2012 in Review
1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? We finally got chickens!! It's been a lot of fun!
2. Did you keep your New Years resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I always resolve to try and eat healthier and exercise more. And I do a little bit better every year. (That’s what I posted the last two years and it applies to this year as well!).
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Genevieve gave birth to a sweet little girl, Tirzah, and my friend, Sarah, gave birth to little Charlotte.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thank you, Lord.
5. What countries did you visit? None, but we came thiiis close to visiting Montreal in October. Just didn't work out.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? I want to take more pictures this year. I failed MISERABLY in that regard. It was really sad.
7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Honestly, not a single date stands out and that's okay by me. Sometimes, no news is good news!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting myself and my family on a super healthy diet. I've been wanting to step things up for a while and this was the year.
9. What was your biggest failure? I didn’t lose those last 10 pounds!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? We were sick for a full two weeks before Christmas. One by one, we each got the flu. But we survived and still had a blessed Christmas.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Our new deck. The old one was honestly a hazard. We saved up and paid for our new deck out-of-pocket and it was a great feeling.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Ben, again this year. He made a commitment to put our family first more. He's been good at leaving work home, spending more time with the boys, and helping more around the house. He's also been hugely supportive of our new eating habits.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The CT school shooting was pretty depressing and the resulting media frenzy regarding firearms was also pretty sad.
14. Where did most of your money go? Our deck was our biggest expense this year, for sure!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? My sister, Chelsea, is engaged to an awesome guy that we really, really like. My other sister, Anna, is dating a new guy who is really cool. Also, our TX friends, Brandon and Erin, now own a home here in MO. Just an hour away! It's nice to see people I care about happy.
16. What song will always remind you of 2012? Honestly? Gangham Style. I know, it's terrible, but Gabe heard it and started singing it all the time, with his own lyrics. Kills me!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. We are more settled this year. We are this close to having both vehicles paid off. No nasty surprises.
ii. thinner or fatter? A couple pounds lighter!
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, I guess. No more money in our account than last year, but we are SO close to having only our Mortgage debt hanging over our heads!
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Hosting family and friends. Our new house is inexpensive...but it's SMALL. This year we have plans to do some renovations to give us a bit more room.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? FB and television. I did crack down and give up on FB for a month, but I need to do the same for TV, too.
20. How will you be spending the Winter? Planning my garden and planning and planning home renovations. Getting together with B&E since they are so close.
22. Did you fall in love in 2012? Same loves as always. :)
23. What was your favorite month of 2012? December. Despite being sick we still had a good Christmas and we've even had some snow!
24. What was your favorite TV program? We started watching The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, and Once Upon a Time. All funny shows.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope. Not a hater, such a waste of time.
26. What was the best book you read? Grace for the Good Girl and Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Two amazing books!
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? We really like Mumford and Sons.
28. What did you want and get? I've been wanting chickens forever! We've been trying to get B&E here for years. So, overall, a pretty good year!
29. What was your favorite film of this year? The last Dark Knight movie, Avengers, and Hunger Games.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Ben was sick, so not much. But I did get an awesome cake and bookshelves from IKEA. I turned 32.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Making more homeschooling friends. We hardly know anyone here and Luke desperately needs friends.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? I actually went ahead and bought a few new things. I also forced myself to go through every single item of clothing and get rid of stuff I don't love. Moving in the right direction.
33. What kept you sane? Prayer and journaling.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? None, unless you count Ron Paul. But he’s not a celebrity – he’s the real deal.
35. What political issue stirred you the most? The election. The fiscal cliff. Second Amendment issues.
36. Who did you miss? Our friends. We need new friends!
37. Who was the best new person you met? We met a nice couple at our church who now host our life group. We also met more neighbors who we really like.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012: I've learned a lot about the depths of grace. I'me learning to focus more on my relationship with God and seeing how he leads me and fills in the gaps for me. I don't have to try so hard. I don't have to be so much. If I trust in him, the pieces just fall into place.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave
Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed
All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
Because I don't have to be the old man inside of me
'Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same
And a hope that will carry me home
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be
Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be
Jesus, I'm not who I used to be
'Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed
2. Did you keep your New Years resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I always resolve to try and eat healthier and exercise more. And I do a little bit better every year. (That’s what I posted the last two years and it applies to this year as well!).
