2012: Bring it On

In the midst of the various projects completed over break, I did also take some time to reflect on the year that was 2011 (mostly while I was waiting for the stain on the shelves to dry completely, did I mention it takes a while?). 2011 was an interesting year for us and, although I like to think of myself as someone who remains positive in most situations, there is a part of me that was happy to rip open a new calendar and turn the page to a new year. 2011 was a wonderful year for us in many ways. We celebrated and welcomed a new member to our family, we spent ample time with family and friends, and traveled to various places. We also bought our first home which, to be honest, was exciting but exhausting all at the same time. The process of searching, purchasing, and moving made me realize why people find a home and stay a while. However, 2011 was a year of uncertainty for Mike and I as well. If you recall, in January and February of last year, Mike and I were living our lives entirely convinced we'd be packing up and heading to the great state of IL, which didn't pan out the way we expected. I also spent the better part of the summer unsure of my job title for the upcoming year only to find out, at the very last minute, I was switching gears entirely from the known to the unknown. While I'm thankful each day for the new opportunity, the unknown is never easy to navigate. Thankfully, through everything, it was made abundantly clear to me I made the right choice when picking my co-captain through all of this.

As simple as it may sound, there's a big part of me that feels this may have been the lesson to learn the whole time: we chose wisely.









Time to move on and welcome 2012 with open arms and it's only appropriate to begin the year by proclaiming a few goals that popped into my head while, you guessed it, waiting for the shelves to dry (again, did you know it takes a while, like two-three hours between coats, geesh!).

1. I vow to not purchase one book for pleasure this entire year. gasp I know, it sounds weird, right. However, while dusting our shelves recently I realized the amount of unread books on our shelves and decided this may be the only way to get myself to actually read them.

2. I also plan to re-read the entrie Harry Potter series this year. This goal serves two purposes. 1) It helps me to abide by goal #1 and 2) It's been something I've thought about doing for a while now and there's no time like the present.

3. Keep doing what I'm doing, only better. Learning, loving, growing, understanding, problem solving, reflecting, inspiring, and living healthfully to the best of my ability.

These would be the goals to get me started in the new year. What are yours?

I lovely New Year's bouquet from my lovely husband.

Happy 2012 everyone!