Eleven: A Tribute.

Eleven is my favorite number. Always has been. Probably always will be.

I used to want to have eleven children, back when I was a kid. But that was before I realized, um, how they came out. And that carrying them inside of your for nine months was a long, involved, uncomfortable process. And it was before I realized that once they come out, the long, involved, uncomfortable process (rewarding as it is), has only just begun, when you actually begin raising the child. And the process gets a lot more expensive, what with diapers, food, clothing, Christmas presents, college tuition...

But I digress.

I love the number eleven. I love the way it sounds. I love the fact that it is composed of two number ones. Of all the digits from one to one hundred, only eleven and twelve have completely unique names, and twelve sounds like a dog barking. Or puking. Or something.

But eleven flows off your tongue in a magical way. Eleven is the best number, the first number, put together! And since two is better than one, but we all know it's better to come in first then second... eleven is the best of both worlds. Two number ones.

I tell you all of this not so that you think I have nothing better to do than to blog about my strange interest in numbers (specifically number eleven). I tell you all of this so that you know why I am so EXCITED about the year 2011.

It is going to be a great year. Know why? Because I have decided that it will be.

Here are 11 Reasons why I'm Stoked for 2011:

1. This is the year I will find a literary agent! (Just a personal goal I'm setting here. I am being optimistic, perhaps naively so, but I feel it is better to be an optimist than a pessemist, so I'm placing this goal of mine at number one).
2. I will finish at least two additional novels in 2011. I'm already working on two. I'm enjoying both of them equally. There was the work-in-progress that was putzing along at a leisurely rate since early last year... and my disastrous endeavour during National Novel Writing Month, which came nowhere near the finish line... but did, in my humble opinion, produce some really intriguing characters and a modest start for what may shape up to be a pretty decent manuscript this coming year.... Hmmm....
3. Kaliah will start FIRST GRADE in 2011. My baby is growing up! *Cries*
4. Oak Ridge Baptist Church is doing AMAZING things in 2011. I may have to wait till 2012 to go on a missions trip, but even if I can't be personally involved overseas, God is going to do many incredible things through our church this year, both abroad and here locally.
5. I am going to bust my butt to get out of debt, starting this year. I've been following the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Plan, and I've got my emergency savings fund in place. That was step one, thank you 2010! Step Two: Elminate all debt. Now, this is going to take a few years, but just watch and see what 2011 and I will do to you, stupid school loans and other random debt! I am getting serious. Time to pay these loans off and stop squirreling all my money away on interest and other nonsense.
6. I am going to, by the end of the summer, be running 5ks in or under 24 minutes. Hopefully this is not an overly ambitious goal. Since I began competing last spring, I managed to bring my time down from a first race of 28:45 to my most recent record of 26:40. If I can continue to shave off two minutes per season, this should be doable. If I don't plateau, and my body doesn't declare it quits as I begin to approach those lower times...
7. Looking forward to going back home! I mean, home, home. Tentatively planning on moving into the house I grew up in during the month of May, 2011. While it will require LOTS of fixing up, it will be a labor of love. Home sweet home, what will you have in store for Kaliah and I?
8. In 2011, I will choose to fall in love. With all aspects of my life. If it's God's will for me to be single, I will be thankful I get to stretch out in the bed and not worry if I'm snoring or not this year. :) I will be grateful that I have a job, and put my all into teaching my students, each day, each class, no matter what the challenges. I have a great group of kids this year, who are truly a pleasure to work with. I will push them and myself as hard as I can while trying to model generosity, compassion, and concern for them. I will try to cherish each and every moment with my daughter, and with the rest of my family. I will try to take nothing for granted, living life with an attitude of gratitude.
9. My friends! I have such wonderful friends, both new and old, in my life. I will strive to spend more time with them in 2011.
10. Books! If there's one simple pleasure in life that I love, it is reading. I am going to compile a list of books that are absolute must-reads for 2011. If you have any suggestions for me, let me know.
11. And the eleventh reason why I'm looking forward to 2011 is...

Hope.

I am hopeful through all seasons of my life, good and bad. My hope comes not from me, but from Jesus Christ, who guides me in all that I do. He's responsible for the good that I do, and He's there for me when I screw up.

It's a pretty sweet deal.

I say it lightly, but I mean it fully and completely. Christianity, the real thing, is not just another religion. It is so much more. If you've never known love that never fails, I challenge you to ask yourself, honestly: Have you given real Christianity a chance? I'm not talking just going through the motions here. Have you ever experienced God in a powerful way?

It could change your life.

I know it did mine...