Looking back, Looking forward

Man oh man, I have been trying to blog for days now, but this moving stuff is tough business. I must completely agree with Matt Walsh's blog post today, in which he advises "If you are thinking about moving, remember to carefully gather together all of the items in your house � and burn them. Burn them all. Just throw them into a pile and burn them. Travel to your new location with only lint in your pocket and a dream in your heart." Amen to that. It is almost gross how many possessions one accumulates without even fully realizing the extent of it until one must unpack or pack them into boxes.

Anyway. This is really the first chance I've had to sit down and reflect on 2013 and/or dream about the new year to come. A lot went down in 2013 - some good things, some tough things. I am not one of those persons who shies away from making New Years resolutions because they think its lame or pointless or cliche or what have you. On the contrary - the first of the year is my favorite time because it just feels so fresh, like a blank notebook or a brand new appliance. Ha. Maybe it's all in our heads, sure, but what's wrong with choosing a day of the year to fully acknowledge the power we have to start fresh? The key, though, of course, is to remember that power stays with us every single day and every single minute. 

I can't say that I'm terribly sad to leave 2013 behind. It was a tough year in some aspects, consisting of loss and unknowns and leaps of faith and lots of waiting.  Going into 2014, we seem to have fresh starts on several fronts - our new home, most notably, and hopefully a job for Matthew here pretty soon. The foreseeable future is all so exciting, and that's just nice. After a year of blah, 2014 is looking mighty fine. But still, I'd like to take a time out and just review some of the highlights and lowlights of 2013, for posterity's sake. I really enjoy looking back on these "year in review" posts on my own blog, and hopefully some of you may enjoy peeking back in time a bit, too, whether for the first time or for the second.

Let's take a little trip down memory lane...

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JANUARY

+ Took our annual trip to Fredericksburg and stayed at the gorgeous Buckhorn Cabin. 
+ Also blogged about some great Austin restaurants like Gourdoughs and Eastside Cafe.   


FEBRUARY

+ Wrote the "3 Years of Marital Blish" post - still one of my most popular posts 
+ Wrote Advice For Bloggers Vol. 1 (the crazies: they could happen to you) and Vol. 2 (blogging your life)
+ Posted on great Austin restaurants like Foodheads and Hula Hut

MARCH

+ Wrote "The People I Come From" post just a few weeks before unexpectedly losing my beautiful Grandma to a hemorrhage in her brain
+ Launched the j. noel photography website
+ Reviewed Austin restaurants Walton's and Winflo

APRIL

+ Things my Grandma told me
+ Posted on Houndstooth Coffee, La Condesa, and Epicerie here in Austin
+ More advice for bloggers: Sponsorships, Gettting paid for blogging, and the "I blog for me!"
+ Announced Blog Every Day In May
+ Sold our old house, packed up and moved out (and in with my mom), and finally announced it all here.

MAY

A heck of a lot of blogging took place in May, thanks to the Blog Every Day In May challenge I hosted. A few highlights:
+ Blogging tip: Taking photos in public places
+ One of my most embarrassing moments
+ Reviewed Pieous in Austin
+ Trip to Florida in photos

JUNE

+ Photography tips for beginners, part 1: how to get started
+ Cenote and the 4th & Guadalupe Farmer's Market
+ Summer fun with family
+ Social media pet peeves

JULY

+The Prairie Part I and Part II
+ Photography tips for beginners, Part II: Starting a business
+ Boards went up on our house!
+ Revealed a secret we'd been keeping

AUGUST

+ Texas Style Council recaps 1 (my first major stint with public speaking!) & 2
+ Some words on budgeting
+ Reviewed WD Deli in San Antonio and Dominican Joe in Austin
+ Went back to the Prairie with my MIL and SIL
+ Announced Blogtember

SEPTEMBER

+ A few j. noel photos
+ A story about a time I almost died in a plane crash
+Reviewed Austin's Lick Ice Creams

OCTOBER

+ Our home build in progress
+ Matthew's 10 Things You Need To Survive the Zombie Apocalypse
+ Mexico Trip Part I, Part II, and Part III

NOVEMBER

+ Fall in Austin
+ Reasons why you should probably never build a house
+ Are you living up to your potential?

