With the start of another year, so come an onslaught of resolutions. I have been thinking the past few days on what I would like to focus on in 2012 but thought I should first revisit last year's goals to see how I did.

Goal #1: Complete 15 hours of coursework towards my Master's Degree. Check! Completed in July 2011


Goal #2: Move more, eat less. Can't say I was really on track with this one as I sit here in my stretchy yoga pants (trust me, I did no yoga) after eating yet another Jack in the Box meal.


Goal #3: Save more money/ pay down my bills faster. The real goal here is to save enough to buy a house but I still don't feel confident in doing that myself yet. So the goal will remain to save 30% of my pay every month and limit the shopping, even when everything seems so cute at the store! Done and done! I bought a house in March of 2011 and continue to save.

Goal #4: Blog more. Indeed I did, in fact I doubled the amount of blog posts in 2011. 61 total!

2. Finish my Masters. After an unexpectedly grueling fall semester I am registered for 6 more hours in the spring semester, leaving just three hours to complete in the summer. Gotta keep on trucking!

3. Make some decorating decisions. We have lived in the new house for almost a year and most of the walls are still bare, no curtains, and we have an entire room with no furniture.


This goal includes getting rid of those bloody vertical blinds, eck!

Yes, making a house a home is a process but it one I actually need to start. The short list of projects in my mind for 2012 include a craft area/office, lighting for the living/dining room, re-painting the kitchen, and a bedroom overhaul. Definitely going to try my luck at the thrift stores, Craigslist, and garage sales and get my DIY on!

4. Trust. This might seem like an odd goal but I have come to realize that I need to let my guard down and put my full trust in those who are closet to me and in myself. Only good things can come of this...I hope.

Are you making any resolutions this year? I find that writing my goals down helps keep me accountable. Here's hoping for a wonderful 2012!

2011 has come and almost gone and what a year it has been. Here is a quick month - by - month recap of how 2011 went down.

 What a crazy NYE it has turned out to be so far in St. Louis! Who would have thought that we would have 65 degree weather with tornadoes at the end of December? Emily and I went out to West County Mall today, just getting some returns taken care of, minding our own, when all of sudden we notice there are mall cops everywhere and stores are closing. We sprinted to get our last return made before the mall announced that everyone needed to take cover on the lower floor of the mall. Of course we complied but it always amazes me the people who just stand there, or think that those type of announcements do not apply to them. The teacher in me just wants to grab those people by the ear and lead them down the stairs to safety.

Besides the crazy weather in St. Louis it has been pretty low key around my house for the past couple of days because I have been really sick, some kind of respiratory infection. It does not feel good. My head feels about 2 sizes too big, my eyes feel like they are going to bulge out when I bend over, I can't stop blowing my nose, and I have no sense of taste or smell. That last one is kind of crazy...at least it is temporary (I hope) It really is no fun eating or drinking anything when you can't taste it. I sprayed my new perfume today...nothing. The good thing about this sickness is that I haven't smoked a cigarette in a couple of days, I even drove 30 minutes today and didn't even think about lighting a cigarette. Go me!

Since it is NYE I was thinking about making some resolutions but really I just want to set some goals for 2011.

Goal #1: Complete 15 hours of coursework towards my Master's Degree (I am on track to do this but it took me awhile to get my Spring classes registered...I have to remember the end result when $2000 is coming out of my bank account!)

Goal #2: Move more, eat less. I am in charge of a healthy living program at work in the new year so I am hoping that I can get back into some kind of shape. With my current sickness it has been hard to even walk up the stairs without getting winded, but as soon as I am better I am going to go back to the gym and play by new Zumba game. The goal is to workout 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes. Very attainable.

Goal #3: Save more money/ pay down my bills faster. The real goal here is to save enough to buy a house but I still don't feel confident in doing that myself yet. So the goal will remain to save 30% of my pay every month and limit the shopping, even when everything seems so cute at the store!

Goal #4: Blog more. This past month I have really enjoyed sharing my crafts and other ideas. My goal is to take more time to document my life, through words and pictures. I have to remember to enjoy this time that seems to be passing by more and more quickly.

Hope you all have a wonderful evening tonight and remember to be careful...no drinking and driving! We are headed to our friend Ashley and Derek's house for a pajama jam, so I am sure so fun pics will follow.

Happy New Year!