2012: Lots More Than Expected

When New Year's Day rolls around, one can not always predict the kind of year they'll have. Of course not! I always assume I'll have a good year with both ups and downs. Well, my friends, 2012 was epic. It didn't necessarily seem that way as it was happening, but looking at it in bullet form makes me do a double take.

• Isaac became potty trained early in 2012, just before his 3rd birthday. Any parent will tell you that it is a HUGE deal.
• I found an amazing chiropractor. Seriously. I have spent lots of time in this man's office, in about 3-minute intervals. He fixes all of my running-induced aches.
• I conquered my fear of our gas grill. I always had visions of it blowing up in my face previously. But when Isaac asked me to grill something when Chasen was out of town once, I knew I had to try. Thanks to youtube, it was no problem! Now I can grill dang-near anything quite nicely.
• We got our dog, Bo, just before Easter. He has changed our home so much! As corny as it sounds, he turned our house into a home. We love that little furball.
• I completed all of my years of active service with a local women's philanthropy group (2006-2012).
• We survived THREE of Chasen's China trips. In total, he spent a month in China this year.
• I completed the Flying Pig Marathon (#7 for me).
• I completed the St. Joe River Marathon (#8 for me). It was in conjunction with our first big family vacation, which was to Glacier National Park. It was breathtaking and a wonderful experience.
• Isaac completed swimming lessons on his own, i.e. where the parents drop off the children. That was a pretty big deal for this protective mama!
• We hosted a 19-year-old German girl, Isabelle, in our home for 88 days. This, alone, could have made our year. It was definitely life changing.
• I completed the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon (#9 for me).
• Stepping completely out of my comfort zone, I joined the church choir. It was definitely the highlight of the second half of my year!
• On December 5th I started a Whole30. I'll be posting more about that in a few days when it is complete. But trust me... it's a big deal for me.  

That's a lot, huh? I look forward to a calmer 2013. A girl can dream!