Life By Kristen

2012 in Review

I love the end of year review of books, movies, etc. just as much as I love the excitement and anticipation of the new year coming up. It reminds me of the great things & gives me things to look forward to for the upcoming year.

2012 was the first year I really thought about what I wanted to improve and work on in life. Making a list of attainable goals with clear action items was helpful in keeping things in focus and remembering what was important to me.

As far as goals go, I did alright. Here’s the breakdown:

Tackle at least three items on my 30×30 list: I did 9.5 on my list! The half is for #30 which is to digitize the family 8mm home movies and photographs. For Christmas, my brother and I had the 8mm films done, but not the photographs. Go check out my list to see what I’ve done and what I’m still working on.

Donate hair to Locks of Love: Completed in October!

Read 50 books: This, sadly, I did not complete, falling just 9 shy of my goal. I mostly did not finish because I picked a few books that were a bit tough to get through, but I’m happy with how I challenged myself with reading new genres and things outside my comfort zone. Had I included books I read for work on this it is well over 50, but I wanted to read 50 ‘fun’ books outside of work time.

Create a weekly Pinterest item: This was sort of a success. I made A LOT of new recipes from Pinterest, but with travel and various work things going on, there were a lot of weeks when I did not make new items or do any DIY projects. I’ll call this a half success.

Work on my writing: Again, sort of a half success. I did more writing this year than in years past, but not as much as I wanted, especially neglecting the blog sometimes. This is one goal that is carrying over to 2013 and might just be a perpetual do better in life item.

Better communication with friends: I think I did pretty well on this front, though I did not make plans and go out with friends as much as I should have. I did work on getting in touch with people who I had lost contact with and made a few long overdue apologies and explanations to friends and family over various things. Definitely something to continue to work on.

I also tried to make small improvements every month with things like drinking more water, getting up with alarm instead of hitting snooze, etc. I definitely have achieved a lot of these things and integrated them into my life. Some of them- like painting & going for walks- are now things that I really enjoy and seek out in my non working time.

Overall 2012 was a big year- I own my house by myself, divorce was finalized, regained my name, and traveled more than ever before. I did more house projects, met a lot of new people through the interwebs, attended a blog conference, and found happiness in the small, simple things. 2012 was a year of grand and glorious things, sadness & madness, but it was a great first year of my new life and I know 2013- the year I turn 30 (woo!) will be filled with just as much awesome and sparkle.

Wishing you and yours a happy & healthy 2013!