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Genevieve gave birth to a sweet little girl, Tirzah, and my friend, Sarah, gave birth to little Charlotte.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thank you, Lord.
5. What countries did you visit? None, but we came thiiis close to visiting Montreal in October. Just didn't work out.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? I want to take more pictures this year. I failed MISERABLY in that regard. It was really sad.
7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Honestly, not a single date stands out and that's okay by me. Sometimes, no news is good news!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting myself and my family on a super healthy diet. I've been wanting to step things up for a while and this was the year.
9. What was your biggest failure? I didn’t lose those last 10 pounds!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? We were sick for a full two weeks before Christmas. One by one, we each got the flu. But we survived and still had a blessed Christmas.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Our new deck. The old one was honestly a hazard. We saved up and paid for our new deck out-of-pocket and it was a great feeling.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Ben, again this year. He made a commitment to put our family first more. He's been good at leaving work home, spending more time with the boys, and helping more around the house. He's also been hugely supportive of our new eating habits.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The CT school shooting was pretty depressing and the resulting media frenzy regarding firearms was also pretty sad.
14. Where did most of your money go? Our deck was our biggest expense this year, for sure!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? My sister, Chelsea, is engaged to an awesome guy that we really, really like. My other sister, Anna, is dating a new guy who is really cool. Also, our TX friends, Brandon and Erin, now own a home here in MO. Just an hour away! It's nice to see people I care about happy.
16. What song will always remind you of 2012? Honestly? Gangham Style. I know, it's terrible, but Gabe heard it and started singing it all the time, with his own lyrics. Kills me!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. We are more settled this year. We are this close to having both vehicles paid off. No nasty surprises.
ii. thinner or fatter? A couple pounds lighter!
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, I guess. No more money in our account than last year, but we are SO close to having only our Mortgage debt hanging over our heads!
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Hosting family and friends. Our new house is inexpensive...but it's SMALL. This year we have plans to do some renovations to give us a bit more room.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? FB and television. I did crack down and give up on FB for a month, but I need to do the same for TV, too.
20. How will you be spending the Winter? Planning my garden and planning and planning home renovations. Getting together with B&E since they are so close.
22. Did you fall in love in 2012? Same loves as always. :)
23. What was your favorite month of 2012? December. Despite being sick we still had a good Christmas and we've even had some snow!
24. What was your favorite TV program? We started watching The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, and Once Upon a Time. All funny shows.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope. Not a hater, such a waste of time.
26. What was the best book you read? Grace for the Good Girl and Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Two amazing books!
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? We really like Mumford and Sons.
28. What did you want and get? I've been wanting chickens forever! We've been trying to get B&E here for years. So, overall, a pretty good year!
29. What was your favorite film of this year? The last Dark Knight movie, Avengers, and Hunger Games.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Ben was sick, so not much. But I did get an awesome cake and bookshelves from IKEA. I turned 32.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Making more homeschooling friends. We hardly know anyone here and Luke desperately needs friends.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? I actually went ahead and bought a few new things. I also forced myself to go through every single item of clothing and get rid of stuff I don't love. Moving in the right direction.
33. What kept you sane? Prayer and journaling.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? None, unless you count Ron Paul. But he’s not a celebrity – he’s the real deal.
35. What political issue stirred you the most? The election. The fiscal cliff. Second Amendment issues.
36. Who did you miss? Our friends. We need new friends!
37. Who was the best new person you met? We met a nice couple at our church who now host our life group. We also met more neighbors who we really like.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012: I've learned a lot about the depths of grace. I'me learning to focus more on my relationship with God and seeing how he leads me and fills in the gaps for me. I don't have to try so hard. I don't have to be so much. If I trust in him, the pieces just fall into place.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave
Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed
All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
Because I don't have to be the old man inside of me
'Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same
And a hope that will carry me home
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be
Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be
Jesus, I'm not who I used to be
'Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed
Comments
Post a Comment