By the Numbers - January 2013

Here we are, one month down in the New Year! Time is flying by! We enjoyed so many fun things this month!

ZERO a. - books read/finished. I am half way through one that will count in February By the Numbers.

ZERO b. - scrapbook layouts created. I think this is a first in many, many years.

ONE - the number of movies we saw in the theatre. We saw The Jack Reacher movie. I liked it. I have read some of the Lee Child books and thought they did a great job.

TWO - year anniversary at Fitness MD for me! I am so happy that I have stuck with it and that it is a part of my daily routine.

THREE - the number of days I was down and out with the nasty flu bug. Not how I wanted to start my New Year off. I even missed the gym during those 3 days...you know it was bad!

FOUR - all 4 of our boys are playing basketball this season. Lots of practices and lots of games!

FIVE - new songs purchased from itunes. Loving Ben Taylor...By Your Side, I try, Not Alone

NINE - blog posts for the month of January.

TEN -  handwritten notes were sent by me(New year goal to write more snail mail)

TWELVE -  friends play football at the park for hours on end.  Tanner organized a big football game. He even called them all the night before to make sure they were coming. I  Love that boys have a great group of friends in the neighborhood.

FOURTEEN - candles on Tanner's birthday cake this year. 14 candles!!!! Time is flying by!

EIGHTEEN -  (out of 20) basketball games were won by the boys!

TWENTY -  basketball games played between the 4 boys.

THIRTY ONE - days of my 2013 Project Life have been completed.

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY EIGHT miles were logged this month

TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY FOUR - ornaments taken off of our tree this year! It is all packed up and put away. The house feels so naked and bare.

GNO - Baking

I had a fun evening getting together with these kind, talented, lovely, amazing ladies!

After learning that cute Brittany loves to bake, Heidi convinced her to teach us how to make cake bites. Oh my heavens!!!! These just weren't any cake bites! These were heavenly, melt in your mouth cake bites. We had a blast baking, laughing, taste testing, sharing stories and spending time with each other. A HUGE thank you to Toni for opening up her kitchen and a HUGE thank you to Heidi and Brittnay for the supplies.

W.I.W.S. - What I Wore Sunday

Today I wore a simple black dress. It has fun,chunky black buttons that run up the front and a belt that ties around the waist. It was another Ross find for under $20.00. I wore my red necklace and earrings that have been seen in other posts. My shoes were passed onto me by my friend, Amanda. Her MIL wore them once, they didn't fit Amanda and so they're now mine! YAY! I love them!

Who's Who?

We had our 1st Relief Society Activity of the New Year.  Heidi, Toni and their committee did a fantastic job. Our Presidency wanted to kick the year off with an activity where we could get to know the sisters better. I had  previously served in the YW's program for the last 3.5 years. In that time, our ward has changed so much, lots of wonderful new families have moved in. My two counselors and secretary are fairly new members of our ward. We wanted a chance to get to know the sisters better and that is just what we did. It was our Who's Who activity. Each Sister was asked to bring 1-2 items that they could share that would help us to get to know them better. When we arrived, we got a name tag, with a cute owl on it. On the bottom corner of the name tag was a number. That number told us what order we would be sharing information about our selves.  After we shared our item(s), Heidi pulled a random question out a bowl that we each had to answer.Some wore their items, some literally  boarded right off of the mountain and came to our activity with their snowboards in tow. Others read a book that they created and wrote, another brought a magazine cover that she and her family were the featured cover story. There were running shoes, books, beautiful photos, and scrapbooks. Again, it was so much fun!  I'll I have to say is "WOW!" What an amazing group of talented women we have in our ward. I left that activity feeling like I knew each one of them better. It was such a great evening!

Project Life

It's here! It's here! It's here! I am super excited. I am documenting our life, Project Life style. This will be my 4th year doing so. I picked the Seafoam edition for our 2013 photos. My friend, Meredith(click on her name to read all about it) was a part of designing the Seafoam Edition and I am so proud of her. I also am proud to report that we are 3 weeks into the New Year(2013) and I am still caught up! I should probably mention that I am still playing catch up in with my 2012 Project Life album :-). There is just something about a brand  new kit with wonderful colors and a New Year that inspires me.

W.I.W.S - What I Wore Sunday

Here is today's outfit. Just a  little side note, it has been the coldest winter to date(in my opinion/that I can remember) in California. I froze today. I have deiced that I need to invest in more tights!

