Past, Present, and Future

First of all, you should prepare yourself for the essay of a post you are about to read.  Sorry, I couldn't help it.  (Well, I'm not going to.)

I've read countless year-in-review and 2012 resolution posts in the past week.  It's fun to be reminded of what some of my favorite bloggers have done this year and see what they hope to accomplish in the next.

That said, I've been staring blankly at the draft forever.  Or at least that's what it feels like.  The year in review I can do.  You probably remember the big stuff, but it's easy to remind you of that.  In fact, here you go!

(First, let me just say thank you to everyone who stopped by the blog and/or commented...it means a lot to me!)

January:  This month was pretty low key.  I got a gym membership (how cliche of me!), enjoyed a little snow, and went on a gorgeous day hike.

February:  February was filled with completing my first 30 for 30, applying for grad school, enjoying a weekend filled with family, and this one unfortunate incident.

March: In March I went to a really fun wine event with Sarah and met Stevie for the first time in person!  Yay for blog friends who turn into real life friends.  I also enjoyed a couple weeks off from work and shared a beautiful video of the place I now call home.  It's worth watching if you haven't yet.

April:  I found out I was going to Europe!!! and that I got into grad school!!!  (But apparently couldn't be bothered to blog about grad school, but I promise it happened.)

May:  I had some lunch with really good friends and spent time with them in Portland.  It was a blast.  My sister graduated from college and we celebrated!  I also spent time in Seattle with my dad, doing what we do best: eating.  I also released the previously unknown itinerary for Europe.

June (a.k.a. Europe):  (Get ready for this, it's going to be a long one.) My good friend CeCe and I left for Europa.  There were two days in Dingle, some castles and driving, Kinsale and Thomastown, and a few days in Dublin.

Next it was on to Scotland, for Edinburgh, St. Andrews, and a full day on the Royal Mile (there were even pictures to prove I was there).

I learned all about train traveling and enjoyed time in York, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Oxford.  Then came London.  So many days of London.  Along with a trip to Bath and Salisbury.

The last few days found me traveling to Helsinki to visit family.  We had a lot of fun.

July:  Finland spilled over into July.  It was hot.  We did a lot around Helsinki and went to Tallinn.  And washed rugs in the sea.  After a few more days, I went home and my cousin Michelle came with me.  There were photos to illustrate my adventures.

There was a week of a lot of movie watching and some other stuff.  We also got makeovers together.

August:  Here's a summary of the summer awesomeness in pictures.  I went to the zoo, again, started the moving process, and made really delicious cinnamon rolls (seriously, try them).

September:  There was a lot of craziness (moving, traveling, etc.) this month.  I started school and took part in Fall Fashion Week.  I went wine tasting.  Life was good.

October:  I traveled across the state again.  Shared photos from life's shenanigans, twice thanks to a new iPhone 4S!  I also gave a tour of my apartment.  (Kind of, I've only shown the bedroom so far.  Is it too late at this point?)

November:  I started sharing some recipes.  (This should start back up now that I've made it home.)  I started another blog.  I changed a tire with help from a friend.  I was thankful.  And still took pictures.

December (a.k.a. yesterday):  I finished my first quarter of grad school, enjoyed a visit to Candy Cane Lane, ate desserts, and bought yarn.  After Christmas, I went to visit family over on the east side of the state.

</end year recap> *Phew*

(If you click through to any of those posts, I will seriously be impressed.)

It's the whole resolution thing that really gets me.  Not to say there aren't things I want to accomplish.  There are.  But I'm more of a take-life-as-it-comes person.

Then one of my best blog friends, Stevie, mentioned Stephany (who I love) and Katherine's idea to set monthly goals.  (I think someone else brought this up, too, but now I can't remember.  Sorry!)  This is something I can get behind.  I'm all about smaller, more achieveable goals.  Just consider my other blog.

So I'm joining in with goals for the first few months of the year.  And hopefully I remember to give you updates.  :)

For January, my goal is to get a job.  I haven't talked about this much, but I've decided not to work up north this quarter.  All the driving was just too exhausting.

For February, I want to focus on balancing school, work (hopefully!), and my health by setting and keeping a regular weekly schedule that includes meal planning and regular exercise.

For March, I want to set aside quiet time at least three days a week for prayer, reflection, and to just slow down.

So those are my goals.  Hopefully they are achievable.  February is a little hard to measure, but maybe I'll get into more specifics when we get there.  Or maybe I'll forget entirely.

Anyways, this post ended up being way more time intensive than I expected (plus it was interrupted by church and Friends With Benefits--two things that don't go together at all), so I really need to sleep now.

A belated happy New Year!!!