Bring It On 2012!

Compared to last year, I think 2012 will be relatively calm. But calm by my books still means really busy and a lot of projects and new things! I don't really have resolutions per se, but some PLANS :)

As most of you know, this year we will start trying to conceive. Realistically that is our biggest goal this year, to get pregnant. But hey we'll do our best to just go with the flow on it. Go with the flow will be easy for Dylan, but I will do my best to be stress free about it. Hey, it'll be fun trying ;)

With that in mind, the main focus is for Dylan and I to really have fun and enjoy being just married and not having any kids! That should mean more dates (once we get our finances finally set in hopefully February!). We are also trying to plan a vacation this May/June.

We really should go to Europe because A) We said we would do that as a delayed honeymoon B) We won't have a chance to take that kind of vacation for a long time and C) It is the "right" thing to do. What do I mean by "C"? Well, as you will see below, I really really REALLY want my bedroom set. I don't want to be past having kids and then finally get this big bed that I would have really appreciated getting to fit all of my family in. But we should go on a big fancy vacation because Dylan wants to, I know I will love it, and everyone keeps telling me I should. There are a lot of other vacations we really want to do in the states that would cost a lot less, or a Bahama cruise, or a lot of things, but no, Europe is what we should go do. We are thinking Italy (per past blog about vacations) and I know it will be awesome, but it is just hard to put that much money towards something that is only for a week or two instead of something I can enjoy everyday. (Sorry that is my materialistic side coming out... and I'm sure this will come up again... so enough for now)

We also want to focus on the puppies. We will hopefully make it to Intermediate training within the next two months. I really want to focus on "Heel" and have them come to my side anywhere at anytime (Per my Dog Training Blog here). The hardest part is training with two dogs! We have already started walking them every work day morning at 5:30 for about 35 minutes, which was one trend I wanted to start implementing. Then usually at least one day on the weekend we go to the dog park.

The other thing is the house. Obviously the biggest to-do list ever. I will be working on updating the "My House" and "To-Do List" Pages on my blog these next couple days so you can get a feel for things there. And that will probably also turn into a couple blog posts. A couple highlights of the bigger projects:

1) Savings priority at the moment is my bedroom set.
2) The yard is the next largest project. We need to remove rocks, add more sod, build a garden fence and change up some flowers and landscaping.
3) Furnish the living room.
4) Furnish the basement, including putting in a new floor for the office, getting my craft room set-up and creating more of a bar area and feel.

I also want to pursue some more DIY projects and try to add decorations to my house for little or nothing. I have a lot of great blogs that have provided inspiration and Pinterest has been great too. I'll definitely share these projects as they come along. I have been saving items for two or three different projects already!

Finally, this year I will further develop my creativity. I got some piano books from Dylan and I really want to see how far I can get with those and a little help from Dylan and then maybe/I would really like to, hire a piano instructor. We'll see how the budget goes. I also plan to start my scrapbook(s) for the wedding this year, so that will be very exciting! I obviously plan to continue blogging. I am trying to not get sucked into the stats/numbers aspect of it and just stick to writing about what I want, but I do have a little bit of a competitive streak, so no guarantees.

Should be a great year with enough going on to keep me busy and for me to blog about!