2011 has been one hell of a whirlwind year for me… bought a house, got engaged, got married (is anyone else thinking about the nightmares I’m going to have when tax time comes?).  I thought it might be appropriate to share with you guys five things that have left an imprint on me this year, and as a bonus, I’ll share a few things I’m looking forward to in 2012.

We bought a house… which means we learned everything there is to know about the following things: polybutylene plumbing (stay far away from this stuff), drafting offers (after all, we put 8 offers on 8 different houses before actually buying ours), refinishing cabinets, picking paint and painting walls (and ceilings accidentally), HOA dues (and don’ts), home inspections, how to break into your house when your mother accidentally locks your garage door and no one has keys, home warranties, making curtains out of a tablecloth (thanks to MIL), saving money, spending money, hating money…

The buck doesn’t necessarily always stop with family. It sounds all Debbie Downer of me, but weddings really do bring out the worst (and the best, fret not) in people.  Between deciding to cut my SIL out of our lives, to going through tough times with my grandmother during our engagement, I learned that family doesn’t always mean forever, nor does it mean that life will be smooth skateboarding on flat ground.  Quite the opposite, in fact. People will be people; the good ones will stick around and make relationships worthwhile, the not-so-good ones will weed themselves out eventually and there’s no sense in fretting and stressing over it. It’s just the way life works.

I learned to put my husband first. It’s not something that just comes naturally, you know.  I know, I know… no one tells you that (just like no one tells you the truth about childbirth or being preggers… these are just things in life that we must learn on our own).  I’ve always loved Mr. Man, but the adjustment after we got married was just unexpected: suddenly HE was my family. I’m thrilled with that, but it took some getting used to.  ”My Family” didn’t come home for Christmas; and by “my family,” I mean my parents… Mom corrected me.  ”My Family” is now my husband.  In 2011, we learned to be each other’s people.  If this doesn’t make sense, just go with it. Happy New Year.

I need to take control of my life back.  I was a bit irresponsible whilst wedding planning. Dieting and working out went out the window, as did budgeting (not for the wedding, for other stuff).  2011 was the year that I gained weight back and spent a wee bit too much.  Now that I’m at my heaviest, I’ve decided to regain control and lose a ton of weight so that I can be at my healthiest and lightest when we decide to start trying for bambinos. I’ll do it, and blog it. Watch me.

Honesty is the best policy. I used to be totally non-confrontational. This led to me keeping tons of feelings inside and being unhappy.  I’ve always been an honest, frank, blunt and totally straight-forward person, and this transformation has been a long time in the making: this year, I’ve been so proud of how ballsy I’ve gotten.  If I have a problem with someone or something, I talk about it.  It’s taken a lot, and I think that I owe this to both the kids I coach and to Mr. Man.  I grew a pair, decided to be courageous, and not settle anymore.  This helped me in planning our wedding, buying our house, being married in general, and even at work.  It’s awesome, freeing, stellar and I’m never going back to sitting on my feelings and thoughts.  I may come across as a total asshole sometimes, but work with me, I’m  honing this and working on being a little less abrasive, while maintaining my honest frank-ness

 

In 2012, I will:

• Lose at least 35lbs
• Paint all of the doors and molding in my house (they’re currently off-white, I want them white, dammit)
• Finish all wedding Thank You notes (I’m about half way done)
• Save more money

Promise.

 

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