Shirt: Carol Rose. I found  it at Ross for $11.99. I actually picked this shirt up for family photos. Our brown,blue, cream color scheme was totally worked around my shirt/outfit!

Sweater: A Christmas present from my parents. It just happened to match my shirt that purchased 2 months before.  It is from Jones New York.

Denim skirt: Old Navy

Necklace: Kohl's. As of late, I have had a ton of luck finding accessories at Kohl's.

Shoes: Brown snakeskin heels by Romantic Soles

fourteen

This boy turned 14 years old today! We can hardly believe it... let alone, stand it! The good news is that he is not in a full leg cast for this years birthday! We joked around that he was to stay put, at home, on his rear end, all day long on Jan. 2nd. I caved and he was off to the park with his buddies to play football. He came home in one piece.

His day started with donuts and presents. I am not sure where opening presents at the breakfast table became a tradition but the boys have insisted on it during the last few birthdays.

He received birthday cash, a new ipod docking station, a new church tie, PS3 Fifa 2013 game, a book, the new Giants World Series hat, Nike Elite Socks, Nike shorts, gift cards, a football, a 49er poster and lots of wonderful birthday wishes.

We had lunch at his new favorite burger joint...Smashburger.

He came home from lunch to find his bedroom door decorated. Another fun birthday tradition!

We sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed cake and ice cream. Tanner's birthday cake was inspired by a pin I found on Pinterest! It was a hit!

He ended his day with his birthday date with his Aunt Petra! She took him to dinner at Costa Vida, his all time favorite place to eat. He was then treated to some birthday shopping at a store of his picking. He picked Sports Authority and picked out a new football and 49'ers poster. All of our boys all look forward to that birthday date with Aunt Petra. What a fun tradition!

Happy 14th Birthday, Tanner. We hope all of your wishes come true!

One Little Word

It is that time again! Time to share my One Little Word for the 2013 year! You can find my One Little Word from the past 3 years here, here, and here. I have thought a lot about my One Little Word for this year and I have decided on the word Diligence!

The idea behind the One Little Word is that the one word you chose can become your mission statement, you one word mantra, your one word catalyst for change. It can be the ripple in your pond that begins a mighty change- Ali Edwards

dil·i·gence

¹ /ˈdɪl ɪ dʒəns/ Show Spelled [dil-i-juh ns] Show IPA

noun

1. constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.

2. Law. the degree of care and caution required by the circumstances of a person.

3. Obsolete . care; caution.

Origin: 1300–50; Middle English deligence  (< Anglo-French ) < Latin dīligentia,  equivalent to dīligent-  (stem of dīligēns ) diligent + -ia;  see -ence

I chose the word diligence because...

I want to be diligent in keeping my New Year's goals/resolutions.

I want to be diligent in reading my scriptures on a daily basis.

I want to be diligent in saying my daily prayers.

I want to be diligent in keeping up on our family blog.

I want to be diligent in fulfilling my Relief Society calling to the best of my ability.

I want to be diligent in making/trying new dinner recipes for my family.

I want to be diligent in attending the Temple each month.

I want to be diligent in striving to be better human being on a daily basis.

I want to be diligent in showing my love for my family.

I feel like there is a season for all things. The scripture in Ecclesiastes 3:1 has been playing over and over in my head for the last couple of weeks. It reads "To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven." I know I can't achieve and accomplish everything, all of the time. However,  I do feel like it is my season in life to be diligent in the above mentioned items. 2013 is off to a great start and is going to be a great year! I can feel it!

Do you pick One Little Word that you like to focus on each year? If you do, please share.

2012 Year in Review

I have completed this review for the last 5 years now & have decided to do it again. I am doing it mainly for myself :) & future posterity. It has been fun to look back & read what was important & fun in our lives. I usually work on this post for a day or two so I can sleep on my thoughts to each question. 

1.What did you do in 2012 that you have never done before? 

I ran my 1st official 10k. I ran the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot with my Aunt Carla and my cousin, Kerstin! I ran the entire thing...no stopping for me.

I participated/ran in my first Color Run in Sacramento. So much FUN!

I also ran 12 miles without stopping. I ran with my friend Maegan. It was her last run before her first half marathon.

After living here for 9 years, I saw my 1st Sacramento Kings game. I was more excited about the fact that I would possibly get to see Jimmer play.  The Kings lost but I did get to see Jimmer come off the bench and play.

