Well friends, 2012 has certainly been an...interesting...year.
I made a review post last year with my goals for 2012. Here's how they turned out:
Post more regularly on the blog. I did that. And started two other blogs: a teaching blog, and a weight loss/fitness blog that I write with my internet bestie Jess.
Move to Tampa. This one ended up not happening. It was a bummer, and it ended up straining our relationship a bit, but we moved on and don't dwell on it anymore.
Survive my last two months in retail before the move. I survived the end of my Walmart career, even though the move didn't happen. They still want me back though; I stop in from time to time to say hi, and the managers still tell me nobody can zone like I can (I get a twisted little pleasure from that -- I like being the best :)
Get pregnant. This one didn't happen...that we're aware of. It's definitely been a tough journey for me emotionally (as evidenced here, here, and here), but I'm truly to a place where I'm feeling much better about things. Going into the new year means going into our 23rd month of trying. That's a lot. What's different about this new month, however, is that I ACTUALLY HAD A PERIOD!!!!!!! Now I know to most of you this might not seem like a big deal, but for me (anovulatory, can-count-the-number-of-periods-I've-had-in-almost-two-and-a-half-years-on-one-hand me) it's a HUGE deal. Granted, I'm not positive that I've ovulated. But you know what? It's a major step in the right direction. I'm really hoping that in a couple of weeks, I'll have either a positive test or another period (and yes, I would be OVERJOYED if I had another period, because it would mean my body would be doing what it's supposed to).
Go to Disney World. That definitely didn't happen. This was a pretty hard year for us financially, and a vacation just wasn't something we could make happen.
Finally get to take our honeymoon. See above. I think at this point, it's kind of silly to even consider it a honeymoon.
Get a new camera and a sewing machine. Now these, on the other hand, did happen! We were able to use our tax refund to finally get me a DSLR, and before we were supposed to move to Tampa, my mom gave me her like-new sewing machine! I've gotten some good mileage out of both, and I'm looking forward to using both of them a lot more in 2013!
Take a deeper walk with God. I feel like I've done this, but this is going to be something I'm going to be doing my whole life. God has done a lot of things inside me this year though, like giving me a better appreciation for what matters in life, learning to accept things that happen to me without being a victim about it, and learning to see good things about myself. I'm looking forward to continuing to learn new things about who I am in Him :)
Meet new people. Well, I met new people. I didn't necessarily form friendships with them. I did, however, develop deeper relationships with people I already knew.
Develop myself as a person. I feel like I did this. If nothing else, I certainly noticed a lot of my flaws over the year (nothing I hate myself for, just things I could work on) :)
So here are some things that happened this year, by month (I apologize for not having a particularly exciting year):
January
In preparation of our impending move to Tampa, we found someone to sublease our apartment to and moved in with Tom's parents to help save up for the move. In the moving frame of mind, I blogged about some moving tips for procrastinators.
February
I tackled my first blog series, 14 Days of Valentine's Day.
I featured the blog's first guest post, a recipe by my friend Kalyn.
I blogged about an insanely delicious ham slider recipe, as well as ranted about people who don't take care of their kids (it's probably my most easily-rantable topic).
March
After we didn't move to Tampa, I found 100 Days of Real Food, and started learning about just how many terrible things are in the food we put in our bodies. I wrote a post on some food coloring alternatives (since food coloring has -- yikes -- PETROLEUM in it).
April
I did a little experimentation and made what I call Bluemary Lemonade (rosemary-infused lemonade with blueberries) for Easter, and it was delish.
I was also still completely obsessed with all things Hunger Games (having read the books and seen the movie all within the last two months). I decided to put together my dream cast for the Catching Fire movie (and I still maintain that Ian Somerhalder would make a perfect Finnick Odair).
May
May is always a busy month around here, because our anniversary, my birthday, and Archie's birthday are all within three weeks of each other.
I announced that I was opening an Etsy shop. I never ended up selling anything (I think I really needed to market SO much more), and I got discouraged and pretty much gave up. I'm looking forward to resurrecting it in the new year though :)
We celebrated our first wedding anniversary. I forced Tom to take pictures. He wasn't super thrilled about it, but he did it anyway, because he's a good husband :)
I did a camera strap cover tutorial, and it ended up being one of my most popular posts.