DECEMBER

+ Turned 27 and didn't have much time to think about it
+ Took a trip to WYOMING!
+ Matthew graduated law school
+ Finally got some family photos! :)
+ Christmas
+ Aaaand we closed on our house the day after Christmas, but I haven't posted on that quite yet. Coming soon in 2014. :)

Thanks for traveling back in time with me today... have a wonderful second day of the New Year! :0

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How are you doing on your New Year's goals?

a picture from Instagram of my new glasses, just because.

This morning I had planned to put up a different post, but instead of diving right into my work, I did something I've been meaning to do every morning in the month of January, but majorly dropped the ball on: beginning my day with a "quiet time." For me, quiet time includes mostly prayer and visualization of achieved goals, and lasts about 5 to 10 minutes (that's all I seem to have the attention span for, for pretty much anything these days). For you, quiet time may or may not include prayer, and it might happen in the shower or while you're nursing your baby or on the car ride in to work or right there at your desk before your day begins. I'm trying to remember that there's no wrong way to do a quiet time--the point is to get yourself centered each morning - to get your head in the game - focusing on what you want to accomplish, and ready to work towards your goals.

Goals. Speaking of those, how did you do on your resolutions in January? I wrote down some overarching goals at the beginning of last month, and like I mentioned in this post, I put bright neon stickers on the first of each month in my calendar throughout the remainder of the year, to remind me to revisit and reevaluate those goals every month. It's already the 4th of February now, but I still sat down and took a look at what I'd written out last month, and as it happens, I only followed through with ONE of the five most major ones I wanted to accomplish in January (the one I followed through on was to blog at least 6 of my backlogged photo sessions, and I blogged 8, over on my photography blog. Hooray!).

I was pretty disappointed, though, to see that I hadn't done the other four pretty major things I wanted to  have completed last month, and it got me thinking about the difference between successful people and people who never quite get things done. I think the difference is FOCUS and ACTION. My husband is the most focused and action-oriented person I have ever know, and it's why he succeeds at anything and everything he puts his mind to. Because while the rest of us are twiddling our thumbs and talking about and writing about and dreaming about our goals, the successful people are making it happen through whatever means it takes. Writing those emails, making those calls, putting in late hours, making big sacrifices, setting priorities, taking risks, putting themselves out there, doing hard or tedious things that other people don't have patience for, and so on.

So I guess the conclusion that I've come to is that, no, January wasn't a complete loss just because I only accomplished one of my five goals. It was a learning experience, and a chance to tweak how I'm doing things to ensure that MORE of those goals get reached in the month of February. Months serve as excellent mile-markers, but change comes in the decisions we make right now, in the present. Action-oriented decisions, like to have a quiet time in the morning and get centered, and then lay out your list of actions needed to get you where you need to be. But the most critical part is in the doing them.

Lastly, if you're not deeply offended by a little strong language, go read this article titled "6 harsh truths that will make you a better person." It seriously blew my mind, and opened my eyes (it's hilarious, too). What you DO really is all that matters.

SO GO DO STUFF.

Happy List

print from Happy Penguin Press, antique frame

This New Year's Eve was the first one since we've been married that Matthew and I stayed up to watch the ball drop and to kiss at midnight... can you believe that?  I know.  We are so uncool. 

We watched the New Year's countdown from bed, all tucked into cozy flannel sheets, and when, in the blink of an eye, 2012 was behind us, 2013 had begun, and we leaned in for that kiss... tears. Lots of tears. (mine, not Matthew's.)  

I cried because I thought of all we were leaving behind and all that was coming ahead. I cried because my mom was entering a new year without Edd in it. I cried because I was so thankful that my marriage is intact and we made it through one bloody hell of a year, personally and professionally. And I cried because it feels like we're on the edge of so many things, though not quite there yet. 

