And a Happy New Year...

Happy New Year! 

The beginning of this year began with me on the couch for a few days (including today) with a monster cold. While I've been pretty miserable, maybe this is nature's way of getting me to slow down for a bit before I go back to work and school. It's been difficult for me to think real clearly, (my words with friends plays have had to be somewhat delayed for fear that I will make irreparable damage to my game board-ha!) but I have been reflecting on the past year and setting some goals for 2012. Let me share them with you:

Reflections on 2011: 

2011 was a challenging year. There was a lot of change at the beginning half, both positive and negative. More than that, I was totally blindsided by the force of the first semester of my second year in the PhD program. I felt that I had gotten through the first year and kind of had things in an order. So, of course, I felt I could add more things to my plate.
Little did I know, however, that others were also ready to throw a bunch of stuff on that plate for me, as well.

I watched others go through this last year, but I really did not anticipate how hard it was going to be for me. That being said, I think that I really tried to make decisions this year that were true to myself and I am proud of myself for that. While I feel that there are obviously things I could have done better (be less stressed, take on less, etc.), I felt very much me.  For example, I took on a job that, while it didn't pay as well as my last one, I feel that I have learned a lot in working there. Also, the people I work with were integral to maintaining positive feelings and motivation. I am dating a person who is so supportive, positive, and genuine. There were times that I felt I was able to help others this semester and I'm glad that I took the time to do that. Also, while there were some ups and downs, I kept myself relatively in shape over the whole year-which makes me feel great!  Finally, I was able to make some great food creations when I had some spare time.  Overall, 2011 wasn't too shabby.

Goals for 2012: 

Like anything else, there's always room for improvement in yourself. So here we go:

1)Be more aware of the people and relationships that make life so much fun.
2)Stress less about temporary stress. When stressed, use this to drive you to do healthy things-like workout or something nice for someone else.
3)Make limits on work time and do things that are important to me: i.e. cooking, seeing loved ones, and reading.  This way, I can share more on this blog :)

Now, I see some potential barriers to these goals: 1) Extraneous responsibilities 2) Time management 3) Professional Direction (still in flux a bit). However, I think if I just take it a step at a time and continue to remind myself about what's important, 2012 is going to be great!

PS-the cupcake above is a champagne cupcake from Sprinkle Bakes. My roommate found it and I assisted her in making them and they are so, so good. I would highly suggest them for your next get together.

Best wishes for the New Year!