The blog turned 1 two days before I turned 24. The blogiversary was way more exciting. On the plus side though, my dad did take us to the Old Spaghetti Factory, and I got to eat spinach tortellini. That's always a good time.
My precious little Archie turned a year old. It's crazy how big he is now compared to when we first got him. We love him to bits. I can't imagine life without him.
June
In June, Tom and I had the fortune of standing up in the wedding of two of our very good friends. They are currently expecting a baby girl(after trying almost as long as we've been), and we're really excited for them.
Later that month, upon reflecting about how ignorant I had been about how my body actually works, I decided it would be good to share what I'd learned; that way other young women who had been raised thinking they could get pregnant any time would know when they should really be trying. So I wrote a two-part post how a woman's cycle (particularly ovulation) works. Part 1 / Part 2
Tom wrote a very revealing guest post for the blog.
July
July wasn't too exciting. I mostly talked about things I liked (like diaper bags, light fixtures, and formal china), and shared a few recipes (like an easy recipe for apple chips and a super yummy tilapia recipe).
I also talked about how social media can make us feel inadequate about our lives.
We also celebrated Archie's Gotcha Day (his adoption anniversary).
August
August brought a lot of welcome changes to our family.
I started teaching again.
We finally moved out of Tom's parents' house and back to Lafayette (you can find a motion sickness-inducing video tour of our place here).
I gave you a glimpse into some very important (to me) pieces of my past.
Tom turned 25 (much to his chagrin), and I made him a Muppets ice cream cake. My dad and his fiancee took us and my future stepbrother and his family to Fogo de Chao in honor of Tom and Jimmy's (the aforementioned future stepbrother) birthdays.
I went on a Project Runway-fueled vent after designer Ven Budhu made some extremely rude comments about his model.
We also watched Food, Inc., and were inspired to start making better choices when it comes to "voting with our dollars".
September
I reflected on 9/11. It wasn't until this year that I fully realized just how much it had impacted my life.
Glee finally came back on, and I felt the need to analyze the premiere and drool over Darren Criss (he's my biggest celeb crush).
The one year anniversary of my first (and second and third) positive pregnancy test came, and I talked about how my journey to motherhood had been and where I thought it was going.
October
I let Jess talk me into doing a 31 Days series. Trying to be original, I decided to write mine on NaNoWriMo. I ended up giving up with like a week to go, because I was just REALLY running out of things to write about. It was, as my co-teacher would say, no bueno.
During this time, Jess and I also decided to start our own blog network, Pretty Little Bloggers. Admittedly, we've let it fall to the wayside a bit (things have been a little crazy, and I feel bored if I don't have an overwhelming number of things going on. I'm kind of a freak), but we do have plans to continue growing it. We kicked things off by doing a Halloween series.
November
November was kind of quiet around the blog, because I was off novel writing. December is my break from all things involving my novel, and editing will begin in January.
I did, however, find time to run my first real giveaway (it was SO exciting!) and change the way the blog looks after deciding I needed to narrow down my niche (I'm already kind of regretting the niche thing...I kind of liked just blabbing about anything).
I didn't blog about it, but I also shot my first photography session, taking family pictures for some friends. I loved it, but I was nervous. Thankfully they loved the pictures!
December
Jess and I, needing yet another blog to work on, started a joint weight loss/fitness blog. We figure it will help us stay motivated and accountable to have everything out there in the open.
Tom and I went to five family Christmas events (on opposite sides of the state) in 48 hours. It was a little crazy, but a lot of fun, and I finally got some breakfast casserole (a family tradition on my side).
So what am I looking for in 2013?
What were your most memorable moments of 2012? What are you looking forward to in 2013?
I made a review post last year with my goals for 2012. Here's how they turned out:
Post more regularly on the blog. I did that. And started two other blogs: a teaching blog, and a weight loss/fitness blog that I write with my internet bestie Jess.
Move to Tampa. This one ended up not happening. It was a bummer, and it ended up straining our relationship a bit, but we moved on and don't dwell on it anymore.
