2024: What did you bring me?!

2024 was filled with so many incredible happenings that by the end of the year I found myself constantly asking myself: "that happened this year too?!" Here is my recap of some of the amazing things that God brought in 2024:

1. Leadership

I've always believed that I was a leader, but this year God really placed in position to put that into practice. Whether it's leading our church's mentor program, our Women's ministry, or even various projects at work.

2. Flying on the bird.

I went 31 years without flying on plane. For the past 2 years, my heart had been yearning to fly and I had been asking God when my turn would be. 2024 turned out to be that year - I'm proud to say that I flew on seven flights this year!

Never would I have imagined that my first flight ever would be with the love of my life and headed to a destination that was at the top of my list to visit - New Orleans!! To get there, we took connecting flights both ways (with Atlanta being the connecting airport both trips).

While, yes, I was a little nervous to fly for the first time or two, that feeling was overshadowed by the excitement of finally having the opportunity to experience a flight. A few things (kinda) surprised me about flying:

• The movie/music selection - On the flights, there was a plethora of movies to choose from to help distract and entertain me on the flight (some of my favorites too!)

• The snacks - We flew Delta and I was pleasantly surprised to have two of my favorite snacks for the ride: Biscoff cookies and Garden Salsa flavored Sun Chips (my all-time favorite chips!). I knew I bought stock in the right airline :)

• The ride - I was kinda under the impression that once we got in flight, you wouldn't feel the plane moving...You absolutely feel the plane shifting and moving as we fly! It was a little startling until I compared it in my mind to the movement that you feel when in a car. Definitely helped!

• The airport - I'd heard horror stories about getting through TSA. I'm pleased to say that I've had all good experiences for my flights. Not only that, airports are impressive with the selections of food and shopping - especially Atlanta's! They were also a lot easier to navigate than I expected as well.

This trip truly set the tone for an adventurous year! My husband and I flew again for our anniversary trip in September (that's how I accumulated my other 3 flights!). I thank God for the great experiences that I've had with flying thus far and I can't wait to fly even more in the years to come!

3. Celebrations!!

This year has been chock full with celebrating the people that I love most - which, honestly, is one of my favorite things to do!

In May, my little sister Asante got married and I was the matron of honor. As her matron of honor, I was in charge of planning her bridal shower, bachelorette trip to Atlanta and, of course, was there for moral support. I truly enjoyed welcoming her into wifehood and her wedding was both beautiful and fun.

On top of that, there were more weddings, baby showers, graduations, plenty of birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate! Safe to say, I spent a lot of money on gifts this year!

4. Networking

Ever since college, so many people have reiterated the importance of networking to me. For the longest time, I thought networking was just about working the rooms at different events - which I find very intimidating!

In 2024, I truly to came to understand the power of having a network and how simple the idea is. For work, I was asked to travel to cities/towns where I knew absolutely no one. The goal was to not only to distribute promotional materials but to build community awareness, which can only happen through relationships.

As awkward as it was, I would visit different businesses/organizations and tell them about what I was trying to do. By simply being genuine and having great conversations, I was able to make several connections that lead to other connections within the town. Through these connections, so many opportunities for work came about.

So grateful to God for keeping me safe and allowing me to meet so many great people throughout the year.

5. Adventure!

I spoke about me getting on the plane for the first time in January but, honestly, I have done more traveling than I ever have in any other year.

Here's what some of our adventures looked like:

In January, traveled to New Orleans, where my husband and I got to visit some of the tourist attractions that I read about, including Cafe du Monde, Jackson Square, and Bourbon Street (BTW please keep the victims of the recent tragedy and their families lifted in prayer!).

In April, I traveled to Atlanta for my sister's bachelorette trip. Crazy enough, it was my 4th time visiting Atlanta so I felt like a pro!

In May, the whole family traveled to Williamsburg, VA for my sister's wedding at the Great Wolf Lodge.

The following weekend, one of my husband's best friends was getting married and he was in the wedding, which was in Raleigh (only about an hour away from us!).

