ready for the adventure of 2012

We had a wonderful time ringing in the New Year with Mom & Dad.

Our celebration included a delicious dinner, bubbly, Sherlock Holmes, Mexican Train, Dollar Store blowers & poppers, sparklers and a midnight kiss

It was a great start to a brand new year.

♥♥♥♥♥

Although… I have to say I have a love/hate relationship with the first month of the year.

On one hand, I would love to forgo the after-Christmas-slump, the drab weather and the flat expanse that is January.

On the other hand, I embrace the opportunity to begin a new year, put a new set of goals on paper and take one step closer to spring.

My goals are to:

love Jesus more
love Matt more
love others more
read more
write more
take care of my body more

Of course, these are just the headlines for each section of my goal list. I am a big proponent of being specific – of spelling out exactly what I intend to accomplished. At the end of the year, I want to know whether I have failed or succeeded.

For example, under my “read more” section, I list this specific goal: read twelve books this year (one book per month, 6 pages per day).

And then I get even more specific and list the books I want to read:

This doesn’t mean that I won’t read more books than this. In fact, I’ve already read one book that isn’t on this list and I’ve started another as well. But I intend to keep up with this list while picking up other books that interest me on the side. Right now I’m halfway through The Divine Commodity.

The point is: I want to read more in 2012. And I know I need a definitive plan to make sure that happens.

♥♥♥♥♥

A little of the food we enjoyed this past week:

(L to R): Cinnamon & Sugar Muffins… Mug Cake… Cottage cheese & crackers… Breakfast Cupcakes… V-Day Sugar Cookies… and Roasted Eggplant Hummus.

I love to cook. And bake. (But I guess that’s not a secret).

I love spending time in the kitchen.

I love Pinterest & Tasty Kitchen. I don’t think I’ll ever draw a blank while menu planning. Ever again.

♥♥♥♥♥

- sister time
- lunch with a friend
- memory verses
- carpooling
- optimism cartoons
- black & white movie night
- Starbucks break with a Lara Bar (my fave)
- taking down the Christmas tree
- typical work days

That’s what the last week and a half held.

In fact, it held so much…I can hardly imagine how much the rest of the year will hold. Seriously.

But this year – 2012 – I feel ready for adventure as never before. Adventure of any kind. I’m excited about what the future holds.

All I can say is, “Bring it on.”

matt ♥ hannah