Survive my last two months in retail before the move. I survived the end of my Walmart career, even though the move didn't happen. They still want me back though; I stop in from time to time to say hi, and the managers still tell me nobody can zone like I can (I get a twisted little pleasure from that -- I like being the best :)
Get pregnant. This one didn't happen...that we're aware of. It's definitely been a tough journey for me emotionally (as evidenced here, here, and here), but I'm truly to a place where I'm feeling much better about things. Going into the new year means going into our 23rd month of trying. That's a lot. What's different about this new month, however, is that I ACTUALLY HAD A PERIOD!!!!!!! Now I know to most of you this might not seem like a big deal, but for me (anovulatory, can-count-the-number-of-periods-I've-had-in-almost-two-and-a-half-years-on-one-hand me) it's a HUGE deal. Granted, I'm not positive that I've ovulated. But you know what? It's a major step in the right direction. I'm really hoping that in a couple of weeks, I'll have either a positive test or another period (and yes, I would be OVERJOYED if I had another period, because it would mean my body would be doing what it's supposed to).
Go to Disney World. That definitely didn't happen. This was a pretty hard year for us financially, and a vacation just wasn't something we could make happen.
Finally get to take our honeymoon. See above. I think at this point, it's kind of silly to even consider it a honeymoon.
Get a new camera and a sewing machine. Now these, on the other hand, did happen! We were able to use our tax refund to finally get me a DSLR, and before we were supposed to move to Tampa, my mom gave me her like-new sewing machine! I've gotten some good mileage out of both, and I'm looking forward to using both of them a lot more in 2013!
Take a deeper walk with God. I feel like I've done this, but this is going to be something I'm going to be doing my whole life. God has done a lot of things inside me this year though, like giving me a better appreciation for what matters in life, learning to accept things that happen to me without being a victim about it, and learning to see good things about myself. I'm looking forward to continuing to learn new things about who I am in Him :)
Meet new people. Well, I met new people. I didn't necessarily form friendships with them. I did, however, develop deeper relationships with people I already knew.
Develop myself as a person. I feel like I did this. If nothing else, I certainly noticed a lot of my flaws over the year (nothing I hate myself for, just things I could work on) :)
So here are some things that happened this year, by month (I apologize for not having a particularly exciting year):
January
In preparation of our impending move to Tampa, we found someone to sublease our apartment to and moved in with Tom's parents to help save up for the move. In the moving frame of mind, I blogged about some moving tips for procrastinators.
February
I tackled my first blog series, 14 Days of Valentine's Day.
I featured the blog's first guest post, a recipe by my friend Kalyn.
I blogged about an insanely delicious ham slider recipe, as well as ranted about people who don't take care of their kids (it's probably my most easily-rantable topic).
March
After we didn't move to Tampa, I found 100 Days of Real Food, and started learning about just how many terrible things are in the food we put in our bodies. I wrote a post on some food coloring alternatives (since food coloring has -- yikes -- PETROLEUM in it).
April
I did a little experimentation and made what I call Bluemary Lemonade (rosemary-infused lemonade with blueberries) for Easter, and it was delish.
I was also still completely obsessed with all things Hunger Games (having read the books and seen the movie all within the last two months). I decided to put together my dream cast for the Catching Fire movie (and I still maintain that Ian Somerhalder would make a perfect Finnick Odair).
 |
| See? PERFECT! |
May
May is always a busy month around here, because our anniversary, my birthday, and Archie's birthday are all within three weeks of each other.
I announced that I was opening an Etsy shop. I never ended up selling anything (I think I really needed to market SO much more), and I got discouraged and pretty much gave up. I'm looking forward to resurrecting it in the new year though :)
We celebrated our first wedding anniversary. I forced Tom to take pictures. He wasn't super thrilled about it, but he did it anyway, because he's a good husband :)
 |
| I re-edited a few so my hair didn't match the wood, lol. |
The blog turned 1 two days before I turned 24. The blogiversary was way more exciting. On the plus side though, my dad did take us to the Old Spaghetti Factory, and I got to eat spinach tortellini. That's always a good time.
My precious little Archie turned a year old. It's crazy how big he is now compared to when we first got him. We love him to bits. I can't imagine life without him.
June
In June, Tom and I had the fortune of standing up in the wedding of two of our very good friends. They are currently expecting a baby girl(after trying almost as long as we've been), and we're really excited for them.
