A Look Back, A Glimpse Ahead : NYE 2012

Did the new year sneak up on anyone else? I can't believe it's already December 30th!

2011 - Quite possibly the most unplanned year of my entire life. One year ago, Jim and I were getting ready to celebrate New Year's Eve with our friends, Elizabeth and Aaron. Eli was just seven months old and I was on my way to getting my pre-baby body back. We thought 2011 would bring us many, many things, but what came along certainly wasn't expected! We had hoped for an acceptance letter to physical therapy school with classes beginning in June. While I was pretty depressed about leaving Eli all day long, I was really looking forward to starting this new journey in my life. Well, as you all know, despite some pretty good grades, I was not accepted into the program and thus began my official position as a stay-at-home-mom. Am I crazy to say that I believe with all my heart this was supposed to happen? The amount of peace I have about all of this just confirms I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Then the biggest doozy of them all. I got pregnant again in January! You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out in February. Just this past Christmas, I told my family that if anyone told me last year that I'd have two babies by 12/25/11, I wouldn't have believed it. Trying to get pregnant? Sure. Freshly knocked up? Probably. But holding a two month old? Absolutely no way! Just goes to show you how much can change in the matter of one year. You walk in to a new year with certain anticipations and walk out with something completely different! I hate the belief that there aren't any more surprises as an adult [said by a lot of women who wait for the gender reveal on baby's birth day] because not only did I get the biggest surprise of my life, I also got one of the BEST surprises of my life at the age of 29.

Because I fell off the physical therapy road, I had to get serious about other career paths. In my heart of hearts, I really wanted to jump head first into my photography business. This past summer I made things official but because I was huge and pregnant I couldn't push the pedal to the metal. But I learned and accomplished a TON. I went to my first photography workshop held by Amy Wenzel, photographed a plethora of kids and families and was introduced to the amazing world of high school seniors portraits. 2011 was a great year photography-wise, not only in the business aspect but also in how much I've grown.

What else? Oh yes. Can't forget that I turned thirty in August! How on earth did that happen?

I'm not one to really lay out a bunch of goals for the new year. And with two kids it's going to be nearly impossible to hold myself to such high standards! But I'd like to make a list of things to look forward to in 2012. Like I said, these aren't resolutions or even goals that HAVE to be met. Just a few ideas of what I'd like to see...

1. Turn some of those Pinterest ideas into the real deal. Maybe attempt something once a month. A wall gallery here, a DIY craft there. Whatever sparks my interest.

2. Continue to follow the Paleo lifestyle and incorporate more of what I've learned into my daily life. Eat wholesome foods. Work out quick but intense. And just slow down and enjoy life more.

3. Take and KEEP more photos. Sometimes when you're behind the camera for clients, you tend to shun the idea of taking pictures for yourself. But I don't want to let these precious years with my babies get by me and so I'm going to make it a point to shoot like crazy. In that same breath, I'm not going to delete a picture just because it's not perfect. Who cares if it's blurry, tinted orange or composed incorrectly? If it's of my children, it's perfect in my eyes.

4. Read the Bible more. At the beginning of this year I started a great daily study called "Live a Praying Life". I stuck with it for a while but when morning sickness hit, I didn't have the energy or motivation to wake up before Eli and get in some quiet time. Sadly, I've yet to finish this book and now seems like a good time to get back on track.

5. Consistently and passionately teach Eli and Gabriella about Jesus. Teach them to pray. Show them how to live a Godly life. The most important thing and the one I fear I will fail the most at.

6. Fall more in love with Jim. Thankfully I've married a wonderful man and we still have a great marriage. It's just that at times the daily grind can get in the way of romance and the enjoyment of each other. I'd like to surprise my hubby with dates and show him how much I'm still crazy about him. I'm going to make it a point to turn the computer off, forget the TV and spend more time with the man I married.

7. NOT get pregnant! Haha! Sorry, just had to throw that one in there. It was supposed to be funny but believe me, there's truth to it :) I'm pretty sure I can say you won't be seeing any pregnancy announcements on this blog in 2012.

8. Focus, focus, focus and grow, grow, grow my photography business. This is where things tend to get scary! There's something nerve wracking about putting your business goals out there for all the world to see. But just know that ideas and plans are in the works. I'm hoping to enter a new area of photography [not weddings!] and plan on perfecting newborn portraits after I attend a workshop held by Keri Meyers in April. I've decided that instead of running away from my fears, I'm going to face them head on. I'm going to research, buy samples and offer all those "specialty" items I feel my work is unworthy of: mini accordion books, story boards and wall collages. I'm not going to let fear get in my way anymore!

9. Repaint and redecorate most rooms in this house which sort of goes with the Pinterest idea. Jim and I have talked a bit about the small changes we'd like to see in this house. We're definitely not going to spend money like crazy but a fresh coating of paint here and some new decorations there should be enough to give our home a new feel.

10. Blog more. I've been so sporadic in my writing these past few years and I'd really like to make this blog more of a priority. I didn't write about Jim's and my trip to New York this past May. I didn't document Gabriella's first Christmas. I love how I've preserved many memories these past few years but I've also missed a lot and that's hopefully about to change.

Happy New Years, friends! How do you all feel about this past year? Any plans for 2012?