2012 In Review

Looking back at 2012 I must say that it was a very good year! I did so many things in 2012 that I am proud of and I am glad I got to share it with all of blog readers.  Maybe in 2013 I will have a lot more of you!

Here are some fun highlights from 2012:

• Got a new job (!!!)
• Traveled to Honduras

• Got accepted for the 2013 Houston Marathon
• Completed my first triathlon
• Traveled to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore

• Got a new Half Marathon PR
• Moved twice
• Rode a roller coaster 30 times in a row
• Went Skydiving

• Finished 29 out of 30 items on my 30 Before 30 List
• Marked 3 items off my Bucket List (See 1, 2, 3)
• Got a new 10K PR (twice)
• Turned 30 and had an 80's themed birthday bash

• Traveled to Dallas to see two friends get married (and saw my crush)
• Voted in the my fourth presidential election
• Took a self defense class
• Completed two 10K's (1, 2), three half marathons (1, 2, 3), and one 18 mile race
• Went Skinny Dippin’ (oh, scandalous!)
• Planned and hosted a 5K Fundraiser raising $6,000 for Driving Jacks

• Traveled to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
• Completed my longest run ever (18.6 miles) -Soon to be replaced by 26.2 miles!
• Traveled to Philadelphia

• Attended the 2012 Battle of the Piney Woods with my fellow Lumberjacks
• Carved pumpkins for the first time since I was a kid
• Picked Blueberries with my family
• Went to the Nutrcracker Ballet (a bucket list item!)
• Said goodbye to a great man

• Crashed a party
• Got a new 5K PR
• Rode in a limo with friends 

• Went to the Opera
• Sent a message in a bottle
• Cooked something for Thanksgiving and people didn't complain about it!
• Rang in the New Year with a wonderful group of friends



2012 Goals Revisted

Let's review how I did on my 2012 goals that I made back in January.  Umm, so yeah.  I didn't do quite as well as I hoped I would, but I can always do better next year.  2013 is going to be awesome!!

Review of My Goals for 2012:

Running/Fitness

-Complete a marathon-Technically I will do this in 2013, but I started training in 2012. It counts!

-Complete a marathon in another state-Nope

-Run at least one race each month-and race to compete not just complete-Technically no, but I did run 10 races just not 12. :/

-Place in my age group and get an award-Still not fast enough to do that, but I did place 4th in my age group

-Run more with friends (and convince more friends/family to start running)-Yes!  I even made new friends this year

-Make new running friends and have ‘running dates’ with them!-Yep!  I met Aly this year, several other friends at work, and my running group.

-Complete a triathlon-YAY!!!  Nailed it.

-Work on speed work workouts at least once every week-Umm, so I strongly dislike track workouts

-Log every workout and post a weekly/monthly recap-Not every workout.  Ok, fine.  I didn't do this one at all. :/

-Run a 28 minute 5K (get fast lady!)-I got a new PR by 2 minutes, but just not a 28 minute 5K.  2013 is my year!

-Beat my PR for the ½ marathon-Why yes I did.  Twice. Boo Yah.

-Get 5 new race medals (I <3 bling)-Ms. Bling is my new name.  I got 9 medals this year (8 races plus one Texas Bridge Medal)

Financial

-Pay $5k down on my student loans-Yep!  and more!

-Save $5k for a house-Ummm. :/

-Have a $5k emergency fund-Ummm. :/

-Go out to eat only once per week-save more money that way-Ummm. :/

-Choose a realistic budget and stick to it-Ummm. :/

Romantic

-Go on dates!  Maybe sign up for eHarmony or match.com-Let's skip this subject.

-No settling!  If I wouldn’t marry him, don’t waste time with him-The Chef is out of the picture

Jabba

-Get Jabba down to 20 lbs-Jabba is stubborn

-Spend more time with Jabba-I have turned into an even MORE crazy cat lady this year.  I <3 him

-Leash train Jabba for more exercise-See above that says Jabba is stubborn

Spiritual

-Have daily quiet time-Bombed this one.

Cooking

-Cook at least one new recipe each week-So I cooked a lot more, just not weekly.  I am giving myself half the alloted point for this one.  Step in the right direction.

-Blog about said recipe each week-I blogged about three recipes.  Take that!

-Create a personal cookbook of recipes to have on hand (the ones I like)-I did this!  I just don't know what I did with it.  I will look for it and get back with you all.

Family

-See my family more often.  Go on a trip with them-I went to Honduras with my Aunt and Uncle which counts.

-Schedule more time with close friends-I hang out with friends a lot, but it's hard to measure so I would say yes!

Misc Personal

-Finish my 30 Under 30 list-5 months to go!-29 out of 30!! 

-Finish one new self improvement book a month-This is carry over to 2013

-Blog more!  Be consistent with posting-I blogged a lot this year.  I am proud of my accomplishment!

