Highlights of 2012

With the end of 2012 drawing near, I began to think about all of the different things that have happened in the last 365(ish) days. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was celebrating the beginning of the year with my husband, our good friends Marie and Greg, and watching the boys set off fireworks. And now that 2013 is right around the corner it will be time to do it all over again. So let's take a look back, shall we?

2012 in review...

-We watched two of our good friends Kristen and Steven say "I do" in February at their gorgeous wedding.

- We took a spur of the moment trip to San Diego to see my sister in law for a few days, and got to go to the San Diego Zoo and Seaworld.

- I crossed off a few goals on my bucket list including visiting the Museum of Death in Hollywood, and flying in my first ever helicopter ride.

- We took a week long trip to Chicago which was a first for all three of us. We did lots of different things there, including some more of my bucket list items like seeing a game at Wrigley and also visiting the Sears Tower.

- I graduated with my AA degree in Paralegal Studies, which I really couldn't have done without the support of my family and my amazing husband.

- My beautiful and adorable nephew was born in June, and I'm so happy that I was able to be there to see him shortly after he arrived. I'm a pretty lucky auntie =)

- Ran in the Color Run in San Francisco, which also included the munchkin looking quite colorful in her stroller. 

- Spent my birthday in Monterey with the husband, which was also our first ever overnight away from Amelia. Luckily she did extremely well!

- Amelia had her Mickey Mouse themed 2nd birthday party with lots of goodies, family, and friends.

- Had my husband receive an awesome birthday surprise of finding out that we are pregnant with #2!

- Celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary by having a nice night out at a fancy restaurant.

- Took another spur of the moment trip to Disneyland.

- Found out that baby number two is definitely a boy!

I'm sure there is more that I missed but these were definitely some of the highlights of our year. Even though there were a few bad points, I would say for the most part that we had a pretty awesome year and that I am very lucky with the life that I have. I'm working on figuring out all the things that I want to accomplish in 2013, for myself and as well as for my little family. I've got some big ideas and some big dreams that we are working on, and I can't wait to see what the new year has in store for us. 

Music that triggers memories...

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." ~ unknown.



One television show that I never miss is The Voice, and this season has been no exception. They are currently down to the final four and I have to say that they have some of my favorite contestants competing. While watching last nights episode a girl named Cassadee Pope did her own rendition of "Stupid Boy" by Keith Urban, that literally had me in tears. I have no clue how it happened but I completely lost it....not to mention pregnancy hormones making me THAT much more emotional these days. Hearing her sing it brought me back to when I was a carefree 18 year old with quite a few less responsibilities and much more free time to explore the world. It reminded me of how I felt during so many of those sleepless nights filled with some of the deepest conversations I've ever had, with people that I don't get to talk to as much anymore. It made me think about how fun it is to be spontaneous (which is much easier to do when you do not have children) and how you can just pick up and go whenever you please. It made me think about what my hopes and dreams are for my own children, and how I want to help push and support them to follow all of their goals and dreams as they get older and grow into adults. Life is filled with so many crazy emotions and I want my children to experience all of them. Even the ones that aren't necessarily fun to feel. They need to feel happiness and excitement as well as sadness and hurt, because those emotions are what remind you that you are alive....just like this song reminded me last night. 



And in case you don't watch the show or missed last night's episode, I have included the clip below so you can see what I'm talking about.  =)

Friday's Letters

Dear 2012,

How is it that you are already almost over? I feel like you came and went so fast.

Dear debt,

Watching you slowly go away and seeing the progress we have made makes me really happy. Hopefully once you are gone, we won't have to meet again.

Dear laundry,

Would it be too much to ask for you to take one for the team and do yourself? Some of us really hate lugging you around.

Dear Christmas presents,

I'm actually really looking forward to wrapping you. Our tree just doesn't seem complete without you underneath it.

Dear dishes,

See: "Dear laundry..."

Dear health insurance,

I sure am grateful to have you after finding out how much my ear infection medication would have cost if you didn't exist. Thank you for saving me over $150.00

Show and Tell Monday....a day late

Coming up with things that I want proved to be a bit more difficult than I actually thought. I really have more things than I truly need and I feel a bit selfish when I think that I might possibly need more stuff. But I suppose there is always something that we want that we think could help to improve our lives. So here we go!

1. A house. Now, to be realistic, the house shown is definitely not what our first place is going to look like. Because we are going to be buying a duplex, I highly doubt it will look like this place. But one day I have high hopes of owning a beautiful house! All in due time =)

2. Pots and pans set. Ours have been getting worn down over the years so I definitely think it's time to replace them. Because we are still in a rental property that doesn't have the nicest stove (aka stuff burns easily) I am going to wait until we buy a place to actually invest our money into a good set. So for now I am on the lookout for a decent set that isn't terribly expensive.

3. Kitchenaid mixer. Because what woman really doesn't want one of these things? I'm not an expert chef by any means, but I think I could whip up some pretty fun stuff with one of these bad boys.

4. Plane tickets. Taking a vacation before baby #2 joins us sounds like a swell idea, but we will have to wait and see. We have gone a few different places already this year (San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc...) so even if a vacation doesn't happen in the near future I won't be too heartbroken. But a "babymoon" before Ben joins our family would be a nice little surprise.

5. Uggs. A pregnant woman's best friend. It is so much nicer to just have to slip on a pair of comfy boots than have to bend over and actually tie shoes. I already have a pair of black uggs that have lasted for quite some time. But because the insides are pretty worn, I want to get another pair to replace them.

What is on your wishlist this year? =)