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Goodbye 2011, you were fabulous. Here's to an even better 2012!

Oh, it's a new year.... time for new year's resolutions. I am pleased to say that I stayed true to most of my resolutions in 2011, and because they have not always been easy, I'm trying to hold them steady in 2012.  I want to continue to stay active, continue to be cautious about money, I want to continue to create a balance between work and home, the list continues on and on.... but I couldn't put it better than this quote:  


"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us."  ~Hal Borland
Nicely put.. especially since so many of my resolutions this year are continuations of what has been going on recently in my life.  2011 was a wonderful year, but our future is so bright and I have lots to look forward to in 2012.
Michael's Future is so Bright... he has to wear shades :)

When I started this blog, I had full intentions of keeping it as current as possible.  I got amazing feedback from those that actual read the blog, and I was really enjoying having some place other than facebook to make my stories and experiences more public.  Almost a year later... and I've failed miserably at keeping up with the blog.  The past couple of weeks, I've thought about it a number of times, and I've finally made myself sit down and write.  Here goes nothing...

I could sit here and do a complete recap of the last 6 months, but that could take a whole lot of time, and I'm sure my millions of fans probably would no longer be fans. I'll summarize the key points... wedding, married life, and school.  Here's to hoping that this is one of very few 'recaps' I will have to do this year, and I can focus on the main reason I started this blog.. to express thoughts and opinions and to let my creative juices flow!

The wedding was absolutely amazing.  Michael and I could not have asked for a more perfect day, it was amazing how loved we truly felt that day.  Not that we don't feel loved any other day, but I still look back and thank God for the help that we had preparing and making our day go smoothly.  It was one of those days/nights that we still talk about and smile.  From our "first look" to Father Linh's silly yet meaningful words to partying it up on the dance floor, I couldn't tell you one thing that I would want to change.  I'm sure I'll be smiling about October 15, 2011 for years to come.  I enjoyed going to the bridal show last Sunday with Jenny to prepare for her big day (yet another wonderful thing that happened in 2011), while the day was about her, I couldn't help but get excited to see Michael and I's vendors (some of which will be at Jenny and Josh's big day).  They were not only a huge help at our wedding, but they had unique perspectives of our special day as well. 


Our beautiful cake.

Jenny's got herself a keeper... can't wait for their wedding!

My Girls.

Our First Look before the Ceremony.. I highly encourage couples to do this!



The boys.

Surrounded by Family!

He LOVED the bubbles.  Michael and I can't wait to sit down and hear his homily again and again.. it was extremely meaningful.

Love him <3!

love my photographers for catching this.

The dance floor was so much fun and always packed!
 Michael and I have settled into married life well, I have to admit looking back at the first couple of weeks/ months... I truly understand what people mean by "the honeymoons over."  I'm not telling you anything that Michael and I haven't talked about together, but it was definitely different settling into a life without wedding planning, living together and worrying about get Michael fully moved into the house... HECK.. I'm not even moved in fully (Dad reminds me of this every time I go over there and I'm hoping he has given up for a little bit about trying to get me to take boxes of my stuff home).  I can confidently say that we overcame these 'adjustments' to life.. and we are excited for our next adventure.  We are talking more and more everyday about the possibility of getting this house on the market, and buying a new, bigger house so we can continue our life together.  I'm excited for this new journey, but know it will probably be a slow process.  We've gotten lots of advice from friends and family, but are open to any additional advice we can get!

School has been very busy this year, but overall I'm MUCH happier than I was last year.  There have been several changes within the building that have made the environment much more enjoyable.  However, I've made it a goal to leave work at work-- and I'm getting better and better at this.  I didn't work on a single school related thing while on winter break, and I've only worked on school stuff once since we've been back from break.  So far I feel like this has NOT affected my teaching, I'm just finding more efficient ways to get things done, and I'm learning that things don't have to be done immediately.  I've become good at keeping one list, not 20, and I think I'm much more pleasant after the work day is done (and hopefully everyone else agrees?!?).  I've made some really positive connections with my students this year (not that I haven't in the past), but it's really helped me focus on why I became a teacher in the first place.  Now if only this can continue.. here's to hoping and trying!

So, I'm leaving this blog feeling like I've caught my millions of followers up on what's been most important in life... 2012 is going to be an exciting year for the Wilson family.  We've got many things already planned, and many that we are hoping to add to the list.  But most importantly, I will remind myself of this:


 "One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this:  To rise above the little things."  ~John Burroughs

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