I am currently serving(one month into my calling-church job) as the new Relief Society President in our ward(boundaries in which our areas are divided). I haven't ever served in this capacity before. I am really looking forward to serving the women of our ward. I will gladly accept prayers on my behalf :-).


2. Did you keep your 2011 New Year's resolutions and will you make more for 2012?

I ALWAYS make resolutions at the start of each New Year.  Something about a fresh start and a year of growth to look forward to gets me every single time! I am happy to report that I did indeed keep a few of my resolutions  in 2012.  I am usually good for a week and then I forget about them. Not this year. I will share the health related ones that I accomplished.

I think the biggest goal that I was able to stick with and achieve in 2012  was attending the Cardio Blast class at FMD every morning at 6:00 am. I had this goal written down on my NY Resolution paper. I just wasn't  sure when I was actually going to start it. This class intimidated me! I would watch them do their thing while I was warming up for the  6:30 am Fit Club class. It is an intense 1/2 hour of cardio. We run sprints at fast speeds. We run sprints at fast speeds at an insane incline. We run from Blue Oaks to Pleasant Grove(3 miles) and back. It is crazy. it changes from day to day. I am happy to report  that I started the 2nd week in January of 2012 and did it! I only missed a handful of days through the year. It is a part of my daily routine now and I kind of like it...after it is done for the day!

The other big goal I jotted down was to achieve the Weight Loss goal(s) I had set for myself. 100 lbs. lost. check. Attend Fit  Club 6 days a week. Check. Inch closer/if not reach a healthy Body Fat %. I am so close that it is getting a check :-).  I am very happy with the goals I jotted down at the start of 2012. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth in 2012? 
My sweet friend Michelle gave birth to her 5th baby! Baby Andrew joined their family in October. I can't wait  to see Michelle and meet Baby Andrew  at the beach this year.
We are excited for our friends, Chris and Megan Tate who will give birth to their 1st baby in January of this year! We can't wait!

4. Did anyone close to you die in 2012?

We had a rough Summer. We got word that my Mom's cousin, Colleen passed away suddenly. She is just a little bit older than my Mom and it breaks my heart to know that she left a husband, grown children and grandchildren behind. Breaks my heart. Then a week later, Colleen's Father, our Uncle Dick passed away.  no family should EVER have to bury their father/husband/daughter/sister within a week of each other.

I was also sad to hear that Dick Clark passed away. He has been a part of MY NYE for many,many years.

5. What countries did you visit this year? 
None. Heck, I didn't even get past the state of Nevada this year. I am NOT the world traveler…maybe someday.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2012?
Sleep. More sleep would be great. While I have gotten better about going to bed earlier, I haven't been perfect at it. I have started attending the 5 am workout at the gym. That means I am up by 4:30 a.m.. Talk about early!

7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 2, 2012 Two days into our New Year and what a day it was! Tanner and Carter had headed off to the local skate park with some friends. They had left pretty early that morning, like 9 am. By 10:00 am, I had received a phone call from my friend, Sarah. She had taken the boys to the skate park. I could hear Tanner screaming/wailing in the background. So not like Tanner at all.  She told me that Tanner had taken a really bad fall and that 9-11 had been called and that they were transporting him to our local hospital. I called John and dropped the littles off with a friend. I arrived at he hospital at the same time as the ambulance. I met tanner in the ER room and he was still hysterical. He was crying and kept asking for me to hug him. By this point, I am crying too! He as always been such a tough cookie. It was hard to see him in so much pain. They EMT's  informed me that he had already received two rounds of morphine. The pain was out of control and he felt every bump in the roads from the skate park to the hospital. They took Tanner for x-rays and determined that he had broken two of his bones, the Tib and the Fib. Next stop was surgery. They took him into surgery, not knowing what they were in for. They were able to fix the bones without an invasive surgery. He left the hospital 8 hours later, casted from his toes to his high thigh. He wore that cast for 4 months. He could not put pressure on his leg at all and was in a wheelchair at all times. It was an adjustment  for everyone and Tanner was a total trooper.

8. What was your biggest achievement this year?

I had a couple of BIG personal achievements this year. My biggest achievements this year were 1)., hitting my 100 lb. weight loss goal. It took me 13 months to do so. I even passed that goal.  2). My 2nd achievement is that I have lost a total of 121 lbs. total. 3). My 3rd achievement is that I am now a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers. As long as I don't gain more than two lbs. above my goal weight, I don't pay Weight Watchers another dime. I can attend my weekly meetings for free. Yipeeee!