Travel

-See a new state that I have never been to (and not just ‘driving through’-see the state!)-South Dakota! 

-Run in at least a 5k in that new state-Umm, no.

-Travel out of the country (cruises do count if out of the country)--Yes!  Honduras!!


How many did I do?  I completed 15.5 out of 34 in 2012. 

Addition and Subtraction

For years I have heard the saying that people do one of two things in your life, they either add or subtract from your life.  I have heard that saying many times but it didn’t ‘click’ until a few days ago.  I have been thinking of this for awhile now, but it has been this past year that I have seen this change in my life.  You get to go inside my head for a bit, don’t be scared! ;)

I am a people pleaser and don’t like to say anything controversial in fear of upsetting someone.  I like to make people happy and give back to people.  I don’t say much about politics and I have just recently started saying religious things.  Life is too short to not say what you feel.  Of course you need to be mindful of other people’s feelings and also where you say things (like at work for instance where things for the most part need to be a neutral zone). 

People come into your life for a Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime

In this past year I have made numerous changes to my life that some people don’t understand or that they didn’t like.  Like I have said before, this is my life and nobody else can live it for me, I have to do what is best for me.  There are three people that I have stopped talking to because they basically were subtracting from my life.  I have been friends with these three people for years and over the past year I had noticed that they weren’t aligning with my new direction.  No one is perfect of course but when someone makes you feel bad about yourself or that you can’t be who you really are with them, it’s time to let them go.  Some people can be let go slowly, others need an axe whack job.  I don’t know if these people will ever come back in my life, but as of now, to help with my own personal growth, they needed to go.  It does make me sad and I miss these people sometimes, but I will miss myself even more if I don’t make myself into who God intended me to be.

In 2013 (and beyond) I am going to work on getting over my fear of losing other people’s approval and also fear of rejection.  Whether it be books, seminars, or CD’s I am going to work hard on that goal.  I have already lost one friend who doesn’t believe you should try and better yourself (her words) and that I think I am better than everyone since I am trying to do that.  What?!  There is nothing wrong with making your life better.  You can be better or bitter, it’s YOUR choice.  I don’t think I am better than anyone and I want everyone to join me in making better decision for their life.

Whether it be financial, spiritual, health, relationships, or work you can make a change that will add to your life.  I am currently working on my 2013 goals and will publish them soon!

Christmas Day 2012

Who thinks Santa should use Flamingos to pull his sleigh instead of stinky reindeer?  Me! Me! Me!

After Christmas Eve at my Mom's I went home to hang with Jabba and wait for Santa Paws.  He woke me up bright and early the next morning (5:11 am) to open his presents eat.  I went back to sleep until around 8 am and then we opened his presents.

Per Mommy's 3 Present Rule, Jabba got some new catnip, a new mint toy (like catnip), and a new food bowl set!! 

He could care less about the new food bowl set though.  It was more of a "Mommy needs the house to look cute" present than a "Jabba will love this present". :)  Merry Christmas Jabba!

After I gave Jabba his presents, I got dressed and headed to Pearland to spend time with my family.  My Aunt Laura and Uncle Roger (my Mom's younger brother) hosted a Christmas lunch at their house full of Texas style BBQ!  Ribs, pork chops, chicken, sausage, beans, black olives (!!), and tons of other stuff.  I was soooo full by the time I left!

Presents!

Cole and Paw-Paw having fun together.

After I left Pearland, I went home to spend some quality time with Jabba on Christmas.  He hung out with me for about 10 minutes, then decided that he wanted to take a nap.  His life is soooo hard and tiring you know?

My presents! 

Serving dishes and a salt/pepper set from my Uncle Mark!

 Awesome socks from my awesome friend Krista!  I can't wait to wear them on a training run or at another race!

 Purse from my Mom and Dad that they got in Atlantic City.

Love this!  My Uncle Mark and Aunt Kay that live in Florida gave me a subscription to either a running magazine or Women's Health.  I haven't decided which one yet, but I think I am going to go with Women's Health Magazine!!!  Soooo excited about this.  I have been wanting to get a subscription for awhile now, but I haven't done it yet.

Guess who got a camera for Christmas!!!  Guess who won't have bad pictures for her blog anymore?!  This girl!!

 Casserole dish carrier with my initials on it from my Dad and Stepmom Pie.  Isn't the pattern cute?

 Lots of different gifts in this picture!  Body lotion from Steven and Lauren, Lifesaver book from Mom and Keith, Shower Gel and Lotion from Grandmother, Academy gift card (for running stuff) from Grandmother, Starbucks and Shell Gas card from my Mom and Keith!!  I also got some money from Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw and Uncle Wendall and Aunt Kay that isn't pictured. :)

 Did you know that I love Flamingos?  You didn't?  Well, I do!!  This is from my Dad and Stepmom Pie for my porch.  It's really heavy medal.

