Welcome 2012!

Happy New Year! 2012 has arrived and I can hardly believe how fast the past year went by. When I posted my New Year's Resolutions for 2011, I focused on four areas of my life. I have decided to focus again on four areas for my 2012 resolutions. This list includes things I would like to change or improve, areas of my life that I would like to focus more time, and new ideas/projects that I would like to tackle this year. Here are the four areas of focus for my 2012 New Year's Resolutions:

1. Live Simply - I mentioned in my recap post of 2011 Resolutions that I wanted to continue to focus on living a more simple life. I want to focus on spending quality time with family and friends and enjoying experiences in life instead of accumulating possessions and spending money on more 'things'. I plan on practicing this resolution throughout the year by cutting back on purchases, completing more diy projects for our home, and finding free or low cost activities throughout the year to spend time with my husband, family, and our friends.
2. Document Life - I am not the best about taking pictures or videos of our life and I have not scrap-booked or framed new pictures for quite some time. I would like to get more comfortable using a camera and taking great photos and also being more comfortable having my picture taken. I have always had a picture phobia and getting my picture taken (whether it is formal or on the fly) has often given me anxiety. I want to focus this year on taking more photos and capturing the memories we are creating. I would like to find a photography class to take and I am making the commitment to scrapbook our photos more often this year and hopefully finish an album or two.
3. Practice Patience - Everyone in my life that knows me, knows that I am a very impatient person. I am very driven and ambitious, which makes it hard to be patient and wait for things to happen in our lives. My husband and I have been trying to getting pregnant for about 8 months and the process is taking longer than we both expected. I would like to spend this year on practicing patience and truly trusting this process. I know we will be great parents some day, but I need to work on relying on my faith during this process (no matter how long it takes). This resolution will take on many forms in my life, but overall I want to practice being a more patient and calm person.
4. Give Back - This resolution will be a focus on giving back to my community, giving to those that are less fortunate, and giving back to the environment. My life is full of many blessings and opportunities and I realize that there are several people that are less fortunate. I plan on picking a 'giving back' project each month that will focus on a charity or great cause that I can give back to with my time, money, or talents. I also want to get more involved in my community by volunteering at a local charity, hospital, or school. I will also be focusing on living a more 'green' life and giving back to the environment by using more environmentally friendly products, buying more local and organic foods, and transforming my home into a more clean and ecofriendly environment.

I hope that 2012 is full of many blessings for everyone and I look forward to another incredible year! I am truly blessed and amazed with my life and the opportunities I have and I am reminded of God's grace each and every day. Happy 2012!

Reflection on 2011 Resolutions

I am in complete denial that 2011 is almost over. This year has gone by incredibly fast and has been a year of busy schedules, lots of traveling, and the usual ups and downs of life. I looked back to my original new year's resolutions post on January 1st and it is always interesting to see if I followed through on my resolutions. I also posted a resolutions update in April that outlined my progress for the first part of the year. I have not posted updates on my resolutions since April, but here is my summary of how I did on my goals for 2011. My original post on resolutions included four important areas: stay healthy, save money, live simply, and have fun... here is my report card for 2011's new year's resolutions.

1. Stay Healthy: I have made a lot of progress in this area and I have lost 15 pounds since May. I am working on keeping my nutrition balanced and exercising at least 3 times each week. I have also cut down significantly on drinking alcohol, eating out, and have successful reduced my Starbucks intake to only twice a week (this one is often the hardest).
2. Save Money: This year was a spendy one with all of our trips and activities throughout the year, but I was still able to save for retirement (reached my goal of $15,000 saved in January) and I was able to pay for Christmas in cash this year. There is always room for improvement in this area and will continue to be a focus for me in 2012.
3. Live Simply: The progress in this area is often hard to measure, but I do know that I have been able to focus more on the simple pleasures of life like a home cooked meal, a cozy night on the couch with a good movie, and have limited the buying of "stuff" throughout the year. I want to continue to focus on the principle of 'doing more with less' and plan to practice this more often in 2012.
4. Have Fun: This year was full of multiple trips to visit family, friends, and attend sporting events. I have also enjoyed every book club gathering, party planning for baby showers and birthdays, and the multiple craft projects I have worked on throughout the year. Our plan for 2012 is to find more fun and events in our local community and to enjoy watching the new minor league baseball team coming to town (we have season tickets!) 

Overall, I would have to say that 2011 was a great year and I stayed on track with my resolutions more than I have in the past. The key for me is to pick a few things that are really important and focus on those instead of trying to tackle 20 resolutions in one year. Over the next few days I will be compiling my resolutions list for 2012 and I will be sure to post it when it's ready!

New Year's Resolutions: Updates!

I can hardly believe that almost one third of the year is over. With May 1st just around the corner, I think it is perfect timing to revist my 'new year's resolutions' and see what I need to continue to focus on. I posted in January about the four areas of my life that I would like to work on this year and they included stay healthy, save money, live simply, and have fun. Here are some updates on each area:

• Stay Healthy- I still need to work on exercising more consistently, watching my diet, and limiting the amount of eating out. Stay tuned for May 1st when I post my new workout/diet plan!
• Save Money- My husband and I are currently trying to set aside $2500 in a Baby Savings Fund to use for medical expenses and baby supplies for when we have a baby. We currently have $1000 saved and plan on contributing $200 each month to this fund.
• Live Simply- This area is often the hardest when trying to balance work versus life and lately it has been crazy for me. This time of year is very busy for me at work, so it takes an extra effort to balance my work time and time to be at home and enjoy friends and family. I also have been focusing on doing 'more with less' when it comes to life (which I will post about soon). Living simply can be done, but it sure takes a lot of effort!
• Have Fun- This year has already been full of fun travel plans which included a girl's trip to Vegas, a four day road trip to Nebraska, and two trips planned in May to see Rockies games. I hope to be able to continue our love of travel and also enjoy the fun available in our own backyard of Colorado.

Resolutions are often hard to stick to, which is why I find when I blog about it... it keeps me on track. Just by typing this post, I have a renewed committement to the goals I set on January 1st!

Can You Believe It... 2011!

I can hardly believe that 2010 is over and we have started a new year. This past year has gone by so fast and has been filled with incredible blessings and so many great memories! I love the beginning of the new year, because it feels like a fresh start and new beginning. I have always been one to make tons of new year's resolutions and this year is no different. I have a list about a mile long of things I would like to accomplish this year, life changes I would like to make, and new things I would like to try. It would be impossible to write down all of my resolutions here, but I am going to post a few of my top priorities for 2011. Here goes:

• Stay Healthy- which means dropping a few more pounds, staying active, and focusing on good solid nutrition throughout the year.
• Save Money- my husband and I have some lofty goals this year and in order to meet those we need to keep saving our money, which means watching the budget, paying down debt, and putting any extra money away for our goals.
• Live Simply- pairing down life to what really matters, which for me means that I need to simplify my house, focus on experiences versus things, and maintain a sense of balance between work and play.
• Have Fun- this year is already full of plans to travel, exciting parties to plan, and fun experiences to share with family and friends.

I hope this year is as amazing as 2010 and I look forward to another 365 days of a truly blessed life. Happy New Year!