Reflections

It's hard to believe that we're already at the end of 2012, facing 2013 in just a couple days. This has been a busy year and brought a lot of changes to our lives. The biggest change, of course, was the beautiful addition of Madeleine to our family...followed at a distance by buying our new house and selling the old one. Through the year, I spent time (amongst other things) volunteering, prepping for baby, learning to quilt, blogging, and settling into motherhood. George's work responsibilities have grown as he has found success in management - both a blessing and a curse. We've seen parents face illness and recover. We've continued many old friendships and made a few new ones. We've traveled domestically and internationally, visiting both of our families and several close friends. And, while we haven't gotten to dive or ski/snowboard as much as we'd like, I think I speak for George and me when I say that Madeleine's love and joy compensates.

So what about 2013? I have a few ideas of things I'd like to accomplish in the new year.

I'm hoping to find a comfortable place in which I can be a great mother to Madeleine, wife to George, and keeper of our home while pursuing my own endeavor - whether it be legal, crafty, or in the blogosphere. I haven't yet sorted out just what I want or what opportunities are available to me, but I will.

I will find my way back to fitness. I want to set a good example for Madeleine in terms of both making exercise a part of life and loving one's own body...and neither is possible without being a lot more active. I loved prenatal yoga and want to try some real yoga. I also must admit that I've been thinking of returning to my running roots and have even contemplated the ever popular half marathon, but I'm not ready to fully commit to that just yet. First, I need to find myself a new pair of sneakers as my last running shoes were purchased when I was still a Miss. You can do the math.

I want to put those 3947 pins to good use organizing my life. That is, I'm ready to make an up-front investment into systems and organization that will save me time in running and caring for our home in the long run. Office, pantry, and closets: I'm coming for you!

I hope to get a regular babysitting schedule established so that I can once again date my husband. I also want to make it a priority to give George time to build and enjoy his hobbies once again.

I plan to start a perpetual calendar (inspired by this but stored in a Moleskine for portability) as a way to track my days. I figure that if I can remember to take my vitamins every day, I can remember to spend 3 minutes jotting down a thought for the day.

It's always fun to look back at the year. At the end of 2013, I hope we'll be a little more settled in our house, in a little better shape, and maybe even a little happier. Stay tuned to see what happens along the way.

What were the highlights of your 2012? What are your hopes for 2013?