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Sunday, December 30, 2012

2012 Year in Review


1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?

Tons actually!  2012 was a huge year of firsts for me.  The biggest first was becoming parents after 2 1/2 years of waiting.  As new parents, there have been many firsts, and we are loving all of them.  Another shocking first is that I am a stay at home mom for the year.

This year I also traveled more than any other year. I was out of state 7 out of 12 months.  I also lived in a lake house in New Hampshire for a month.   I flew in an airplane for the first time since 2007, and I survived.

While I was the most stressed during August-October, I am now more at peace than ever.  Everything about my life feels just right.

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


I didn't really make any last year, but I still need to work on my diet and exercise.  I did surpass my reading goal, and I semi-maintained my blog.

My resolution for 2013 is to live in a state of gratitude for all I have been given, most of which I do not deserve.

3. What places did you visit? 

Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Cape Cod, Maine, Ohio, California, Nevada, Vermont, New Hampshire

4. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?

Nothing.

5. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory?


5/18-20: Sisters Weekend in Cape Cod
7/5: Our 4th wedding anniversary and the day we got THE call
7/13: We made our match official
8/1-9: Our California/Lake Tahoe trip
8/22: LXG is  born
10/12: TRP is final

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year? 

Honestly, being a decent mom.  I wasn't sure I could do it well, but I think I am doing a good job.  I read 42 books this year, and I also tried (and loved) paddle boarding.
  
7. What was your biggest failure?

Right after LXG was born, I was afraid to really open my heart to him.  We were so close to our dream, and I was afraid it would come crashing down.  My parents' faith and love carried me through, and I opened my heart and never looked back.

8. Did you suffer illness or injury?


No :-)

9. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 

Aside from LXG, my year was all about great trips.  Amanda and I drove to VIrginia for a job interview and had the best time.  In May, Jess, Amanda and I went to Cape Cod for a Sisters Weekend and to celebrate Amanda's 25th birthday.  It was probably the best weekend of the year.  Dave and I also took an amazing trip to California and Lake Tahoe.  We made some really great memories this year.

10. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?
happier
b) thinner or fatter? 
fatter
c) richer or poorer
poorer

11. What do you wish you’d done more of?

We didn't get up to Moreau Lake as often as we usually do.  We also missed our annual camping trip with John and Jenn because we were in New Hampshire.  We took one hike, and I'd like to take more in 2013.  As always, I wish I had written more.  I hope my memory of LXG stays fresh because I didn't record much of his young life because we were too busy living it!    

12. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worrying and spending time in New Hampshire.  I never loved New York more than the day we came home.

13.  What were your favorite TV programs?

Modern Family
Big Bang Theory
NFL
Friends
HGTV
Keeping Up With the Kardashians
  
14.  What did you do for your birthday in 2012?

Not much at all, and it was exactly what I wanted.  We had just returned from New Hampshire, Sara had been here, and I just wanted a low-key birthday.  Having LXG was all I wanted, and we just enjoyed him.  Dave did take me to a Patriots/Bills game in Buffalo the following weekend, and it was awesome!  

15.  What is a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012?

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I learned that miracles DO happen!  So many times I doubted if we would ever be parents, and LXG is such a miracle in every way.  When I think of all of the ways that our adoption could have fallen apart, I am awe of how it all came together.

16.  My goals for 2013:   

Be present, say thank you, love more!


Happy New Year!

