My hopes for 2012

It's funny that when I asked my blogging friends to help with guest posts on New Year's resolutions, I hadn't thought about my own at all. After reading through them all, my mind started ticking away at what I'm hoping for the next year.

I started by going through last year's resolutions and honestly? I think I did pretty good. My goals were pretty simple: read, run, stress less, focus on the positive and get dressed up more. When I think back to January, I really have made a lot of progress. Less PJs, more stories tucked into the folds of my brain and a little less tightly wound. But I didn't ever do a fishtail braid! Drat!

Much like last year, I'm going to keep it simple. Lots of the goals will be the same.

I want to keep running. I'm working through Couch to 5K and for the first time since before I was pregnant with Meredith, I think I can stick with it.

I want to keep reading. Reading just makes me happy.


I'd like to purge my closet and really work on only keeping and buying items that I really like (not just things that are on sale and, therefore, cute-ish).

I'd like to keep exploring our new area by visiting Lake Tahoe and/or Yosemite. I'd also love to visit wine country and Big Sur. I'm looking forward to some West Coast camping.

I hope to give more attention to my marriage. Raising a toddler plus the fatigue that settles into my bones after a long day often results in Chris not getting the best of my attention. And oh, how I love that man. He deserves the best.

I hope to keep working on staying present with Meredith. It is so easy to get distracted with household chores or even this blog, but I want to be more engaged with my little lady in the little moments of our day.

I hope to strengthen and deepen the new friendships I've made here, and afar.

I think that about covers it. If I can achieve most of these things I think it will be a successful year.

Honeymooning

This time 4 years ago we were up in the air en route to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We spent a week laying in the sun, eating yummy foods, enjoying bottomless drinks and savoring the moments of our first week as a married couple. The thrill of waking up next to my husband combined with the surreal feeling that we had been doing so forever will remain one of my favorite parts of that week. It was a week in paradise with my very best friend. We got to explore, be lazy, talk, laugh. I think that's the first time I felt like an adult and I was so excited to have Chris has my partner. I really hope one day we make it back to that resort. It was such a special place to us- our first days a married couple.

just landed in cancun!

probably our favorite dinner of the trip

we ate well all week. all-inclusive is so fun!

we rented a jeep over on cozumel & spent the day exploring the island

our last breakfast. this is one of my favorite ever pics of my husband :)

sad to be heading home

Did you go on a honeymoon? Where did you go and would you want to go back? If you haven't honeymooned, where do you dream of going?

If I was made of money, I would love to go here one day:

 

A Little Video

If you didn't get enough of our wedding from my first post today, here is a quick wedding day recap video. I loved this video when we first got it, and while I still do, I now see the major cheesiness. So, pardon the neon shapes that will randomly encircle our faces throughout and try to just see the looooove :)

Wedding Clip from Claire Traganos on Vimeo.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a happy new year! May this year bring many happy moments and not too many sad.


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A Year in Review

2010 was absolutely the most life-changing year of my life. Getting married, graduating college and getting my first job all in 2007 was very life-changing, but becoming a mom takes the cake. 2010 has been a fantastic year. I loved being pregnant, giving birth was incredible and now, watching my little baby grow is a daily joy.

I have fallen more in love with my husband as I've watched him be a dad. I have increased love and respect for my parents, now that I have become a parent myself. I have greater gratitude for my siblings as they have loved my daughter like their own. I have more appreciation for those friends who have provided the much needed extra encouragement and support in this journey of motherhood. I am much less quick to judge, because somehow, being a mom makes your heart bigger and more open to love and less open to hate. These changes? I can't take credit for them. I cannot boast. It's Meredith. It's being a mom. I am a better person (i think, i hope) at the end of 2010 because of this little baby that has entered my life and irrevocably changed me. So, without further ado, I give you the big events in our 2010 life.

Seeing our baby for the first time in February:




Moved to a new, bigger apartment:


Went on a babymoon to Puerto Rico!


Set up the nursery in April & May:






Camping in May, at 36 weeks pregnant :)


Dave Matthews Band concert at 38 weeks pregnant:


Installing the car seat! This made her arrival feel so close.


Our last date night before baby. Seafood on the harbor, Mike's cannolis while sitting along the Charles River. It was heavenly:


My water broke at 3:30 am, laboring in the hospital, waiting to meet Meredith:


Fresh out the oven!


And then we were three:


Lots of fun and chillin' in the summertime:




First airplane ride in September:


Meeting her great grandparents on my side:


Her first camping trip:




Apple picking!




Pumpkins:




First trip to Parker's Maple Barn:


Halloween :)




Thanksgiving in Abilene:


Getting our first tree at a family of three:


Christmas eve:

Me, 2010

Cjane inspired me to do a rather self-involved 2010 reflection post. Today's is a picture blog of the changes I've gone through. I'll have another "big events" post later on, but today is about me :)

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December