In September, my husband and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary by going on a cruise to Mexico and Honduras. If you know me, you know I truly enjoy the cruising experience! From the ocean views to the unlimited food and days full of nothin' but fun and relaxation. Ahhh...

In Honduras, Quentin and I got to have an amazing experience at Gumbalimba Park. While there, we got to see all kinds of wildlife and even got to hold the macaws and monkeys (So adorable!).

In Mexico, we got to visit the ancient Mayan ruins at Chochoban and learn about some interesting Mayan history.

Originally, our cruise was only supposed to be for 5 days but, due to Hurricane Helene, our cruise was extended nearly 3 extra days! While frustrating to some on the ship, I was content with the free extra days of vacation.

6. Gardening

Speaking of hobbies, I'd been wanting to get into gardening for a while. One Sunday in March, my husband and I just decided to go for it - we planted some seeds and waited to see what happened!

(Not knowing at all what we were doing!)

Lo' and behold, we watched the seeds grow in our plant from sprouts to foot-tall plants. My jalapeno plant "Holly" even sprouted 3 peppers!

It brought me so much joy to come into my room each day and see their progress. I was also just in awe of what God had done, knowing that I took care of them and it was Him that ultimately made it grow.

For now, my husband and I don't have any outdoor living space but, once we do, we definitely plan to continue gardening and to see what we can grow.

7. Good Food!

Fun fact: if you look through my camera roll, you're going to find pictures of food more than anything else. That said, I was blessed to eat some amazing food in 2024!

8. Growth in Quentin & I's marriage.

This year marked 2 years of marriage for Quentin and I - our cotton anniversary. It's called the cotton anniversary because our lives are beginning to intertwine together, which I truly believe!

This year in our marriage, we strengthened our communication. As conflicts arise, we get better and better with understanding how to communicate, apologizing when needed, and giving each other grace.

One thing that I loved was our intentionality with showing love to one another in our marriage. This year, we took turns cooking a dinner especially for one another nearly every Wednesday. I called his days "Hungry Husband Hump (HHH) Day and he calls my days "Wife & Dine"Day. We plan to bring this habit into the new year.

I love my husband so much and I thank God nearly everyday for the marriage that He has blessed us with and I pray that He will continue to strengthen, protect, and bless our union for many years to come!

9. New Found Hobbies.

Now, if it's one thing about me: I'm a hobby queen. Do I stick with one all of the time? No.

(Trying to change this through my blog though!)

That said, I'm a very creative and artistic girl and I've been blessed to explore a variety of different talents this year, including:

Cooking & Baking - I especially enjoy cupcake decorating

Creating Balloon Shapes - I got to create a few for our mentor program orientation.

Puzzles - This year, I really felt the urge to put a puzzle together. I bought a 1000-piece puzzle from Hobby Lobby that I'm slowly putting together...

Event Decor - As much as I enjoy decorating events and curating the little details of them, I've learned that I often enjoy that more than hosting the actual event. That said, I got the opportunity to decorate for my sister's bridal shower and several other events throughout the year.

Bouquets - This was a talent that honestly came out of nowhere! In order to save money, my sister had planned to have the bridesmaids to come together and actually put together the bouquets. When everyone saw me putting together my bridesmaid bouquet, I became the official wedding florist. I ended up putting together all of the bridesmaid bouquets, groomsmen boutonnieres, and Asante's bridal bouquet.

Guess I have my husband to thank for all of the bouquets that he's given me over the years - I picked up a thing or two!

10. More reasons to trust God!

God has been so good to me alll throughout my life. 2024, in particular, was so exciting! As great as the "highlight reel" seems, there were days that were tough. Moments that were frustrating. Moments that I felt like giving up...

The good news is that He hasn't given up on me and never will! Looking back at this beautiful year is proof. His hand was on my life the entire time - through the good and the bad. As we go into 2025, I know that He's still with me and that He is still good and faithful. I look forward to all of the wonderful things that He has planned to come!