2012: A YEAR IN BOOKS


2012: A YEAR IN BOOKS

  • 42. A Year in the Merde, Stephen Clark
  • 41. Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Maria Semple
  • 40. Why We Broke Up, Daniel Handler
  • 39. Atlas of Love, Laurie Frankel
  • 38. Burned, Sara Shephard
  • 37. Never Have I Ever, Sara Shephard
  • 36. DIsappear, Love, E. Hughes
  • 35. The Lying Game, Sara Shephard
  • 34. Murder at Blue Falls, Maggie Bishop
  • 33. It's Murder, My Son, Lauren Carr
  • 32. The Real, James Cole
  • 31. The Starboard Sea, Amber McDermont
  • 30. Travelogue of an Unruly Youth, DC Jesse Burkhardt
  • 29. All I Want for Christmas is You, Lisa Mondello
  • 28. Losing Clementine, Ashley Ream
  • 27. Weekends Required, Sydney Landon
  • 26. Night Road, Kristen Hannah
  • 25. The Bungalow: Sarah Jio
  • 24. A Week at the Beach, Virginia Jewel
  • 23. What I Saw and How I Lied, Judy Blundell
  • 22. That Old Cape Magic, Richard Russo
  • 21. Stunning, Sara Shephard
  • 20. A Northern Light, Jennifer Donnelly
  • 19. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
  • 18. Finishing Becca, Ann RInaldi
  • 17. Revolution, Jennifer Donnelly
  • 16. Ruthless, Sara Shepard
  • 15. Twisted, Sara Shepard
  • 14. Wanted, Sara Shepard
  • 13. Heartless, Sara Shepard
  • 12. Killer, Sara Shepard
  • 11. Wicked, Sara Shepard
  • 10. Unbelievable, Sara Shepard
  • 9. Perfect, Sara Shepard
  • 8. Flawless, Sara Shepard
  • 7. Home Again, Kristen Hannah
  • 6. Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard
  • 5. Three Moons Over Sedona, Sherry Hartzler
  • 4. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
  • 3. On Thin Ice, Eve Gaddy
  • 2. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, Carolyn Mackler
  • 1. Sing You Home, Jodi Piccult

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Best Books of 2012

I am doing sub-categories since I liked most of what I read this year.

Best Book of 2012
The Bungalow, Sarah Jio

Best Young Adult
Pretty Little Liars and all that followed, Sara Shepard
The Hunger Games Trilogy, Suzanne Collins
Why We Broke Up, Daniel Handler

Best Historical Fiction
Revolution, Jennifer Donnelly
Finishing Becca, Ann Rinaldi

Best Fiction
Atlas of Love, Laurie Frankel
Night Road, Kristen Hannah
The Real, James Cole

Don't Bother Reading
All I Want for Christmas is You, Lisa Mondello
A Week at the Beach, Virginia Jewel




First Christmas!

Our first Christmas as a family of three was great!  We did things differently this year, but it was a really special holiday.  

We visited my parents for a bit on Christmas Eve day, but we spent the night at home.  We made a nice dinner and went to church at night.  L was so good during the service, awake but happy.  He especially loved the music.  We opened gifts with him before church, but he wasn't all that interested.  

Christmas Day was a flurry of activity!  In addition to our first real snow fall, we had many family visits to make.  We spent the first half of the day with my family and the second with Dave's family.  I left my camera at my parents house by accident so I didn't take many pictures.  We snapped this one in front of my parent's tree, and I just love it.  




Saturday, December 22, 2012

4 Months Old!


I can hardly believe that our little baby boy is 4 months old.  He has grown and changed so much, but his beautiful spirit remains the same. He is such a happy baby.  He loves to smile and laugh.  He has learned how to roll over, and he now prefers to sleep on his side.  He has almost total control of his neck and arms.  His hand-eye coordination is much better than last month.  He is an enthusiastic thumb sucker, toy holder, and music lover.  He is the greatest joy we have ever known.

Stats:
Height: 25.5 inches long, 75th percentile
Weight: 14.4 lbs., 30th percentile
Head: 17 inches, 91st percentile

Monday, December 17, 2012

Reading Goal Check In

I realized after going back in my posts that I started out with a goal of 40 books and then raised it to 50!  Amazingly, I am on pace to complete my 40 books in 2012.  I just finished #39 last night, and I plan to get 2-3 books read before January 1st.  50 will not be happening this year, but 40-something books is nothing to sneeze at!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Snow Post

Every year about this time I write a post about snow.  Or our lack of snow.  Christmas is only 11 days away and the green grass is still here.  As I went back into my archives, I realized that our snow patterns have been different than they were when I was younger.  Our biggest storms over the last few years came in January and February.  I promise this won't be about global warming, but where is our snow?!?! I am of the belief that if I wanted a green Christmas, I would live somewhere like North Carolina.  

Here is my plea to Mother Nature...







