10 Things that Made Me Terribly Happy in 2012

One of my very favorite parts of this time of year-this peaceful week between Christmas and New Years-is all of the "Year in Review" articles that come out. There is Time's Person of the Year edition recapping people who have made a difference this year, and of course Peoples Best of 2012 issue. And I figured-why should magazines have all the fun? It's been a pretty great year around here too.

So, here it is. My very own 'Year in Review' in the form of a Terribly Happy List-because that's just how I do things around here.

(drum roll)

Ten Things That Made Me Terribly Happy in 2012

10- City Creek Opening

9- Getting a letter from my dear friend, Diet Coke
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8-  A spontaneous trip to California

7-  Going down to Zions for a lovely Labor Day

6- The embracing of my love for blanket forts 

5- Watching my baby sister graduate, and move onto bigger and better things

4-The lazy hours of Summer spent with some of the best friends a girl could ask for, and the opportunity to serve that I had

3- Seeing one of my best friends get married to the man of her dreams

2- The family time that put everything else into perspective

1- The growing I did, manifest in a new form of confidence... it came from making my own friends, embracing new situations, relying less on myself and more on the Lord, saying what I mean, doing more often things that scare me, filling my life with people who are different than I am, developing my own opinions, and being just a little more comfortable in who I am exactly 

And here is what I really want to remember about 2012:

2012 was the year I fell in love with Summertime. It was the year I decided to ask life to give me what I wanted from it. It was the year I learned to focus a bit more on others and had the capacity to do so. It was the year I heard the soundtrack to my last 4 years performed live. It was the year I decided to enjoy living more, instead of just dreaming. It was the year I decided to not take the GRE, and therefore, not take the easy way. It was the year I said yes a whole lot more. It was the year I was blessed with some dear friends. It was the year I drove the gorge. It was the year I found the Lumineers. It was the year I learned to enjoy running. It was the year I embraced leopard print leggings. It was the year I fell in love with yellow gold. It was the year I ate ice cream for lunch. It was the year I hiked the Y. It was the year where I grew closer to my sisters. It was the year we got to celebrate Dad. It was the year mom showed me what it meant to be wonder woman. It was the year I learned a whole lot more about what being myself entails. 

It was a year in which I was extremely blessed and terribly happy.