1.04.2012

2011 - quick rundown by month

I know a few people who do this.  I thought I would start doing it as well.  Here is a rundown of my month to month activities, the highlights and main events.

JANUARY

P90X going strong, trained for UPL with the Military that sent me to Texas for a weekend.  Got attacked by a feral cat and had to get rabies shots.  A couple of weeks of trying to trap cat with no dice.  Cat still at large.  Briefly go back to work at the air port cleaning airplanes.  Husband surprises me with tickets to Hawaii for our one year anniversary.  Snowmobiling!

FEBRUARY

Continuing series of Rabies shots.  Husband leaves for the first time for a week.  Finish working at the airport and put in my two weeks notice for good.  Decide to see if I can make it work as a photographer and work on my portfolio.  More Snowmobiling!

MARCH

Go train to be a Unit Computer Tech in Vancouver, WA for a weekend, spend some time with my Aunt Renee.  Get my first suspicions I am pregnant while there.  Come home, take a pregnancy test, have it confirmed at the hospital.  Because of miscarriage, don't tell anyone about it except for husband.  Get in to see Midwife right away.  No longer snowmobiling, brother figures out I'm pregnant.  A few horse friends figure it out too.

APRIL

Find out last minute that Husband has to go to Military school during the week we are to be in Hawaii, trip gets delayed.  Wait until week 8 to inform the family of pregnancy.  Learn that cat naps are a beautiful thing, also experience Morning Sickness.  Find baby chicks at Big R and bring home six.  Two weeks later, bring home six more.  Spend the next six weeks away from hubby.  Not happy about it but deal.

MAY

Lots of sleep.  Trouble finding things to eat.  Pregnancy continues.  Make the Facebook announcement at 12 weeks along.  feel the baby kick at insanely early.  Husband returns from school at end of month and heads out of town promptly thereafter for work.

JUNE

Husband returns from out of Town, we got to HAWAII!!!  See my cousin on Oahu and then head over to the big island where I meet his extended family.  Tour the big island by Camper Van.  Awesome time!

JULY

Fourth of July in Hilo HI.  Come home and find out we're having a girl!  Husband leaves again.  Balderdash.  Cheney Rodeo, lot's of fun!  Family reunion in Seaside OR where Husband shows off his impressive wind surfing skills.

AUGUST

Helena MT for the Army, I still fit in my ACUs?  Start Hypnobirthing classes.  Start school, since I have nothing better to do.  good friend gets married, Husband best man

SEPTEMBER

Impromptu maternity session.  Husband in and out.  Bleh. 

OCTOBER

Baby Shower!. . . get's promptly canceled when I find myself having preterm labor.  figure baby's arrival is imminant.  Aunt comes and visits.  Halloween is lackluster this year, I dress up as a pregnant girl.

NOVEMBER

Impatince is the story of my life first half of month.  Fed up with Roosters beating up my hens and butcher them.  Baby comes at exactly 40 weeks, right on schedule.  Healthy and beautiful.  Try to go to Portland for Thanksgiving, can't make it.  Decorate for the holidays.  Spend rest of month at home recooperating with baby.  Husband has time off.  I get pampered.  Life is good.

DECEMBER

Holidays are approaching, difficulty shopping for christmas on account of newborn.  Christmas low key.  I feel better.  New Years at Wolf's Lodge with the family.

Maybe next year i'll go into greater detail, complete with pics, but that just about does it.  I guess with a baby, life is just a little more busy for me right now.  :)

Resolutions 2011/2012 edition

This year started with all sorts of hopes and goals, I started with 15 resolutions. Turns out one trumped the rest. How did I do for 2011?

Well, the first four are related.

1. Run Bloomsday at close to an hour - I didn't even run bloomsday.

2. Leadman - A triathlon that is ski/bike/run.  Was tempted to try, glad I didn't. 

3. Pattern Racing - You take a horse and do various gaming events on them.  I have the horse, but other obstacles were in my way.

4. Trail Challenge, Ride and Ties - Another horse related set of events. 

5. Concealed Weapons Permit - Really no excuse, but I think I will have this one written down so I don't forget.  I really need to get this knocked out.

6. Motorcycle License - It will be some time before I get this task done.  I still want to do it.

7. Finish P90X - We made it to week 6.  Then a couple of events happened that put us on hiatus and then ultimately quitting. 

8. Go Canyoneering - We were planning a trip to Southern Utah, this sounds like a lot of fun.  But alas, just didn't happen.

9. Start writing a children's book - have an idea, but it just didn't materialize.  Maybe one day I'll sit down and do it. 

