4 More Years

As I watched a video recording of President Obama's Inaugural Address this morning, (we forgot to record it so thank God for internet!!) I could not help but to feel an enormous sense of pride for the country I am so lucky to live in. So many of the words he said rang true for me, but my favorite segment was toward the end where he went through a list of things we, as a country, have to accomplish before our journey is complete. These were his words:

"It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began, for our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity, until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm.

That is our generation’s task, to make these works, these rights, these values of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness real for every American."

It is so empowering to hear these words from the President. His delivery is like none other. These liberties are what seem like simple, given rights that each individual should have, but as a nation, we aren't there yet. I hope that in these next 4 years, under the leadership of President Obama, the United States comes closer to the end of the journey. I know that the journey will never end, there will always be another initiative, another goal, but I look forward to seeing the progress towards equality.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/

4 more years!!

In case you didn't get to watch it live either, here is a link to the video, it is in 2 parts. You can also watch Beyonce sing the National Anthem on this site too, she was amazing, of course!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/21/obama-speech-video_n_2491827.html

Looking back at 2012, looking forward to 2013

2012 was a big year for us!! Especially the second half of the year, things got pretty crazy and time flew by.

January: I turned 25

March: Marc turned 26

May: I started a new job! Marc proposed on our Caribbean Cruise!

July: We began our house hunt!

August: We put an offer on our house!

September: We celebrated my brother's marriage to his wonderful wife in Chicago! Our offer for the house was accepted!

October: We waited anxiously for short sale bank approval on the house... We found out we are going to be an Aunt and Uncle - Marc's brother and his wife are expecting a new addition to the family in June 2013!

November: We became homeowners! I picked out my wedding dress!

December: We moved in to our new home, hosted Christmas for the first time and threw a New Year's Eve party!

here's a little taste of how we rang in the New Year:

Yes, that is a statue of Captain Morgan - one of Marc's prized possessions
that has taken up residence in our living room...

2013 is a year we will remember for all time, it's the year Marc and I will be married. Something we both knew would happen between us pretty early on in our relationship, it was just a matter of time before we could actually make it happen. I am so lucky to have Marc as the person who I am going to spend the rest of my life with. He has always been so supportive of me and is continually encouraging me to set goals and reach for them.

2013 is the year *fingers crossed*  that Marc's career dreams are realized. He has worked so hard and so long and it is time for all that to pay off!

2013 is the year I want to do many things to improve myself, to be a better person. To name a few:
- through all the stress of the day-to-day, don't lose sight of what is most important: family & friends
- learn to control my emotions
- be concious of my words and tone of voice
- focus on helping others when they are in need
- spend more time with my girlfriends
- spend more time outdoors and less time watching TV

My sights are set high for 2013 and I am ready to live in the moment this year and focus more on the great things in life and less on the negative things. I am ready to just enjoy life, enjoy my family, enjoy my friends, enjoy the man I love.

Here's to the end of a great year and a fabulous year to come!