2015 was a big year for me.
It was the year I re-booted this blog, the year I went from being “Miss Gregoire” to “Mrs. Lindenbach.” It was the year I found what I wanted to do with my life, and decided who I was going to spend it with.
I’ve seen a lot of “year-in-review” posts going up today and I wanted to do one a little different. Instead of talking about what I did and all the great experiences I had, I want to talk about what I learned this year in more of a big-picture way. This was one of the best years of my life, but also one of the hardest for a few reasons. So, I have compiled a post for you of lessons I learned with some fun photos from the last year for your enjoyment.
Here’s to 2015.
1. Psychology is my passion
I’ve always known that I love psychology, of course, or I wouldn’t have chosen it as a major. This year, though, I learned that I am really called to psychology. This year unlocked a passion and an obsession for lack of a better word with the material in my courses that I cannot begin to describe. I thrived in psychology this year–something “clicked,” causing me to become extremely invested in what I was learning, and as a result I worked extremely hard and my grades took off, opening up doors for grad school in the future. (Next year I guess we’ll see if they were enough!)
He really is my best friend.
2. I really hate social media
This really hit me this year because I re-started this blog! Although I’ve absolutely adored the blogging world and seeing what all you lovely people are up to and writing about, I freaking hate social media.
I’ve started to enjoy twitter recently, I must admit, but let me tell you something: I’m just not very good at social media! I don’t have a picture-perfect life, I don’t always know the perfect thing to say, and usually I forget to take pictures of my latte before I drink it. I find that the pressure to be perfect found all over social media is just very overwhelming, and I hate having to worry about offending someone. My ENTJ-self just wants to say what I think, not censor it so that everyone is happy! But you can’t do that online, and that’s a line I’m just trying to figure out right now. Although I do love twitter chats, so if you know of any good ones let me know! ;)
Related: Annoying Things People Do on Social Media
3. I really have way too much stuff
Oh my goodness, guys, I have WAY too much stuff. And the funny thing is, I really don’t have all that much. I just feel like our little apartment has SO many things that we don’t need. I’ve gotten myself down to a capsule wardrobe of about 42 pieces (final count yesterday!), but I still feel like there is too much here. I have 9 pairs of headphones. Why do I have 9 pairs of headphones?
Because of this insight, I’ve become ADDICTED to Catherine’s blog, The Blissful Mind. You all need to check it out, follow her on social media, and sign up for her newsletter. She’s great.
Getting our keys to our first home together!
4. My priorities are not always where they should be
This really hit me in November. For those of you who don’t know, my sister got into a bus crash in November and even though she’s fine, it was definitely a wake-up call for all of us.
I don’t really want to explain all of it here, so I’ll let her explain what happened.
Anyway, after that happened I really looked long and hard at my life and realized that I really put too much focus on the wrong things. I obsess so much over little things but don’t spend enough time with family, friends, my husband, and with God. I’ve been trying to make more of a conscious effort to change what I’m putting my energy towards over the last month or so, but I’m still figuring out what that really looks like in my life.
NO idea what was happening here. But I thought it was too great to leave out of this post and pretty much summarizes who I am as a person, so yeah.
5. I’m not in control
Following from the last point, so many things have happened this year to show me that I’m not in control. I’m a very anxious person, and I’m in school going for a very competitive graduate school program. I have a lot of pressure on me, and on top of that I was dealing with getting married this summer and then adjusting to married life this fall. Even though Connor is definitely God’s greatest blessing in my life, that does not mean that getting married was stress-free and completely blissful. Nope. Not when I’m in the marriage. I don’t do well with change, even when it is a change that I so desperately want, like getting married!
Without getting all TMI on you guys, I’ll just say that this semester in school, although I loved the courses, was extremely psychologically exhausting and draining. Everything came crashing down at once, and that’s when I took my 2-month semi-hiatus from this blog back in November and December. I just needed time to recuperate, and all you lovely guest-posters made that possible. I SO appreciate everything you all did to help, whether you knew that my stress/burnout/whatever the heck I was going through was the reason why I was asking for your help or not!
I told Connor yesterday while we were looking back on our year that 2015 is the year where I learned I’m not in control, and I think that 2016 is going to be the year where I learn to be OK with that. We’ll see.
This year Katie really took photobombing to the next level.
6. I am freaking MARRIED
This really hit me on Christmas, actually. This time last year, Connor and I were face-timing and e-mailing because we were each with our respective families instead of together for the holidays. When I woke up on Christmas morning and he was there, it really hit me–we are married. I will always have him there beside me, and no matter what else happens (I’m not in control, remember?), that will never change. I’m also looking forward to spending holidays with his family in the future, too, to get a taste of what his childhood was like, now that he’s experienced my family’s traditions.
Connor, thank you for making 2015 a year filled with love and hope for the future. Also I really want to wear that dress again.
2015 was a wonderful year. I will forever look back on this year as a life-changing experience. It was one of the best years of my life, but also a very hard one. It’s never fun to go through mental health problems, but something I am so happy about is that I had Connor there to support me and to give me someone else to focus on than just myself and my problems.
God has been very good to me this year. He has renewed my passion for what I truly believe he has called me to do, he kept Katie safe, he blessed me with an amazing husband, and he has shown me that he will provide even when I’m in the middle of a level-10 freak-out.
I am so excited for 2016 and what it will bring. I am so happy I am starting a new year with all of you guys, too–this blogging community has made this year so much more enjoyable. I appreciate every e-mail, every comment, so thank you!
What are some things you learned this year? What are some things you are looking forward to learning next year?