2012 has certainly been a year! I’m thinking back to the
start and can’t believe just as I rang in 2012 with Bryan, I saw it go and
welcomed 2013 with him. And, this time as his WIFE! Whoa! Getting married has
been, by far, the BEST highlight of 2012 for me (us). So much of 2012 was about him and me. We truly
didn’t know what was going to happen with us until, each moment came to be. And,
that was hard! I’ve mentioned before I will share our entire immigration
process, but I won’t until it’s complete.
Currently, we are days away from our big interview with the Department
of Homeland Security… ugh. Once all is well and done I’ll happily share our
story and experience. For now, I’ll get back to reflecting on 2012 and focusing
on the New Year.
2012 brought some great concerts into my life. I hate that I
can’t remember them all and swear to make a better effort to track in 2013. Sidenote:
note sure if I should worry about my memory… am I losing it at the ripe age of
32? So, here goes what I can recall:
·
Alkaline Trio at Metro
·
Lawrence Arms at Metro (January 7, 2012)
·
Two Gallants at Lincoln Hall
·
The Tossers at Metro
·
O.A.R. at Northerly Island (with my sisters)
·
Bouncing Souls/Menzingers at Metro
·
Menzingers/Bayside/Taking Back Sunday at Lupo’s
in Providence, RI
·
Smoking Popes/Matt Skiba & The Sekrets at
Metro
·
Matt Skiba solo at Double Door
·
Lawrence Arms at Metro (November 24, 2012)
·
A couple good street festivals with good local
music
After looking at this list, the first resolution I’m making
for 2013 is to attend more concerts!! In
that vein, in order for me to attend more concerts I need to be more conscious
of my budget!
I was TERRIBLE with money in 2012. I think with the excitement
of Bryan being in Chicago in conjunction with just wasteful spending, 2012 was
not financially on my side. For 2013, I
need to be more mindful of where the earned money goes. We are now a one income household until Bryan
gets his work authorization card. And, we still don’t know when that might be. So, 2nd resolution for 2013 is to stick
to a budget!
For my 3rd resolution, I’m digging deep to admit
this – I get way too worked up over the little things! I need to relax. I learned some hard lessons in 2012 both in my
personal and professional life. There are many elements/people that come into
our lives that we can’t control. We can ONLY control our reactions and interactions.
This is such an important one for me to apply. I allow insignificant/little things get my
blood boiled only later to learn that person or thing was never worth the
trouble. So, I’m going to let the little
things go and step back to relax when I need to gain perspective!
I’m jumping on the New Year’s bandwagon with my next one,
but nonetheless it’s genuine. I need to continue focusing on my health. I quit
smoking 2 years ago for a reason! My
lungs are still thanking me. What is NOT thanking me is my waistline. I don’t
believe skinny is healthy – but I sure know that I don’t always make the best
food choices nor exercise as much as I should.
Yep, yep, yep, we are all built differently, I know. I also know I need to stay active. I love
working out, well, I guess not THAT much since I’m not really doing so. Ha. I
should say I LOVE working out in a gym or with certain equipment. In November
2011 my gym membership expired and I never renewed it. Given the unknown course Bryan and I were
taking I felt guilty about spending money on the gym.
Yet, in 2012, I justified spending way too much on a fancy dinner or
drinks out? Ugh…
Anyhoo, I told myself that I’d work out at home doing videos
or going out for walks. I even took up running – for about a month and then
stopped. I got bored! Being in a gym keeps me going and my energy high. I still feel I can’t afford the cost of a fancy
health club membership; but thankfully my local park district is MUCH cheaper
and offers the same amenities. Also, this spring I want to join a team of
some sort. I have friends that play on dodge ball, volley ball, softball … any
ball leagues. I want that and imagonna get
it! So, my 4th resolution is
to get back to being active...daily and join a league.
To round out my resolution list, my 5th is to
explore the city I live in more. Chicago is such a great city that doesn’t have
a shortage of free or cheap events. From comedy to museums to music there
always seems to be something. I feel I capitalize more on these offerings in
the summer than any other time, but truth is, who knows how long I’ll be in
Chicago. I should and want to take full advantage while I’m here. Plus, this
keeps in mind with my budget resolution!
It’s truly amazing
what a year can do- how different things can be. Never, ever, ever… ever
underestimate what a year’s time can hold.
Cheers to 2013! Love. Love.
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