Year in Review and Looking Forward

Prelude: 
I blog mainly for myself.  I like to be able to go back weeks, months, or years later and see what I was thinking/feeling.  I have not blogged much this year because, if I am honest, I would rather forget most of 2012.  It was gut wrenching, traumatic, frantic, and at times, unbearably hard.  That being said, a lot of good came out of the year too.  I will attempt to document both below.  


A year in review…
1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?  Lost my last remaining grandparent. Lost my father.  Gave a eulogy. Grew up the hard way. Walked through grief share with my mother. Attained a positive net worth. Went 2 months without drinking soda. Rode a motorcycle. Saw an Opera (La Triviata). Karaoke.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

Watch less TV -  Sadly, I probably did watch less TV than before, but I still watched way too much. 
Read more - Nope.  I still read last  year but not as much as normal.  
Drink less coke - Yep! Two whole months without a single one!  And I had significantly cut down before cutting it out all together.  
Drink more water - Yep!  Finally crave water.  Yea for not living in a state of constant dehydration! 
Travel - Yep.  See below.   
Take more pictures - Fail.  I still took some pictures and being on Instagram helped with the random pictures, but I don't think I took more than in previous years. 
Work out more - Haha.  Nope.  
Read the entire New Testament - Nope.  But I will read the entire bible before I turn 30! It is on my 30 by 30 list.  
Visit good friends - Not as much as I would have liked.  I did manage to see a few! 
Try new foods - A little progress.  Still have a long way to go.
Eat out less - Nope.  
Cook more – plan meals - A little improvement.  
Stress less - Sadly, no.  
Keep first things first - I tired to. 

3. What places did you visit? Houston. Possum Kingdom. Gilmer. Atlanta. Washington DC. Costa Rica.  Rockport.

4. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? A lack of personal tragedy.
 
5. What from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory? My last "date night" with my dad in January.  He took me to dinner at Texas Land and Cattle and then to see Lorrie Morgan & Pam Tillis in concert. Sitting at the pool with Sarah in Costa Rica hearing them play that ridiculous "shots" song over and over. I still cannot hear that song without cringing. The heat in Washington DC.  It was truly oppressive.  I was afraid my mom was going to get heat stroke! Generally speaking, I think most of 2012 is overshadowed by my father's death.  Even now, in the first week of January, I cannot remember much that happened outside of losing him.

6. What TV programs did you watch? Parenthood, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Once Upon a Time, Smash, Castle, DOWNTON ABBEY!!!! and Sherlock (love PBS!)

7. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Conquered my fear of karaoke and had dinner at Torchy's Tacos.  I turned 29.

8. What are your goals for 2013?

• practice a more healthy lifestyle (eat better, go to sleep earlier, actually work out or some combination thereof) 
• keep first things first
• grieve well
• thrive