9. What was your biggest struggle this year?
Seriously, getting to my final goal weight was my biggest struggle. I kind of felt like losing the  100 lbs. was a breeze. Okay, that might not be the right choice of words. Maybe consistent is a better choice. I was consistent with my weight loss during the 1st year. Those last 21 lbs.  were the hardest.

10. Did you suffer any illness or injury in 2012?
I was seriously almost able to to answer No  that there wasn't any illness in 2012.  Then on December 29th, 2012 I was knocked out by the flu and a nasty cold. It is now January 1st  and the nasty cold is still lingering. My head feels like it is going to explode and I haven't exercised in 4 days. You know it's bad.

11. What was the best thing you bought this year? 
We didn't buy a new car or a new house this year. Nothing major was purchased :-). John reminded me that I bought a new paper trimmer. Sounds silly but when you are paper crafter, it is kind of a big deal. Since the $400.00 Genisuis paper trimmer was not going to happen, I settled on the CutterPillar  Pro and I am loving it!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? 
Tanner and Carter made the Honor Roll (again) at school. Tanner received straight A's and Carter received all A's and one very high B (89%). Both boys have advanced classes this semester. We are proud of how hard they work to maintain their grades. 

Garrett and Brody received the CARING award at school on the same day. Their teachers raved about their kind, caring spirits. 

John received a raise and new position at work. We are always proud and thankful for how hard he works for our family!

13. Whose behavior disappointed you? 
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter. I will never understand what drives a human being to hurt/harm/kill others. My heart breaks on a daily basis when I think of those families who lost their loved ones. Such a senseless act.  Those  little students who lost their lives were  around the same age as Brody and his classmates.  I can't even imagine! It sure makes sending my boys off to school on a daily basis, hard.  We just never EVER know when our final day on earth will be. Why not make every day a GREAT day?

14. Where did most of your money go? 
SPORTS! SPORTS! SPORTS! SPORTS! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! These boys of ours play hard and eat a ton!

AND

Garrett's smile. Garrett got braces on, back in May. He has had them on for 7 short months and his teeth are looking great!

15. What did you get really excited about this year? 
Oh my goodness! This question always takes me the longest to answer. I enjoyed and was super excited about so many fun things through out the year. Here we go!

a). We were thrilled to be part of Moe and John Brown's special day. Makes me happy to see the two of them so happy!

b). I didn't know I would be excited about this. I had no idea it was even happening. It still makes me cry just thinking about it! I have the most amazing, thoughtful, kind friends on the planet! My friends got together, behind my back and surprised me. They wanted to celebrate my 100 lb. weight loss with me. They spoiled me with Visa gift cards to go shopping with and some fun new exercise must haves.

c). Losing 100 lbs. sure made me happy and excited. Who would have thought I had it in me to do it??? Honestly, I knew I could do it! I just didn't know how long it would take me! One HUGE goal checked off of my to do list :-).

d). I always look forward and get excited about our yearly beach escape. Denise gave our weekend an official title and will always be know as the "Moms Gone Tired Weekend! We had a blast. We stayed up way too late. Ate to much. Talked. Giggled. Laughed till our stomachs hurt. Went for walks. Exchanged fun gifts. Scrapbooked. Watched amazing sunsets. I love these ladies and the diversity each of us adds to the group/weekend!

e). Our entire family was ready and excited about the 2012 WLL baseball season. Garrett played for the CUBS and Carter was on the Padres again! Both boys had a great season!.

f). John and I were able to see WICKED in Sacramento this year. We had had our tickets for months. The evening finally arrived. It was wonderful and a great evening out with friends!

g). Carter's Padres(Major) team rolled through regular season with a 20-0 record and then continued to roll through TOC's.  Ending their season with a perfect 25-0 record. It was an AWESOME season from start to finish!

h). We were/are very proud of Garrett's choice to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was very excited and couldn't believe the day had finally arrived.

i). All Stars is always exciting. Carter tried out and made the 11 year old team. He attended the hair dying party, lots of practices and played in lots of games. The team did not go as far as they did last year but we all still had a great time.  This All Star season will be remembered by Carter as the season he started the season off with a home run during the 1st game and smacked one out of the park during their last game. He hit 3 home runs total and batted 500. It was awesome and very exciting. 

j). GNO at the Brad Paisley concert. This was my 2nd time seeing BP and it was another great show, spent with awesome friends.

