Happy New Year! 2012 in Review

I have a lot to be thankful for over the past year, but I can’t help but be glad that 2012 is over.

I graduated from college in December of 2011 with a B.A. in English. For some reason, this seems like part of 2012 to me. It was a milestone in my life that has lead to big changes in 2012, I think that’s why it feels like it was part of 2012.

Hubby and I headed out to my hometown to spend Christmas with my brother, and that’s when we got some terrible news. 2012 began with a rocky start with my father in law being near death in the hospital. It was a stressful time for the whole family.

After his recovery was determined, hubby and I headed out for a cruise to Key West, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. It was a wonderful trip and fun to see a different part of the world.

I also made the move to AJourneyToThin.com in the month of January.

February was pretty mundane, but I did try out my first group exercise class. I haven’t done something like this again since—I wish I lived closer to a bigger town!

In retrospect, switching from counting WW points to counting calories was a big mistake. But I started that in February! Hello 20 lbs. heavier in 2013…

In March, I started training for a 10K. I made it up to running 4 miles, but for some reason, the plan fell to the wayside. I think I got sick, etc. etc. I hope to pick this up sometime this year again.

Looking back on my posts from April, I can see this is the month I began to really start struggling. I started my new job as a part time reporter at the end of April.

In May, I admitted that I had started to gain weight.

I was able to attend a ceremony in which my grandpa was honored as a Marine vet. Precious memories.

As the weather started to get nicer, hubby and I went on a 20 mile bike ride. Unfortunately, this was one of the few bike rides we took due to being overly busy and the sweltering heat!

In June, hubby and I met my brother for a little spelunking. A new experience and fun!

Hubby and I also started taking swimming lessons at the YMCA. Hubby has become a lot more comfortable in the water and I learned all 5 swim strokes.

I took one aqua aerobics class and never found time for another one. I enjoyed it though!

My Mom came to spend a week with us. We had a lot of fun!

Hubby and I spent the day with friends on my friend’s boat cruising the river.

We ran our annual 4th of July 5K. It was a HOT one!

Feeling out of control with the calorie counting, I switched to the OLD WW points system. It was around this time I also met with a dietician, but did not find any help.

Hubby and I took a mini vacation where we saw the Field of Dreams and visited the quaint town of Galena, IL.

Hubby and I went to see Dierks Bentley in concert.

In August, I continued to spiral out of control and actually cried in front of my doctor. At this point, I was feeling overwhelmed with working two jobs and not finding my balance.

We also took the in-law’s on a river cruise down the Mississippi.

At the end of August, my grandpa passed away. <3

This was a hard loss for the whole family. He was a wonderful man!

In September, I celebrated my 27th birthday. We also got to visit my sister and family for my niece's birthday.

In October, hubby and I joined my cousin and his family for the Color Run in Des Moines. Fun!

I also decided to swallow my pride and rejoin WW. Sadly, that hasn’t been the end to my weight gain.

Hubby and I celebrated out 6th wedding anniversary. Hubby surprised me with a weekend trip to Des Moines. I also started the Best Body Bootcamp—something I will be continuing this year!

In November, hubby and I took his Mom to visit family in Florida. We visited Daytona Beach and had a great time!

This was our biggest ever Thankful Healthy Blogger 5k! Hubby and I ran an official 5k in Florida.

After the trip, I officially started a new technical writing position—which I LOVE! I am continuing as a part time reporter in addition to being a full time technical writer.

In December, we had a blizzard.

Hubby and I joined my parents for a trip to South Carolina to visit my brother and family! We visited Charleston while we were there.

And got to see my adorable little nephews who are growing up so fast!

And my brother:

And sister in law…for some reason I never got the whole family together!

We got to visit Folly Beach one day. I love the ocean!

On our way home, we stayed in Nashville for a day. We could definitely visit again—so much to see and do! We did some shopping at Opry Mills and also visited Carnton Plantation.

And in the evening, we went to the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium. What a great experience!

We also walked around downtown Nashville a bit. Interesting!

After reviewing the year, I had a good year in most aspects—except my weight. I started two new job positions, traveled a lot, we had a lot of privileges and a lot of blessings. I don’t talk about everything on my blog, but I have a lot to be thankful for this year.

Next year, I want to be happy about my weight and health too. This morning when I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t help but notice how unhealthy and terrible I looked. The weight gain shows—not only as fat on my body, but in the shadow I see in my eyes. I’m not happy with myself. This morning, I had big dark circles under my eyes, and I just don’t feel good about myself right now.

But I’m happy for a new beginning in 2013!! Today is the fist day being 100% on plan. I will count my official starting weight tomorrow—I’m going back to Wednesday weigh in’s. I have lost a little weight since returning home from vacation. The vacation damage wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be…but it’s still not where I want to be!

Onward and forward. 2013 will be a great year!

I’ll share more details on what I hope to accomplish in 2013 in future posts.

How was your 2012?