10. Employment - This is amber, because it wasn't a true job.  I worked my graveyard shift for a couple more weeks and than ultimately quit.  I also put my camera to work, though only a handful of jobs.  I didn't actively pursue my photography, but I really would like too.  I do need to look for an actual, steady job.  Still have the army reserves, though that didn't pan out like it usually does.

11. Learn to cook at least one new meal every month, if not every week - I actually was able to learn a few meals this year, but it wasn't as frequent as I would like.  I kept going back to old stand bys. 

12. 24 hour comic - Do 24 comics in 24 hours, from start to finish.  I don't think it will ever happen.  If I do it, I do it.  I'm just not going to do it any time soon.  No use putting it up as a resolution.

13. Get back into painting - I got the paints out, planned a painting, and put paint to canvas.  I then gessoed over what I did because it was awful.  I at least got into my paints.  Maybe I'll do better next year?

14. Organize my studio space - This is a constant work in progress, but it is further along now than it was last year. 

15. Get Pregnant - To explain last year's resolution, let's just write down what I wrote last year.  "Depending on when this happens, this might but make a lot of my other resolutions go red."  Indeed it did.  I got pregnant within two months of writing this list and everything about went red.  But it was worth it.  I got an adorable little munchkin to show for it.

This year will undoubtedly be different from years previous because of my munchkin, and it will actually be more typical of the traditional new years resolutions.  I am realizing I'm older, I'm married, and now I have a child.  Everything changes.  My resolutions are going to be a little more responsible and oriented toward my family then before.

1. Regularly attend church - over the last decade, I've been a bit of a heathen in regards to this task.  The thing is, I feel better about myself when i go regularly, and I can totally use the networking and support it provides especially when my husband deploys and leaves me to myself.  Fortunately i do have my family, but friends are good too, and it's a firm foundation of morals and values I want to raise my daughter in.  I'm off to a good start so far.

2. Get back into shape - Yes, the infamous and infernal 'exercise' resolution that everyone puts on their list and nobody accomplishes.  Well, baby is out of the oven, I did fairly well with my pregnancy but I definitely have some toning to do.  Plus, Army mandates it, and i'll feel better about myself. 

2.5 Pass PT test first time out - I have to take a diagnostic PT test six months after giving birth.  I want to smoke that thing.

3. Run at least 5 races - Bloomsday, mud races, 5ks, half marathons, triathlons, whatever.  This year I want to get into running.  I'm using my sister and my sister in law for motivation.  I just want to get into running. 

4. Horse Events - This is pattern racing, trail challenges and the like.  I'm going to try these with Breezy this year, if munchkin allows.  I will most likely have to have either a baby sitter or somebody to assist in my endeavours.

5. Meal Planning - I actually tried couponing this year.  It ended in an abysmal failure, that and it's just quite time consuming.  I've decided to change gears, and it's just healthier in the long run, and saves money when you don't buy stuff that goes bad because you don't use it.  That's the goal at least.  And it goes with resolution 11 from last year. 

6.  Breast feed at least 6 months - that gives me until May.  I want to shoot for as long as I can, but going for 6 months minimum. 

7. Agility Training with Scooby - this dog was born to do Agility events.  I want to do them with her.  There is a local dog circuit in town that teaches agility training and allows owners and their dogs to compete.  I don't intend on doing it for anything more than for fun, but I would like to learn how to do it and teach her how to do it. 

8. Get a job that coincides with staying home with Baby - I don't want to pay a baby sitter to take care of my baby.  It doesn't have to be anything grand, making six figures a year or anything like that.  Just a little extra to supplement our income while I take care of infant.  likely a telecommuter job.

9. Get an A in classes while sticking with school - I feel I'm pretty close to getting my Bachelors for once.  Army is paying for it.  Why not?  I go to school online, so I hope I can keep up with it and a baby.  So far so good! 

10. Work on baby Number 2 - By years end, I hope to be pregnant again.  We want two kids, and we want them close in age.  Hope it doesn't happen before September, as that's when we'll start working on it.  If it doesn't happen this year, hopefully it will happen early next year.

That sounds like a good list of resolutions for me to work on.  Here's looking at a fabulous 2012!

2011 in review

Despite how little, or how much I blog, I will always do my review of my year. 

This year, I'm going to add a little extra.  A month by month account of how my year went.  Coming in a blog post near you.

01. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?

