16 things I accomplished in 2009

As we move into this next year, I wanted to take a moment (or a post) to write about some things I accomplished in 2009. Not as a way to brag about myself but as a way to remind myself of the wonderful year I was blessed with. As you read this think of things you’re proud of accomplishing in 2009 and add a comment at the bottom of the post.

• Pregnant with baby number three (not me, silly)- If you had told me at the beginning of 2009 that we would be having a third baby I would have pointed at you and laughed. But as the year rolled along my wife and I made the decision to jump into the pool of three kids… we’re nervous, but not one day passes that I don’t get more excited about it.
  
  
• Continued my studies of Chinese- I would have guessed that this would be accomplished, but honestly life is unpredictable and I don’t want to take for granite that I was able to spend another amazing year studying Chinese.
  
  
• Continued my blogging- This has become a love of mine and like most things I obsess over, they fade… fast. But blogging has held on and that makes me happy, because I’m able to include all of you wonderful people in our lives. I look forward to continuing this trend.
  
  
• Started a new blog (this one)- It became more and more clear to me that there were things I wanted to write about that didn’t fit into our family blog. That’s not to say that I’m going to neglect that one, because I love writing about our lives. But, I’m very excited about this blog as a place for me to grow as a writer and add (hopefully) to those who come and visit.
  
  
• Went on an amazing trip with my brother (thanks Wifey and Jenny)- This was a wonderful gift given to my brother and I by our equally wonderful wives. A memorable trip to an amazing place, Beijing. Glad this was something that we got to do in 2009!
  
  
• Was able to see the great wall- I don’t want this to seem like an exaggeration, seeing as how I live in China, but of all the things I’ve seen in my traveling, the Great Wall is easily the coolest thing I’ve seen. I really can’t fully explain how awesome it is.
  
  
• Visited The Forbidden Palace- The size of this place was the thing that caught me most off guard. I always thought it was a building and courtyard, not an actual CITY! It was fun to check it all out.
  
  
• Stood in Tiananmen square- Umm, this doesn’t touch the wonder that accompanies the Great Wall or the Forbidden City, but it has TONS of history. And there is an awe that comes with standing in the place of history.
  
  
• Started teaching English- I’m really enjoying teaching English and I’m glad that 2009 was the year I got started in it. I’m not sure how long it will last, but hopefully I can do it for a while.
  
  
• Started to tutor- Again, I wouldn’t have guessed that I would have started this in 2009, but it too has brought a level of joy and satisfaction to my life that I’m grateful for.
  
  
• Went to Shanghai for the first time- Shanghai is an amazing city and really it’s the city of China’s future (sorry Beijing). The architecture (which I normally wouldn’t notice) was unbelievable. In America most buildings are built to maximize functionality, but in Shanghai a lot of detail is given to aesthetics. A great city! The people however…
  
  
• Finished two home projects, the playhouse- Heather and I had the idea of building a playhouse in the girls’ room. Usually with us that’s where the road ends. I’m terrible at finishing projects. I hope to get better as I get older and took the first step by actually finishing something. It turned out great and we’re happy we followed through with it.
  
  
• Finished two home projects, (nearly) the kitchen table- I have ideas I’m excited about and never follow through with and one of those ideas was to build a gigantic kitchen table. Our old one was small and not easy to have people over for dinner. We hope to have a warm and welcoming home for our friends and getting a dream kitchen table was important to me. And again I surprised myself by (nearly) finishing it. I say nearly because it will officially be done in 2010, but who’s counting.
  
  
• Had an amazing visit from my mom- It was so fun showing my mom around our city of Xian. As well as showing her our lives here. I hope that she comes again as well as other friends and family. Thanks again for coming mom!
  
  
• Saw the Terracotta Warriors for the first time- This was really a cool experience. It was hard to imagine that this site was only discovered 20 years ago. The guy who discovered it signs books and pictures and is kinda a local celebrity. When I saw him get up from his table (where he was signing visitors stuff) and go to the bathroom, I followed him in so I could say hi when he came out. He was in there for a while. But I did pick up his pipe that he had set on the counter near the facet, that’s as close as I came to the legend.
  
  
• Put together a weeks’ worth of lecture material- This was another project that I wanted to finish. As I write this I’m seeing that I did follow through with a lot of things I started, maybe a new tread has already started. I hope to share this in the future (my lecture content), maybe you will see it on my accomplishments next year?
  
  This is only my list, but I wanna hear about you. What did you accomplish in 2009?
  
  Enjoy this day,
  Matt

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