Monday, December 10, 2012

My Obsession with Sara Shepard Books

As I looked at my reading list for the year, I realized that Sara Shepard dominates it.  I have read 14 of her books this year, and I may squeeze in one more.  For those of you who don't know who she is, she is the author of the very popular (among young adults and 31 year old English teachers) Pretty Little Liars series and The Lying Game series.

I first became hooked on the PLL series through my school's librarian.  She book talked one of her books, and I was done!  The series follows Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Aria as they are tormented by their murdered friend Ali.  "A" is a mysterious and ever-changing villain throughout the series who finds the girls in the middle of some pretty heinous lies and crimes.  The book is set in Rosewood, a fancy suburb on the Mainline in Pennsylvania.  Rich girls + murder = juicy reading.  I admit that these books are not the best of literary fiction, but the plots are darned addictive!  I would read the books in a matter of days.  The last book in the series came out last week, and I waited for it like a kid on Christmas.

One down-side to this series is that it could have ended very well about 6 books ago.  I do feel that the first 6-7 books were by far the better half of the series, but I did enjoy reading each book.  I also dislike the television portrayal of the novels.  The plot of the show is pretty different from the books, which seems odd since the books are SO good. I will say that the actresses chosen to play the PLL are perfect.

If you have some time to kill and would like to be completely drawn in, this is the series for you!  I am only partly through The Lying Game, so I will post about that later.  Happy reading!
Every now and then, something is written that is so beautiful that I just have to keep it.

"I will tell him, there was this at the beginning: brilliant, beautiful, glaringly bright, embarrassingly blind, unspeakable faith."  from The Atlas of Love, Laurie Frankel

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

20 Days Until Christmas!!!


I am always a person who LOVES Christmas.  Not just for the gifts, but every bit of it.  The tree, the cookies, the family get togethers, the music, the snow, wrapping gifts, the meals, the love, the togetherness.  And this year, we have the best gift of all.  



So what are we doing for Christmas?  This year is going to be very different.  In addition to having Lucas with us, we are no longer celebrating Christmas Eve in our usual Polish tradition.  Part of me feels sad about this since we have done it for as long as I can remember, but the other part of me is excited to start new family traditions with Lucas.  Dave and I talk often about how nice it will be to have a quiet Christmas Eve at home.  I will cook a nice meal, we will read The Polar Express to Lucas, and we will give him his gifts.  Since he is too young to understand anything Christmasy, we figure there is no harm in doing it this way this year.

Are you wondering what is Santa bringing our sweet boy?  Not a whole lot to be honest!  Since he is too young to understand, we are going light this year.  We also know he has many family members who are looking to spoil him!  There isn't much that he needs.  Santa is bringing him one toy and one stuffed animal.  The stuffed animal is one I bought last Christmas, just in case he arrived.  To tell you the truth, I don't even know what it is since I asked the clerk to wrap it up!  I think it is a bear, possibly a koala.  I remember that it was very soft and that is partly why I selected it.  

This year we are focusing on all we have been given, gifts that are priceless.  The miracle that we so do not deserve, yet is here.  Isn't that what Christmas is all about?


Attitude

I haven't done a "favorite quotes" post in a while, but the idea of having a positive attitude has been on my mind lately so here we go.


If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges.
Pat Riley 



A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change.
Earl Nightingale 



The meaning of things lies not in the things themselves, but in our attitude towards them.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery 



If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.
Maya Angelou 


It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.
Dalai Lama 


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Reflections on Good Deeds

I am so glad that I did this!

The Good:

*  While it wasn't easy, it certainly forced me to look at different ways to help others.
*  It pushed me to finally DO some of the things I have been putting off.
*  I hope it has challenged my readers to try to do some good deeds.
*  I think people have felt a bit more loved and appreciated as a result of this challenge.

The Tough:

*  The cost.  I really wanted to keep my deeds mostly free, but that was nearly impossible.  If I were working, spending the extra money wouldn't have hindered my good deeding.


Groceries: $10
Stamps: $1.38
Ornaments: $6
Gifts: $28.50
Shipping: $25.65
Card: $2.79
Donation: $37



*  I really struggled at times to come up with ideas.  While volunteering is always great, as a stay at home mom, I was limited in what time I could give.

All in all, I loved this project.  I am thinking for 2013, doing one good deed every week.  It gives me more time to really come up with a good idea and to carry it out with intention.