Oddly enough, my tears lately feel more happy than sad. Matthew and I have made a resolution to be more positive--to build each other up, to build others up, and  to stop sending out daggers into the Universe, because you're bound to get them back. Honestly, you should hear us sometimes. We aren't always the nicest people, and we've been holding ourselves accountable on that lately. No more criticizing the jogger that "runs weird." No more spewing out the ugliest expletives we can think of when another driver makes a mistake. No more being negative as a general rule. When did that start to happen to us? And we're only a few days into this new mindset, of course, but focusing on what makes you happy and grateful is THE way to bring more blessings pouring in.  I've already seen it happening, if only in my own heart (I am full of the cheese today, I know).  

So today... today! Here is my happy list. My way of saying "thank you, God/Universe/family/friends/strangers, for the blessings in our life, big and small. Megan, for gifting us the coziest flannel sheets of all time (which Matthew and I both agree were the best gift EVER). Mom, for the french press, that makes coffee just. taste. better, and brightens my afternoons. YOU, for reading this silly blog. :)

�Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.� 

                                                           ? L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

And now, for today's featured sponsors! Please take a moment and spread the love to these lovelies... they won't disappoint!

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You may remember gorgeous Allie of Between Dreams from her old blog (called This and That), but I urge you to go get acquainted with Allie's new and improved space. This lovely Toronto lady has carved out a beautiful and inspirational niche for herself, which actually goes right along with my theme of gratefulness today. Between Dreams is all about the work it takes to achieve your goals, and Allie's aim is to keep you fueled up along the way. Get to know her a little better here, and also... how fabulous and moody are Allie and her fianc�'s engagement pictures?!

Blog | Twitter

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Daliene's Alamo Adventures is a life and style blog by a pretty girl named Daliene, who also happens to live right in my backyard (not literally in my backyard, people!)--in San Antonio, TX! (AKA The Alamo City).  Daliene is a GT elementary teacher and lover of sarcasm (learn a little more right here), and she is also participating in the 30 in 30 challenge this month... something I've been wanting to do, too! Go on over and tell Daliene hello. :)

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Last but not least, we have the ever so lovely Danielle from Taking Notes, Coast to Coast. If you'd like a nice little overview of her last year to get you all caught up, head on over here (oh, Danielle, you married a wood chopping, zombie obsessed stud muffin, too?), or go here to learn still more about this sweet West Virginian turned Washingtonian technical writer/girl next door. :) And last but not least, if you want to squeeze in some cute this morning, check. out. Huckleberry. I have literally watched this pup grow up, and it has been THE sweetest thing. :)

Blog | Facebook

Taking on 2013

Happy 2013, folks! A brand new year stretches out before us, and like so many others, I find myself contemplating exactly what I'll do with this year.  We're all given the same number of minutes and hours in a day, and yet some of us do so much more with them. Some use that time to feed their body well, exercise, build a business, stay focused, nurture friendships, grow, change, learn. And others sort of float along like a feather in the wind, struggling, just making it by. I suppose I'm somewhere in the middle of those two extremes, but I'm afraid I've leaned too far in the negative direction lately, not utilizing my time nearly as wisely as I could.  This year I want to turn the tables on that. Duh, New Year's Resolutions typically don't make it too far past January. But this year... this year I need that to be different. As a reminder, I put bright neon stickers on the first of every month in my planner, with the word GOALS written on them. I think that goals are something that need to be constantly reevaluated and tweaked if they are to be reached. New Year's resolutions simply aren't enough. But monthly resolutions? Maybe that could work.

So what do I want to change this year? For one thing, I'm making a commitment to quality on this blog.   I plan to promote better quality sponsors and produce better quality posts. I have some ideas for that, which you may or may not notice in the coming months. Hopefully it will just be an organic addition to what you already see here. I also need to get healthy.  Sometimes people ask me what I do to stay in shape, and then I laugh in their face. I am a pretty unhealthy skinny person, to be honest with you. I sit on my ass on the computer all day, maybe exercising once a week, and somehow that has worked for me so far. But girlfriend is creeping up on her late twenties (terrifying), and I am fairly certain my body is going to turn on me any day now. 

