Taking Stock 2009

I stole this from Lady JuiceGal cuz I thought it was pretty neat. Before I do that, I wanna apologize in advance for anyone who missed my Friday Randoms, it was a combination of forgetfulness and laziness. I apologize and I would be back this friday, promise!.

So I am usually unsure on whether to respond to comments in the comment box because I don't know if anyone comes back to read them, so I'll just reply here.(this was from my last post)

Oje - I am working on the teeth picture ;)

Myne - I wore my braces for exactly 11 months and 7 days. There is a short term ortho program for adults that's usually 6 months but I lost 3 months of no checkups being in naija and I had special situation so it took that long. It was ok and not as bad as I thought cuz they weren't the metal kind, they were enamel colored. Couldn't eat certain foods, and frustrating cuz food usually got stuck. Other mouth activities were the same :)

Vivian and Shade - I don't have to wear the retainers, I got the permanent ones and so they just bonded the front teeth and that's it for me.

Ok back to regular scheduled post!

TAKING STOCK '09

FAITH:
I honestly don't know how to categorize my faith this year but if there is one thing I can say, it would be that I definitely believed more. I had a rollercoaster year but from early on in the year, I had this unshakeable belief that everything will be ok. I definitely still need to be stronger in my prayers and bible reading which I took steps in. I joined four other ladies who are in different places across the U.s and we had this awesome bible study group every week and that definitely helped. I've decided that even though I have a lot of questions about my chosen religion of Christianity, I am living by one rule which is Love thy neighbour as thy self. I think that encompasses a lot. I am gonna do that and hope for the best.

FAMILY:

I was blessed to spend a long amount of time around my family this year and it just confirmed how much I love family and I honestly can't wait to have my own. I still am infuriated by my family but the fact of the matter is when I need them they are there for me. I am thankful that we are all alive and we had additions either by marriage or by birth this year. I pray God always be our center and give us many years of life and laughter.

FRIENDSHIP:

Ah, the complicated thing. I always say I don't need new friends but what do I know. I gained some new ones and once again, I survived another year without losing any of my main friends. If anything, this year I truly saw the power of friendship from everyone even those that are not close to me. The last part of this year was some tough ting for me and to say I was overwhelmed by all the love I experienced emotionally, financially, spiritually is an understatement. I am a gift person, if I could buy gifts for all I would but for now I can't, so all I do is fall on my knees and pray for every single person by name and express my gratitude and I hope that I can be there for them all whenever they need me. Can I say Thank you one more time? Oh, I also discovered that when things happen and I wanna berate my friends in my head, I try to focus on the positive things about them and remember that I am not perfect either so try to forgive, move on and not focus on the worst.

FINANCES:

LOL..what can I say? I'm in debt. It's just what it is. I spent a lot this year and usually when you do that with no source of income coming in it equals debt. I am not a financially irresponsible person. I am very particular about it, I pay my bills on time, I never tire to call my bank/credit card for some wayo they wanna play on me, my credit score is in the 700's, I don't hear cute shoes and clothes screaming out my name and the list goes on. By God's grace, I can put a dent on it next year and not add to it, cuz debt sho ain't cute!

EDUCATION/CAREER PATH:

School went well this year, and I am still on the path of getting my MBA. As for career, I am still a bit fuzzy. I know what I want to do but I am not sure where to start from. I got myself a mentor so that should help. I think my heart is in Nigeria but is it me giving up on trying any harder in U.S? I don't know. I do have a fear that my MBA won't mean shit when I am done but I will try my damndest to make sure it isn't so. But in 2010, first and foremost your girl gotta get some kind of job sha. All this economy is getting better is William Hung singing in my ears, because until I have one then all that better thing na yarns.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Whenever someone asks me about this, my instant reaction is to simulate a person's heart flatlining. Ok let me try to think back through the year, I came to some conclusion that I seem to be attracted to emotionally unavailable men. Problem is I don't know how to define emotionally unavailable. I have my own definition but that just makes me delve deeper into why and then into other things I'd rather not and I am back to being ambivalent. This year I met men I really liked but weren't 100% and I met men that were 100% but I didn't like. I did decide that I wasn't gonna do that "talking" thing anymore. Either we are or we aren't. I have made considerable progress from a very painful hurt this year and hope that eventually it will be 100% gone but for now, I am ok with where I am.

PHYSICAL HEALTH/GENERAL WELLBEING:

I've been good this year physically and I thank God. I am just some pounds heavier than the beginning of the year. My mental well being is in a good place compared to the beginning of the year, whooo!now THAT I'm grateful for, that was NOT a good place. I still have a lot of anxiety and overwhelming feelings that I can't seem to express but all in all I think I am holding up ok.

ADDICTIONS/BAD HABITS/SOCIAL LIFE:

Addicted to ma blackberry, the internet and everything it comes with namely facebook. I still have my bad habits I am working on. I managed to knock one off. I think I still have an ok social life. I definitely don't go out as much as I used to, my movies and tv show rock the kasbah with me lol. I like to travel and I got to visit 5 states and 3 international countries + Naija, i am grateful for the experience, I got to learn about new cultures and try new food, yum!

Phew, Juicegal that was long! anyways that was my 2009 stock in a nutshell. Feel free to do yours and I am looking forward to reading. Laters compadres!

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