8 year anniversary

Do you want to know something crazy?  I’ve been using this blog (this particular site) for 8 years.  Eight whole years I have been writing things on blogger, telling the world about my life.  Now, granted, I never really expected anyone to read it, and so far that’s remained semi-true; no one really reads this thing anymore.  But either way, here are some memories:

I started this blog when I was an exchange student in Sweden, back in 2002.

I remember updating this thing from the computer in The Bean (the coffee shop at Dordt).

I know I vented about David pretty profusely.

So, over eight years, what’s changed?  Take a 16 year old girl stuck in a foreign country and imagine that girl becoming a 24 year old girl in Lincoln, dating an amazing guy that lives in South Dakota, with few prospects for a real future because of her own mistakes, friends that are only around half the time, and a family that’s beginning to fall apart (or fray at the edges, if you want a metaphor).  It’s been strange to think about where I was eight years ago, because it seems like forever, but in a lot of ways, I’m still stuck back there.  I’ve changed for sure, but there are so many things that are the same (personality wise) that I feel like I’m still that kid that I was when I first started this blog. 

I was looking over the stuff I used to publish, and I was literally obsessed with telling stories.  The difference now is that I like to actually live my story.  But, you know, I always thought that romance would end up being  a lot simpler than its proven to be.  Either way, I’m happy to be in love (most of the time).

Either way, December will always have a ton of significance to me, because of my story. No matter how often I tell it, my story began with Sweden and ended with Jesus.

Here is a soundtrack for my December:

Always on the Outside  :  Common Children

Entertaining Angels  :  Common Children

Even if It Kills Me  :  Motion City Soundtrack

Decode  :  Paramore

Roses  :  Tonic

Take Me As I Am  :  Tonic

Count On Me  :  Tonic

Head On Straight  :  Tonic

Ring Around Her Finger  :  Tonic

Breathe  :  Taylor Swift

Miracle  :  Paramore

We Are Broken  :  Paramore

When It Rains  :  Paramore

No Air  :  Glee Cast

Chances  :  Five For Fighting

Turn Back Around  :  Lucy Schwartz