ebook made it out alive, and in mid-August, with the help of my tech-savvy roommate, finally went live on the blog! Totally completely 100% free and easy to download. Just click on over here :)
POOPS:
WEIGHT GAIN: Told ya' you'd see this again. Gaining weight was, by far, the absolute hardest part of recovery. For those of you who have been or are going through this, you know (and you should smile because you're definitely not alone). I still struggle sometimes, when I look in the mirror or squeeze into jeans I once used to slide into or feel a little jiggle when I'm working out. I still struggle sometimes with not just accepting my new body, but embracing it. At this weight, I know I'm the healthiest I've ever been, but I'm not a size two and I don't have a six pack like I always wanted. BUT I can run and jump and laugh and produce a period and eat pretty much whatever I want with very little to no mental interference. I DO love my new body, and I'm praying that God continues to fill my heart with gratitude for how He's healed me :)
SINGLENESS STRUGGLES: Ugh. Sometimes I'm annoyed this is even a thing, you know? Like, why do I have to care so much about (dumb) boys?! Why can't I just be happy as can be living my, what I like to call, "single as a pringle" lifestyle? Well, to answer my own question, because God created me as a woman to desire such deep relationships with others and stand intentionally in them, producing life, encouraging growth and flourishing for both the other person and myself. Two of the books I read this summer implanted within my mind this understanding - "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge and "Girl Defined" by Bethany Baird and Kristen Clark. Yepp, I still crave a hand to hold, forehead kisses, and above all, someone to grow in Christ with, and no, I haven't really found that person yet. Buuuuut I know that, whether or not God actually has him in the cards for me, I have God, and He is more than enough :)
BUSY, BUSY, BUSY. I may or may not have totally overwhelmed myself this Fall quarter of school. Working 20-25 hours each week, trying to balance a social life, introversion and blog, all while enrolled in 15 units (organic chemistry, mostly) beat me up, but I did survive. This mind-boggling 11 weeks opened my eyes to what I hope life doesn't look like all the time, and reminded me how much I really do need to slow down, breathe, prioritize, and simply let God handle my life instead of trying to do so on my own.
So, yeah... that's about it. Of course, God stocked 2016 FULL of lifelong memories, huge achievements, and straight up blessings beyond what I could fit in one read-able post :) again, thanks so much for reading and I can't wait to explore 2017!
