See Ya 2011, Hello 2012

Well, we only have 3 days left until we ring in the new year.  Of course, every year that goes by, I think “What happened, where did it go”.  The last three months seem to fly by with the holidays and as things die down the last week, I think of how my year went.  I’ve had some bad years and thankfully, 2011 wasn’t one of them.  

Obviously, my highlight was having Noah in April.  But in January, my good luck started when we got confirmation that my unborn baby was 100% healthy and no signs of Trisomy 18, Trisomy 13 and Heart Defects, despite the findings of my 20 week ultrasound that left me devastated just a month prior.

Financially, we had to make some hard choices through most of the year.  But in the end, we are standing on our own two feet and seeing light at the end of the tunnel. 

We’ve moved!  We moved about 45 minutes away from where we both grew up and have lived our whole lives.  It doesn’t sound so bad but it was quite an adjustment, especially for me since Mike is gone working all of the time anyway.  I had to adjust to seeing my Mom and Grandma less and not having help with the kids just 5 minutes away.  Plus, I had to get used to living in more of a country setting.  But, now I’m glad we made the move when we did.  

My oldest has transitioned from “Baby” to “Big Boy” going from 1/2 day Preschool 3 days a week to Full Day Kindergarten 4 days a week, complete with bus rides, field trips and girlfriends. 

My husband and I have done a lot of work on our relationship and put a lot of time in each other.  A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed we would be this strong of a couple.  Every relationship has their ups and downs but I feel that we are so much stronger to get through anything we need to now.

Plans are in motion for building our new home.  We (finally) got our drawings back from the architect.  We have all of our permits taken care of (I still can’t believe the ridiculous permits you need to build a house).  And we are preparing to put in basement walls in April 2012, and (fingers crossed) be completed by next Christmas.

Looking forward to 2012, has me so excited.  I really believe that 2012 is going to be another great year!  So, on such a positive feeling, it’d be silly not to set some goals to work towards.  So, here are my goals (or resolutions if that’s the term you prefer) for 2012:

1. Finish my photography course with New York Institute of Photography.

2. Incorporate a healthier and greener lifestyle for me and my family.

3. Learning even more ways to save money through couponing and growing/using my own produce.

4. Trusting and putting more faith in God and teaching my kids to do so also.

So, (raising my glass) here’s to a new year, a new outlook on life and all new adventures in 2012.  What are some of your “goals” for the new year?