k). We are always excited and ready for a trip to Lake Tahoe. We enjoyed a full day on the shore of Kings Beach. It was a perfect Summer day and one I will remember for a long time!.

l). John and I enjoyed an over night stay in Reno to see the TRAIN concert. We were celebrating 16 years of wedded bliss. The show was awesome and my date was even better!

m). We can't let this year go by and not mention the fact that it was Brody's 1st season playing soccer. He was so EXCITED! It was all he talked about, all Fall.

n). Our family loves the SF Giants! You could find us watching  all of the games this year. We were thrilled when the Giants won the NLCS Title AND when they swept the Detroit Tigers to win the World Series! Here are a few of our favorite photos from the season (in no particular order)!

o). I may be the only one in our little family who gets excited for family photos. I do. I really do get excited about having new photos taken  of our little, growing family. Our friend, Meredeth took our photos for us again this year! As usual, she did a great job of capturing our family!

p). We always get excited to spend the holidays with our family! This year was no exception. Thanksgiving was at my parents house in the Bay Area and we saw both of our families at Christmas!

q). We were super excited about adding Buster Posey, our Elf to our December traditions. The little boys loved finding him every single morning. We have never seen Brody get out of bed so fast and happy each morning!

16. What song will always remind you of 2012? 

I fell in love with a million new songs this year. I LOVE music.I am always looking for new, fast paced songs to add to my running play list. Here are a  few of my favorites  from 2012:

We've Got Tonight - Phillip Phillips
Home - Phillip Phillips
Overjoyed  -  Matchbox Twenty
Wanted -  Hunter Hayes
Call Me maybe - Carly Rae Jepson
Guardian - Alansis Morissette
Empathy - Alanis Morissette
Something Like Olivia - John Mayer
Love is a Verb - John Mayer
Stupid Boy - Casadee Pope
Girl On Fire - Alicia Keys
Boyfriend - Raelynn
Boyfriend - Justin Beiber

I have loved the new TRAIN -  CALIFORNIA 37 album. It is my go to album when I am out walking the neighborhood.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: much happier, much nicer or richer? 
I am happier for sure! There isn't time to be anything but :-). I am always striving to be nicer. Hopefully others feel that I have been nice/kind to them as our paths have crossed.

18. What do you wish you had done more of?
Creating the crafts, making the recipes and shopping for the clothes I have pinned on Pinterest :-). I love Pinterest!

19. What do you wish you had done less of? 
I wish I had taken less photos with my iphone and more with my real camera :-). Don't get me wrong, there are some events that I am just happy to have documented at all with my iphone being the closest thing available.  I am not in love with the quality when I print them. If you have any tricks/tips for this, please share. 

20. Did you fall in love this year?
Yes. With my hubby! We have always had a great marriage but it has been even better this year. We attended a Marriage Class at church for 6 weeks. We both left that class feeling inspired to try even harder to make something that was already great, even better. I love John so much and am so thankful that he is who I get to enjoy this ride with. He is my EVERYTHING!

21. What was your favorite TV Program in 2012?
Ellen, Nashville, The Voice, American Idol, Good Morning America. These are the shows that I watch while I am on my treadmill. Everything but Good Morning America is DVR'd so I always have something to entertain me.

22. What was the best book you read this year?
HIDE by Lisa Gardner. This book sucked me right  in. I read it in 3 days. That is considered a quick read for me these days. What I loved about this book is that I found it at my local library on the FOR SALE shelf. I bought it, hoping it would be good. I had never read a Lisa Gardner book. Now I have read several. I love when that happens!

23. What was your greatest musical discovery this past year?
John and I discovered Andy Grammer when we attended the TRAIN concert. He was one of the opening acts. Loved his set list  and even downloaded some of his music while waiting for TRAIN to hit the stage. Love modern day technology.

24. What did you want and get this year?
After Tanner broke his leg at the beginning of the New Year, I was seriously worried he would not be able to play sports this year. My hope was that his leg would fully recover and that Tanner's spirits would soar again. With great attention from his Dr. and lots of prayers, his leg made a full recovery. He was able to be a part of his Select soccer team(w/out even trying out ,due to his broken leg) this year and even led the team with the most goals scored. He also enjoyed playing football for the 8th grade Silverado team this year. Bottom line, I wanted my Tanner to be back to his normal self. It was a big struggle for him to be confined to the couch, his bed or the wheelchair. For those of you who really know Tanner, you know it was a hard couple of months for him. It brings a smile to my face to see him out running around again, with a HUGE smile on his face!

