Good Bye 2011!

Good Bye 2011, Hello 2012!

It's a new year and I come back to my New Year intentions.  I didn't fair as well as I had hoped last January but in my defense this was a challenging year filled with lots of changes.  Here's my recap of my intentions....

 New Year Intentions 2011

1.LOSE THE WIEGHT~I would be happy to lose the 25 lbs that I gained in 2010 because of PCOS, but I am aware that I might not be able to do that.  So if I can at least stay the same weight it would be a goal with the bonus being weight lost, even if its just 5 lbs.

RECAP: Unfortunately, I didn't make any headway in the weight department.  I did finally even out and was able to maintain my weight which is definitely what I wanted but still frustrating.  Of course, to throw a very welcomed wrench into the mix I learned I was pregnant in late September.  Mind bogglingly enough, I started losing weight once I got pregnant and lost almost 11.5 pounds!  Now bridging my 2nd trimester I am starting to slowly gain weight back.  Pregnancy has definitely given me a new perspective on weight and right now I revel in my belly!  I think next year my focus just needs to be on nutrition and wherever the scale falls it falls.
 

2. Read 40 books in 12 month period (2009 was 27 in 12, 2010 was 12 in 12) 

RECAP: Argh!  I have no idea how many books I read in 2011.  Life became super busy and I lost track.  I still read LOTS of books and I like tracking what I read just to see the variety of things that I enjoy.  For me a book reading goal is just some silly bet I have with myself than a serious goal.  I would still like to make a prediction for 2012 but I have a feeling with a new baby and graduate school its going to be a little difficult to get in a lot of reading but we shall see.  I am totally going to allow text books! 

3. Go camping at least twice-I so need to hug a TREE! 

RECAP:  I never hugged a tree! Well maybe the ones in the city but I never made it camping.  Its a little sad and Scott and I need to just toss some sleeping bags in the car and drive the 45 minutes to the nearest established camp site.  I am not sure what the next year will bring but I am hoping at least for 1 camping trip!

4. Develop a strong workout routine~Go to the gym 3 times a week with one of those workouts devoted to strength training

RECAP: I had some months in 2011 when I had a strong workout routine but with some of the changes and a ton of travel I didn't keep up a consistent workout.  Simple is better and I have given up trying to make myself a runner.  It just hurts.  I do have hopes to make myself a swimmer in 2012 and get back on my bike as soon as I recover from birth.  I have high hopes because I do like being active and I know its so important but it can definitely be pushed to the back burner when you life gets busy.

5. Develop a regular meditative practice~Work on at least 10 minutes a day, but no less than 3 times a week.  It would be great to be able to get to 20 minutes by the end of the year! 

RECAP:  This was too aggressive an intention.  I was trying to make it concrete to help me do it, but meditating is hard but I still very much believe in it.  I think I just need to make this more flexible but still stay committed to making it happen.

6. Write one chapter in my novel each month~ Join a writing group?

RECAP: Um yeah!  This so didn't happen, but I do wish it did.  My novel idea is going to have to take a BIG backseat while I work on some other really important things in my life...graduate school and motherhood.  But I like the idea and definitely want to save this intention for the right year.

7. Continue to blog!  Any ideas?!~Start a PCOS Blog?  Try and blog 3 times a week.

RECAP:  I LOVE blogging, but completely fell off the bandwagon when my life became complicated.  I want to continue with it (hence this post) but I need to tone down the posts.  I am going to aim for once a week and right now keep it focused on my everything blog, Plain, Simple, True.  I am considering creating a professional blog to document my journey into librarianship, but I only plan on posting maybe once a month.  Keep looking for new posts and thanks for your support!

8. Take a photo for every day of the year

RECAP: Seriously?  What was I thinking?  Well in my defense since Scott travels so much I was thinking that I could include him in the things that happen in my life while he is away.  Nice thought but way more difficult in practice.  I will leave the photos for others and take 'em when I can.

Of course, 2011 was more than just my collections on intentions.  It was a big year for Scott and I.  The year of change is what I like to call it.  In fair disclosure I included this summary in my holiday cards but decided there was no reason I needed to re-invent the wheel.

This past year can only be characterized as the year of changes for us.  February found Scott with a job offer and even though we were in Tucson he sped off to training with Chautauqua Airlines in St. Louis for the next couple of months. Finally, a commercial First Officer!  

Next, it was Nicole’s turn to make some big changes of her own.  She had been doing some serious soul searching for the last year and knew she needed to make a change.  She met with a librarian by recommendation of a friend.  She was floored by the meeting and by March knew she had to become a librarian.  In April, she made the decision to leave her job with the Center for Biological Diversity.  By the summer, Nicole was applying to universities while Scott jetted around the country.  Nicole officially left her position by the end of August.  

The biggest surprise was waiting for us in September as we found out we were pregnant!

We are due May 28^th so be ready to welcome Baby Silvester.  October brought acceptances to all the colleges that Nicole had applied and she chose Texas Woman’s University (it’s an online program if you are wondering).  Come January 2012, she will be a graduate student in the Library Science program.  It has been a year of incredible challenges, big sacrifices but unbelievable joys. 

Thank you 2011 for the ride, but I am looking forward to the surprises in store in 2012.