Hmm. . . thinking.  . . :P

Give birth of course, nothing anyone tells you can prepare you for childbirth, and men really can't understand

02. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

One event probably skewed a lot of my resolutions for last year (will detail in a post immediately following) and yes, I have a lot of resolutions for this coming year.

03. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Hmm. . .

Actually, I know quite a few.  a couple of cousins, a niece and a friend of mine all had babies, but one did come near and dear to me. 

04. Did anyone close to you die?

At this moment, I can't think of any deaths.  I'd feel very foolish if I was wrong on this account. 

05. What countries did you visit?

No countries other than the US of A, however, one more state was knocked off my to visit list, the great island state of Hawaii!  That brings my total to 46!

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

Exercise.

07. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

A handful. Of course, one big one, November 15th.  I will write this date down multiple times for the rest of my life I am guessing.

08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Natural Childbirth.  believe me, it is a HUGE achievement.  I wanted to cave in bad, but I managed to do it unmedicated.  I can't take full credit, my friend Pam the Doula and my mother and sisters were a huge help in making me achieve this goal.

09. What was your biggest failure?

This is a tough one.  I guess not getting that stupid possibly rabid cat, which is still at large.  Also, was going to put in a garden.  It didn't happen this year.  But then again, this was a horrid year for gardening, so I have heard.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Child birth, and the consequences produced from baring an 8 pound baby naturally.  And of course, getting attacked by a feral cat. 

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My husband got us a trip to hawaii, definitely the best thing we bought :)

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

No idea, but I'm guessing I can say Yay me for going Natural!

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Multiple Politicians.  I am very disappointed in our current crop of presidential candidates

14. Where did most of your money go?

Towards an infant I guess.  I got into the nesting bug pretty bad.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

For November to come around so I could hold my little munchkin in my arms.

16. What songs will always remind you of 2011?

You know, there are so many stupid songs out on the radio today.  I'm focusing on oldies I think, becuase I've been listening to a lot of soft music to calm infant.  I really like Adele, I guess her music will.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

Definitely happier

ii. Thinner or fatter?

Ugh, Fatter.  Granted I just had a baby so give me a break.  Overall I'm doing well, just have to lose a few more pounds and tone!

iii. Richer or poorer?

Poorer financially, (barely) just because we have more things to support, namely an infant, but we're still doing very well.  Richer in all other ways.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

More prepping for the baby, namely in organizing the house and getting my affairs in order.  I would have also liked to have done a garden.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Slept, but it was a necessity when you are pregnant.  I spent the first trimester taking four hour naps and they were spectacular.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Christmas eve with my folks and family, Christmas morning with my husband and daughter, and christmas afternoon with his family.  We just about missed christmas together and almost had to delay it.  Very low key holiday season, it was nice though. 

22. Did you fall in love in 2011?

Yes :)  Madly in love

23. rescinded due to pointlessness (what can I put here in place of this question?)

24. What were your favourite TV programs?

Sister got me hooked on Dexter.  Netflix has been key to introducing us to discontinued shows like My Name Is Earl and No Ordinary Family.  Watched Jericho after I had Kaia.  Been watching Star Trek, The Next Generation off and on when I have some time to kill with the baby.  Still, not much of a TV watcher, especially now that I'm getting my energy back. 

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Juvenile question.  I guess I still despise the cat that maimed me

26. What was the best book you read?

Don't read a whole lot, so I guess The Hunger Games

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

The Lullaby setting on Pandora (though the ads ruin the vibe)

28. What did you want and get?

A healthy pregnancy and a bouncing baby

29. What did you want and not get?

We do want a boy, but I'm absolutely thrilled with my daughter.  Also, a hypnobirth and more time with my husband
30. What was your favourite film of this year?

Haven't watched a lot, but I really liked Limitless, also Harry Potter.  Buck was fantastic. 

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Went to a breast feeding support group with my week old daughter, then went home and my husband made me dinner and gave me a Nook.  I turned 31.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

My husband being home more, but alas, that is part of the hazards of being married to the military.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Lounge Pants and Oversized T-Shirts. 

34. What kept you sane?

There's always something to do.  I can't die of boredom where I live. 
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most?

This is a difficult question for me for some reason.  I'm sure there was one but I can't think of any. 

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

I guess how dumb the GOP field is.  I tried to remain current without getting to stirred up with politics, being pregnant I wanted to keep myself in a mellow easy going mood and nothing gets your blood pumping like Politics. 

37. Who did you miss?

My husband, who was missing half of the year

38. Who was the best new person you met?

A little girl named Kaiana

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

Family is what Life is All About

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"I got You Babe!"