Regardless, I need to get healthy. 

Matthew and I, both together and separately, are taking on some little business ventures as well. Obviously, there's my photography, which I totally plan to take to the next level in 2013. The joint business venture with Matthew is something you'll (hopefully) see here real soon. 

Annnnyway, I could go on and on, but my goals aren't your problem. Bottom line is, let's make 2013 a freaking fantastic year, OK? Writing down our resolutions and feeling super happy and inspired about them isn't enough. You have to do more. Figure out what that is, and then go do it.

Also, scroll down for a fab little Stella and Dot giveaway!

{ hat: H&M, sweater and jeans: J.Crew, bag: Target (past season), leg warmers: Grace & Lace, boots (similar): Franco Sarto, bracelet: c/o Stella & Dot, necklace: Petitor }

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And now for a sweet giveaway to kick the new year off right. The prize comes courtesy of Amanda, who also happens to be a Stella & Dot consultant/extraordinaire. :) She's giving away this beautiful "love bracelet" today, which is just like mine in the above photos (except different colors). Stella & Dot products are absolutely gorgeous and fantastic quality, every time. So... enter in the Rafflecopter below, and GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Story of My Life in 2012: the highlight/lowlight reel

Ahh, the very last day of 2012.  What to say about this year? So many things. The archives of my blog say it best, I suppose, which is why I compiled a few highlight/lowlight posts from each month of the past year. It was really interesting to start in January and make my way right up 'til now. So much happened, and in the context of this blog, so much changed! It actually makes me gag a little to see how I used to edit my photos, though I suspect that, one year from today, I will say that very same thing about the way I do them now.  Such is life... always learning, always changing.

If you're a new reader, today's post might be a fun way to catch up on some of the highlights of the last year, or if you've been around a while, maybe you'll skim for posts you could have missed. So without further ado, here is my 2012 at a glance... :)


JANUARY

"Ask Matthew" questions answered part 1 and part 2.

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Gracie and Cooper's love story (hint: it's not really a love story. It turns out they're brother and sister, and I didn't know it until they were four years old!).

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FEBRUARY

Shared our wedding pictures: Getting Ready // Ceremony // Reception // Bride & Groom shots

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Something pretty major happened in my life... 

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MARCH

Spring at the ranch... and a heavy heart for Edd.

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Losing Edd.

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APRIL

My thoughts about the soul and watching someone I love pass away.

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Had a crazy stomach virus... and a reality check.

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MAY

A post in collaboration with Radiant Cosmetics (you'll be hearing more about them from me in the coming month!)

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A last photo and a last word from Edd.

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A fun trip to Fredericksburg! Amoroso Cottage // Day 1 // Day 2

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JUNE

Met my little brother for the first time.

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Went to Harry Potter World!! Part 1 // Part 2

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Lemon tree, my ass.

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JULY

The "if you really knew me" post...

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Revealed our master bedroom gallery wall.

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Visited Lake Shasta! Part 1/ Part 2

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AUGUST

Norman entered our lives. :)

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Kitchen nook before and after!

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The "my blog gave me ADD" post.

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SEPTEMBER

How far would you go to please your man?

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OCTOBER

My husband, the (ex) addict.

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My babies turned 7.

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Super fun trip to Virginia, including my first trip to an apple orchard!

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Threw my best friend a black and white themed bridal shower.

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NOVEMBER

The babies and marriage post.

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Matthew had an emergency appendectomy and said some really funny things while high on narcotics.

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DECEMBER

My best friend got married.

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I started a blog for my photography business.

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I turned 26.

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Christmas home tour.

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Christmas 2012.

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If you made it this far, thanks so much for taking a little trip down memory lane with me.  New Year's is such a wonderful time to reflect on the past and look towards the future. I am such a sucker for a brand new year... gives me a great sense of hope and excitement for what's to come. Have fun and be safe tonight!