Wrapping Up 2011

Apparently the year will roll over in about 15 hours, so it's only fitting to look at what's been done and take stock of it all. It's not like anything great is supposed to happen in 2012 (cough, cough Mayan prophecy of world ending proportions), but still . . . 2011 deserves its due.

At the beginning of the year, I decided to take on all sorts of new projects and "I'm gonna" things. Some were successful, some not so much.

• Project 365 - Take a photo a day. Post it. Relish in it. For the most part, I was pretty successful with this endeavor. Granted, there were days between uploads to Flickr, and occasionally, I forgot to take a photo for the day and had to rely on the iPhone. But for the most part, it was a fun project, and I'm pretty sure that I'll do it again. 
• Project 333 - Look at your clothes. Pare it down to 33 items for three months. Repeat every three months. Sounds daunting but it was probably the best thing I've ever done. I used the relaxed rules because it worked for me. And I didn't include jewelry in my list of 33 items or purses, not because I own so many but because of work. I don't think I'll go back to my old clothing ways since I don't use my dresser any more and have everything in a nice little closet organizer. If you're looking for a project for the new year, this is it. 
• Journaling - I made it to January 4 before I stopped. I've tried repeatedly to journal, and I kinda suck at it. Big time suck at it. Not sure why, but journaling isn't for me. Maybe it works for you, but for me . . . no dice. 
• Big Picture Classes - I signed up for three this year . . . and failed at all three. Granted, I saved all the prompts from Picture Inspiration and One Little Word (more on that one) with the hopes of catching up over the summer, but I never did thanks to the curriculum writing for our cyberschool (still a sore subject). 
• Cooking more - Did I really say that I would? Really? Lasted about as long as journaling . . . but I'm trying to fix that in 2012. 
• One Little Word - I love the concept. I love the prompts. I hate the follow through. My OLW for 2011 was "growth," and I think that I was pretty damn successful with it, even if I didn't follow any of the prompts from the class. I learned how to use my camera better - still have a long way to go - and the 333 concept was amazing. Plus, I think that my life in general was influenced by the word. I'm still mulling over the word for 2012, but I'll figure it out in the next 15 hours.

The Firsts of the Months in 2011

All in all, 2011 was a pretty damn good year. And I'm pretty sure that 2012 will be equally good . . . at least for the first 355 days. Then that whole "Holy shit, the Mayans are coming! The Mayans are coming!" crap could work its magic. But that's almost a whole year from now, right?

Happy New Year's Eve . . . be safe and find someone to smooch when that clocks ticks midnight!

- Jill

Post & run.

I can't get this post out of my head.

I've had an empty Moleskin in my bag since Christmas for this very purpose.

I guess I should crack it open & start writing.

-Erika
p.s. Sorry no pics.

Holding myself accountable & adding to 2011 List already.


21. Fill my Journal on a regular basis.

List for 2011.

Just because I love the colors.  Has nothing to do with the post.  Sorry.

I'm not big on making New Year's resolutions.  Not because I'm afraid of breaking them.  I could really give a fuck.  Not because I don't think I could.  I know I could if I really wanted to.  I'm stubborn.  But because it would require insight & preparation.  I don't think I'm any good with that skill.  Yes, I have a pantry.  If we lost power again for a week, we'd have a good diet of chickpeas, rice, tomatoes, & oatmeal.  But we'd have no toilet paper.  And I'd probably start my period, so I'd have no tampons.  And my cell phone would be dead.  But I do love the idea of resolutions.  You get to begin again.  Start over.  Be the better you.  The You that you really wanted to be the previous year, but gave up on in March.   I feel bad for March.  I believe that every March rolls around & people sort of wake up thinking, "WTF was I thinking for the past two months?"  And they go back to the original version.  The perfectly fine version.

Last year, I knew our lives were going to change in 2010.  I knew this was the year that things would get tossed around.  Cooper was going to start Kindergarten & we'd have two kids in two different places.  Cooper is not one for change, so I knew it wouldn't be easy.  I might have told people I was hoping for the best, but I knew that the best wasn't going to happen.  No resolutions needed for 2010.  Life would be different without trying.  And it was.  It wasn't easy.  But we're in a schedule now.  We're in the groove.  And our 2011 doesn't have any foreseen changes.  That doesn't mean nuttiness or life-changing crap won't happen.  It totally could & will.  Maybe the vasectomy didn't work & I get pregnant (god help us all).  Sickness could attack our house.  Cars could breakdown forever.  Work could stay insanely busy.  But I don't see anything that needs a plan of attack.  So why not create some goals for spice?  Why not?

1. Take a class.  Any class.  Cooking, photography, knitting, yoga, backgammon.
2. Take a photography class.  I'm making sure.
3. Get a passport & get my ass out of this county.  For a break.  Not for good.
4. Do my regular doc visits.  Just because I don't need b.c, doesn't mean I should ignore my Lady Parts.
5. Play skee-ball.  I saw this on another blogger's list & instantly wanted to roll.
6. Floss & moisturize more.
7. Print something really big.  Much larger than 8x10.
8. Go on a trip with my husband.  No boys.  Just him.  The grocery doesn't count.
9. Read more fiction.
10. Cook my way through a cookbook.  Current selection in the queue.
11. Attend a concert.  Anything counts.  I have low standards.  Don't ask how many times I've seen boy bands.
12. Write for someone else.  Craiglist not excluded.
13. Sell off my yarn.  If I'm not knitting, I'm sitting on hundreds of dollars.  Hundreds, people.
14. Get a new hair-cut.  Which means growing, so that takes time.
15. Camping with the boys.
16. Finish one big knit project.  I have too many on my needles.  It's sort of gross.
17. Eat more sushi.
18. Spot someone famous.  Don't judge.  It's fun to see someone & think "Wow.  He's taller." or "Hmm.  Looks the same."
19. Watch the current season of Dexter.  I vowed I wouldn't, but I'd like to.
20.  Add more to this list whenever I feel like it.

That's a good starting point.  I must be able to finish a few of those.  Right?

-Erika