Later that month, upon reflecting about how ignorant I had been about how my body actually works, I decided it would be good to share what I'd learned; that way other young women who had been raised thinking they could get pregnant any time would know when they should really be trying. So I wrote a two-part post how a woman's cycle (particularly ovulation) works. Part 1 / Part 2
Tom wrote a very revealing guest post for the blog.
July
July wasn't too exciting. I mostly talked about things I liked (like diaper bags, light fixtures, and formal china), and shared a few recipes (like an easy recipe for apple chips and a super yummy tilapia recipe).
I also talked about how social media can make us feel inadequate about our lives.
We also celebrated Archie's Gotcha Day (his adoption anniversary).
August
August brought a lot of welcome changes to our family.
I started teaching again.
We finally moved out of Tom's parents' house and back to Lafayette (you can find a motion sickness-inducing video tour of our place here).
I gave you a glimpse into some very important (to me) pieces of my past.
Tom turned 25 (much to his chagrin), and I made him a Muppets ice cream cake. My dad and his fiancee took us and my future stepbrother and his family to Fogo de Chao in honor of Tom and Jimmy's (the aforementioned future stepbrother) birthdays.
I went on a Project Runway-fueled vent after designer Ven Budhu made some extremely rude comments about his model.
We also watched Food, Inc., and were inspired to start making better choices when it comes to "voting with our dollars".
September
I reflected on 9/11. It wasn't until this year that I fully realized just how much it had impacted my life.
Glee finally came back on, and I felt the need to analyze the premiere and drool over Darren Criss (he's my biggest celeb crush).
The one year anniversary of my first (and second and third) positive pregnancy test came, and I talked about how my journey to motherhood had been and where I thought it was going.
October
I let Jess talk me into doing a 31 Days series. Trying to be original, I decided to write mine on NaNoWriMo. I ended up giving up with like a week to go, because I was just REALLY running out of things to write about. It was, as my co-teacher would say, no bueno.
During this time, Jess and I also decided to start our own blog network, Pretty Little Bloggers. Admittedly, we've let it fall to the wayside a bit (things have been a little crazy, and I feel bored if I don't have an overwhelming number of things going on. I'm kind of a freak), but we do have plans to continue growing it. We kicked things off by doing a Halloween series.
November
November was kind of quiet around the blog, because I was off novel writing. December is my break from all things involving my novel, and editing will begin in January.
I did, however, find time to run my first real giveaway (it was SO exciting!) and change the way the blog looks after deciding I needed to narrow down my niche (I'm already kind of regretting the niche thing...I kind of liked just blabbing about anything).
I didn't blog about it, but I also shot my first photography session, taking family pictures for some friends. I loved it, but I was nervous. Thankfully they loved the pictures!
December
Jess and I, needing yet another blog to work on, started a joint weight loss/fitness blog. We figure it will help us stay motivated and accountable to have everything out there in the open.
Tom and I went to five family Christmas events (on opposite sides of the state) in 48 hours. It was a little crazy, but a lot of fun, and I finally got some breakfast casserole (a family tradition on my side).
So what am I looking for in 2013?
- Get pregnant. I'm hoping this will finally be my year.
- Feel better and look better physically. I've been doing an elimination diet to see if anything will help me digest things better (I have pretty bad GERD); dairy didn't make much of a difference, but gluten is up next in January! I also want to really see this weight loss thing through; I want to form healthy habits and make exercise a regular thing.
- Do a 5k. Optimally, I'd like to run one, but with me, actually doing something is half the battle, so I'd be content to walk one as long as it actually gets done.
- Find a good balance between work, life, and blogging. I feel like when I get tired or feel lazy, that blogging goes to the wayside. I don't want to make that a habit.
- Resurrect my poor little Etsy shop. It deserves better.
- Move. Our lease is up in July. Whether we move to a bigger place, a different city, or a different state is yet to be seen, but we want to move (don't get us wrong, we love our place, but we just feel like we need some change).
- Actually finish editing and publish one (or both!) of my novels.
- Use my camera and sewing machine more. I think I might like to try having a part-time photography business, but I also don't want to put too much on my plate. We'll see how things go.
What were your most memorable moments of 2012? What are you looking forward to in 2013?