(Tanner is #14 in the green)

25. What was the best movie you saw this year?
Again, I am not a BIG movie go-er! We see just a handful of movies each year! I really enjoyed the final movie of the Twilight series. I thought they did a good job with the movie. Lots of action in this one. Like I have said before, they have gotten better with each new movie that they release. Trust me, they won't win any awards. it is just nice to see how they interpreted the books!

26. What did you do on your birthday and how old did you turn? 

My 38th birthday was filled with soccer games...5 to be exact. Carter had a double header . After the  soccer games we went home and the boys and John had me open my presents. They had bought me my own little Bundtlett from Nothing Bundt Cakes. YUM! John then took me to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. I received phone calls, texts, FB messages, visits from friends on my porch and very thoughtful gifts. I totally felt loved and remembered.

27. What would have made your year more satisfying? 
Not gonna lie, winning the Dr. Oz Million Dollar You contest would have made my fabulous year even better :-). I really just wanted that free trip to New York. I am still happy and proud that I was one of the top 200 contestants out of over a million(plus) who entered.

28. How would you describe your personal fashion statement this year? 
Smaller clothes :-). I have had a great time shopping for new clothes. I still am a simple gal, comfy clothes(jeans, cute tops, a fun accessories). Of all things, I have had a great time buying new clothes for church! ROSS, MARSHALLS, Down East Basics, Kohl's and TJ MAXX have had some cute finds.

29. What kept you sane this year?
Workouts, running(who would of thunk), intervals on my treadmill, John, my friend Amanda, the days my house was clean :-), Kind people.

30. What celebrity did you fancy the most? 
Not sure "fancy" is the best word to describe the celebrity I wanted to know more about in 2012. I will say that I was very impressed with Mitt Romney and the campaign he ran. I think by the time the momentum to his campaign had started to roll, it was a little too late for the polls. He is a honest man, with good ethics and is hardworking. The press could not dig up any horrible stories on him. In fact, when they talked to people who knew him or lived in the same town, they always mentioned how kind he was/is and what a hard worker he was/is. There was one interview(during his campaign) where a neighborhood of families told the press that Mitt had been out helping cut up a tree /clean up the damage that a storm had caused. Mitt or his campaign people did not call the press to come get pictures of him helping someone else. He just did it because that is the type of man he is/was. I am not gonna lie. I was a tiny bit sad that he wasn't elected as our next President. I was really looking forward to seeing what he could have done to help turn our economy around. I know certain things happen/don't happen for a reason. Even though he was not elected, I still admire the man that he is AND I am willing to still support our current President in hopes for a better America!

31. Who did you miss this past year? 
My friend Moe(Maureen). She got married last January and then the happy couple ended up moving to Alabama  just a few months later. It was always fun to visit with her at GT and I loved when she attended Fitness MD with me. We would laugh or cry our way through our workouts. I still can't run a large lap without thinking of her. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy for her and John Brown but I sure do miss her!

(Mer, Moe and myself)

32. Who were the best new people you met this year.
My friend Marisa was the best new person I met this year (I will have to get a photo of she and I together). I met Marisa at Fitness MD. She attends the same Fit Club class/time that I do and she is usually at the Cardio Blast Class. It has been fun getting to know her and working out with her. She is super fit and runs super fast. I can't ever keep up with her but I try :-). She has a kind heart. I am blessed to call her my friend.

33. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year:
I learned that I require a good nights sleep. I used to pride myself on how much I could get done in a single day without much sleep. I would get up early with the boys to get them off to school and hit the ground running. I would then stay up very late, finishing all that I thought needed to be accomplished. I have changed my habits and have focused on getting more sleep. What a difference it has made in my world. I had to learn the hard way but I have learned that those dirty dishes and projects will always be there for me in the morning and that I shouldn't stress myself out, staying up late to get everything done. I am a much happier person with a good nights sleep. It was a good lesson to learn and get a handle on.

Whew...that was a lot for one post. It was fun to re-read my answers from last year. It is a great way to record my /our year, in one spot. Give it a try...you'll be happy to have it recorded…something to look back on and see where you have improved and where you might still need help! I hope each and every one of you have a Happy, Healthy, and Safe New Year. May 2013 bring you LOVE, HAPPINESS, and great JOY!