The End of 2012 Summary

Well, that’s it . . . 2012 is over, and I made it. J I did my challenge every day for an entire year. And I’m not dead, I’m not crazy (that is open for debate of course), and I definitely feel like my year has not been wasted. Although some of my initial inspiration came from "Julie and Julia", I think they should make this year into a movie instead . . . all she did was cook ;) What a crazy time it has been, let’s take a look back and what’s happened over the past year:

January – I climbed some serious rocks. I got calluses and big muscles and accomplished more on a fitness level than I think I ever have before. I did buy another one month Groupon to go again soon, I don’t think I’ll do it every day, but January was just so fun, I’m looking forward to going again.

February – Wow that was a lot of cakes. This was probably the most stressful and time-consuming month, but the most fun at the same time because so many people were talking about it. The blog got by far the most page views that month and I really liked how much the people that ate the cakes seemed to enjoy them. I definitely took my baking up a level and I have learned many new techniques and recipes. Many waistlines suffered, but it was so much fun. J

March – Many books were devoured: “A Tale of Two Cities”, “The Help”, and “Sisterhood Everlasting”, all good reads from slightly different genres. I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy reading, and it is something I hope to continue to do more of, I just need to remember to set aside time to do it . . . perhaps at lunch time now that I’ve lost my crossword puzzle group. I think everyone needs to take the time to get lost in a good book as often as possible.

April – I ran . . . a lot. No, no marathons or anything, but way more running than I have ever done, and way more than I intend to do again (seventy-six miles in one month). I really did not enjoy this month at all. It was nice to be able to talk about it with many of my friends who love running, but I never got that “runner’s high” that keeps so many people running, and I didn’t really see any physical benefits from it either. I think it improved my cardio system, but my other exercise months were so much more fun. I’ll leave running to the runners and keep trying other activities to stay moving.

May – I learned how to play a beautiful instrument, the cello. I am still no expert at it and I need much more practice, but in order to really learn how to play an instrument, that half-an-hour a day really is necessary. I think I would have made more progress if I would have had a teacher to be accountable to, but I still think I did pretty well and I hope I continue this in the future.

June – Ha, I learned how to juggle . . . who would have thought? I can’t do anything fancy, but for how uncoordinated I usually am, just learning the basic 3-bean bag juggle was a pretty amazing feat. I hope that I made my friend who tried to teach me how to juggle proud, and now I have a fun party trick. If I want to be really consistent at it, it would require more practice as well, but with the Klutz book on juggling and some motivation, I think pretty much anyone could learn how to do it.

July – I spent way too much time staring at my computer screen trying to organize all of my digital pictures. It was my intention to work on my scrapbook and get my pile of “scraps” that is growing out of control tamed a bit, but that didn’t happen. Instead, I spent all the time working on the pictures, and never got away from the computer to work on the fun, crafty side of scrapbooking that I was looking forward to. That will definitely have to be tackled in the new year.

August – Ah, August, I enjoyed hot yoga so much. I am always so cold, so it was nice having a whole hour to focus on stretching/strengthening, de-stressing, and being warm . . . lovely. J It was so wonderful spending the time with good friends too. I truly wish that the memberships at the yoga places around here weren’t so expensive because this was something that I could really see myself doing very frequently. Ah well, I enjoyed it while it lasted, and some friends got me a gift certificate to the studio for Christmas, so I’ll get to attend a few more classes sometime soon, hooray. J

September – I attempted to become an author and an artist. My story is still not where I want it to be, and as my hand didn’t really figure out how to put what was in my brain onto the paper until the last few days, the illustrations are obviously not where I want them to be either. This is really one project that I would like to finish. I don’t think I’ll necessarily publish it, but just make a few copies to give to my friends with kids . . . I think that will be nice. Hopefully whenever I get to it I still remember how to draw.

October – I explored a fun, new website called Duolingo. I brushed up on my Spanish and learned a little more. I have a long way to go to be anywhere near fluent, but it was nice to tap into a different part of my brain and keep it open and learning. I think everyone should give this a try, it’s almost set up as a game so it much more worthwhile to do the next time you sit down to play a game of Spider Solitaire or something. They have a variety of languages you can learn too: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese. Plus, you are helping to translate the internet into another language and sharing knowledge with the world . . . a pretty worthy cause if you ask me.

November – I taught myself how to knit, and I managed to almost complete a project and it stayed a consistent size throughout . . . a big accomplishment, if I do say so myself. I’ve found that I really enjoy this and would like to keep up the hobby and keep learning in the future. I highly intend to, and I can’t wait to see what fun projects I can start working on next. J

December – I tackled a different challenge every day of the month. Some were very simple, some were not, but they were all small projects, life skills if you will, that I figured I should know how to do; from changing the oil in my car to changing a diaper, French braiding my hair, making marshmallows, or folding a fitted sheet. This was a rather stressful month full of uncertainty of not knowing exactly what I would be doing each day, but I think it was really good for me to learn these things and I think they will benefit me in the future.

And that’s just with my challenges. Personally, there have been changes as well. New friends have been made and old friends have moved away. I switched jobs twice this year (once within a company, and now to a completely different job). I will always miss aspects of my old job, mostly the good friends that I left there (you know who you are), but I am excited about the new directions my current job is taking me, and am l moving forward with hope. I saw one brother married and the other engaged, and am grateful for the time that I got to spend with my family, it is truly a blessing.

To all of you that have been faithfully reading my blog all year, thank you so much for your support and encouragement, it means a lot to me. And to my husband, without whom I never would have made it; who stood by me when I was up to my elbows in cake icing at 1 am, when I needed someone to go running with me 30 days in a row, or when I was stressing out like crazy over what the challenge would be for that day. Without all of this support, I truly wouldn’t be where I am today, so I am so very, very grateful to all of you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and may you all live 2013 with the same passion and dedication to life and learning that I tried to encompass this year. I hope some of you have been inspired, and if so, I’d love to hear about what you’re up to J God’s blessings, and I’ll talk to you in 2013 J