So, as you can see I got tons of stuff for Christmas!  I am so thankful for my family and all the blessings God has given to me this year.

Christmas Eve 2012

After my half marathon on Sunday I really wanted to lay low over the next few days and just enjoy spending time with my family.  I got up early on Monday morning with the intention to run or exercise a bit, but then I decided to take it easy (read: be lazy) because of my half marathon the day before.

I headed to the mall around 8:30 am to buy some gift cards, then Ross to look for another New Year's Eve dress (a girl's gotta have choices!), found two plus one work dress (I get 90% of my dresses at Ross) then headed to my sisters house to hang out with the boys. She needed help cooking (hahahaha) so she recruited me to do some chopping.  Her husbands side of the family was all coming to their house to spend Christmas Eve and have an ornament exchange.  I was planning on going over there after I went to my Mom's, but by the time we were done, everyone was already gone.

She had signs like this on the counters to add some holiday cheer.  Cute!

It's Santa Hunter!  I brought over the beard from the Santa Hustle Half and let Hunter and Cole play with it.  Hunter was a fan, Cole not so much.

Cole playing on his tricycle and wondering what was going on.  Why couldn't he pull out all his toys and all of the pots and pans like normal?  Mess?  What mess?

Then I headed over to my parents house to spend time with them.  First, we went to church for the Christmas Eve service then we headed back to my Mom's house for our Christmas tradition.  In the past we have always gone to my grandparents house, but since this is the first year without my Grandfather, my Grandmother wasn't up for having us all over.  We continued on the same tradition as each year before, but with the memory of Grandfather.

My Mom has a huge slight obsession with nutcrackers.  Slight has in over 500.  Crazy.  This is just a small sampling of them all.  Don't try and sleep over, they might just come alive and freak you out.

 

 For dinner we had gumbo and tamales plus lots of sides!  My favorite was shrimp cocktail!!!!!!

 Then my Mom made a huge cheese display with tons of different cheeses and crackers.  There are only a few pictured here, but there was tons of cheese!  My sister made these cut little flags for each cheese so we would know which cheese each one was without having to guess and get them wrong.   My Mom/Sister spelled 'Bleu' wrong apparently.

 After our bellies were full we followed our tradition of reading the Christmas story from the Bible and then we all went around saying what we were thankful for.  Afterwards, my Uncle and Aunt from Florida brought out some Christmas crackers and we each got one.  All of the crackers came with a hat, a toy, and a joke.  This is my Mom and my cousin Steven's girlfriend Lauren (they drove in from Philadelphia).

Me and my stepbrother Brandon wearing the hats from our Christmas crackers.  This was the first time I had ever had a Christmas cracker and I thought it was super cool. :)

 My toy was a 'fancy' watch that everyone was jealous of.  It wouldn't fit on my wrist though so I can't look fancy. :/  Sad day. haha. 

After we opened the crackers and did the Christmas story, we opened presents.  After I left my Mom's I went to my Dad's for a little while to open their gift also. I will post more pictures of what I got tomorrow!!!    Stay tuned.

Cookies to be set out for Santa later!

Christmas Photo Outtakes

If you saw our family photo from yesterday you saw that Jabba decided that he didn't want any part of Christmas pictures.  No part at all.  I got one good one of him looking at the camera without a sour look on his face.  These are some outtakes of our photo shoot.  Enjoy!

These are Jabba's words, not mine! ;)

Look at this handsome cat in the mirror, oh wait, that's me!  I'm too sexy for this hat, to sexy to this hat. So sexy it hurtsssssss.  (Side note:  I sent this pic to my friend Krista and she said "Jabba is so vain.  He probably thinks Christmas is about him).

Ohhhhh, Antlers!  Let me see, let me see!  Ever since I saw Santa that one time, I've always wanted those.

Don't look at the camera, Don't look at the camera

Mom, you need to clean this sink out.  There's toothpaste in here!

This tastes good!  Who knew felt was so tasty!

Stop talking to me lady, I'm on my break!

Get my good side Mom!

Treats?  Where?  Not til I'm done with the photo shoot?  Aww man!

Mommy, I'm tired.  Can we please be done?

I'm over this.  (as he was walking off the set)

I'm done.  I need to lay down and take a nap.  Night.

Merry Christmas!

Jabba and I would like to wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  We hope you have a great day celebrating the birth of Jesus!

I saw everyone else taking family photos on Facebook and Christmas cards so I decided that Jabba and I needed to take a family picture this year.  Well, Jabba wasn't having it and this is the best one I could get after trying multiple times.  Sometimes Jabba is SUCH a Scrooge. :)

Jabba still wouldn't look at the camera or wear his hat correctly, but I finally got a good one.  This was my favorite! :)  He needs to be a cat model.

p.s. Check back tomorrow from the outtakes of our Christmas photo shoot.  They are funny!