2012 In Review

Well HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It’s 2013, if you can believe it! And so I figured I would do a quick little review post about the previous 365 days. It was a big year, with many highs and lows. But I have learned so much and can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store.

So here is my new year post!

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?

There were actually a few things that I did in 2012 that were new! I took a week-long Caribbean cruise with Mark. I left Dexter with his grandparents for a week! I hobnobbed with celebrities at the Elle Style Awards. I celebrated my son’s first birthday! I planned and then cancelled a wedding. I started a new blog! I saw new countries. I attended a proper blog conference. I moved to Florida! I went to Disney World and Seaworld… I took a road trip from Florida to Pennsylvania and back! It’s been a big year!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Last year, I didn’t make any public resolutions, but I did set some social media goals for the year. I am delighted to say that I hit them out of the park! One of them that makes me laugh is that I wanted to double my Twitter followers, which at the time stood at less than 200. Today, they stand at 1476!

I also set a small personal goal, which was to get pregnant. Mission accomplished! It didn’t happen when/how we wanted, and it has been a bit of a scary situation for all of us. But I am very excited about it anyway.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No one very close to me gave birth, however many many friends and extended family members did. :) It has been a great year for new babies!!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not that I know of. Though, many friends lost loved ones this year, which made me grieve for them.

5. What countries did you visit?

Well, this year we have been in several countries, actually! England, Wales, The Netherlands, Canada, United States, Mexico, Belize, and we spent much time on the open water of the Caribbean!

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?

Well, I lacked a newborn baby in 2012, but that will be rectified very shortly into 2013! Other than that, I really would like to have more security this year. Last year Mark’s job was somewhat unstable, and with moving countries, things got a little scary. Then, we were forced to move into an apartment rather than into a house like we’d planned. This year, I’d love to finally settle down somewhere in a nice house where we can raise our kids. I’d also like to have the chance to make some good money so that we can have more of a buffer should the economy not get better.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 25 – My 30th birthday, and a HUGE disappointment. I’ll leave it at that.
February 16 – Dexter’s first birthday. A wonderful day that made me so proud. It was also the first time he walked properly.
May 24 – The day we moved from the UK to Florida. Also, coincidentally, the first day of my pregnancy!
June 27 – The day we found out we were pregnant.
October – A series of days spent in Pennsylvania, watching Dexter come out of his shell and become a whole new person in the company of family.
December 14 – I don’t think I’ll ever forget how awful it felt to read about the shootings in Connecticut. A tragic day for all.
December 17 – The day I was put on bed rest and had to cancel our trip to Utah.
December 25 – Dexter’s second Christmas – and the first time he really understood the concept of presents.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Not allowing myself to wallow in misery and self-pity. Also keeping Mark happy, despite my constant hormonal rages! I am also pretty proud of how far my blog has come in the last year. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I am very proud of it.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I know that it’s not a failure, but the thing I feel worst about is Mark not getting to see his family in Utah. It is my pregnancy that has caused the various issues which have stopped us going, and I feel like it’s all my fault.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

My pregnancy has been riddled with issues from the beginning, including infections which wouldn’t go away and early labor signs which kept me on bed rest for the last few weeks of 2012. But overall, I have been healthy and well for the year.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I can’t think of any great purchases this year, so I’ll go with the only one that sticks out. I bought the HerPretty web domain! Transferring from my previous blog set in motion a whole new experience for me. Blogging became fun again, and I feel I’ve made so much progress since then. I can’t wait to keep the momentum going in 2013!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Mark’s, as always. He has kept his calm, kept his cool and kept me sane! He has taken over night times with Dexter ever since I got pregnant. Not just putting him to bed each night, but also getting up with him when he cries (often several times a night). He has taken all of my mood swings and been amazing every time I get overly emotional, sad, sick or scared. He is my ROCK.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

My own! I have been terrible this year and feel like I don’t deserve my man or my son. But I am getting better at realising that things aren’t as cut and dry as you think.

Also, Dexter’s behavior has been quite frustrating at times. The kid is amazing, but he has hit his terrible twos a few months too early, and his constant tantrums and issues have become a giant pain in the butt!

14. Where did most of your money go?

Toward moving to the US! Before leaving the UK, we sold up everything we could, minus our house, which we rented out. When we got here, we had about 4 suitcases worth of clothes and computers, and that was it. So we spent a small fortune buying furniture, clothing, beds, housewares, etc. Not to mention a new car. Moving is EXPENSIVE!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Having another baby. The excitement of giving Mark another son and Dexter a little brother/playmate. I am SO excited about it.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?

This year has sucked for music, to be honest. I don’t really have a specific song I can even think of at the moment! Unless you want to count the theme songs to various PBS children’s shows!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) Happier or sadder? My happiness expands day by day. :D
b) Thinner or fatter? Fatter – but since I’m 8 months pregnant, it’s understandable!
c) Richer or poorer? Probably about the same, which is saying something considering all we’ve been through!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Getting out and about. Going to the theme parks. Appreciating Mark. Cuddling.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Sitting around. Crying. Being mean to Mark.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We spent it at home, happy and understated.

21. Did you fall in love in 2012?

Every single day. I fell in love with Mark again and again. I fell in love with Dexter repeatedly. I fell in love with the baby in my belly. I even fell in love with Florida once in a while!

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Weirdly, I have really enjoyed watching Super Why with my son. Seeing him learning and growing, singing along to the theme song and being able to quote each character has been amazing.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I don’t hate. But there are a couple of people that I am really saddened to have to consider people that I don’t much like any longer. But that’s life, I guess.

24. What was the best book you read?

I don’t know about best, but I really enjoyed The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Again, this year kind of sucked for music. I just didn’t find anything new to love. Which makes me very sad, dontcha know!

26. What did you want and get?

I wanted to get pregnant, and I DID! I wanted to grow my blog, and I DID. I wanted to be happy, and I AM.

27. What did you want and not get?

I wanted an easier pregnancy than the last one… I did not get that, unfortunately. But anything worth having is worth suffering for, right!?

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

While we didn’t get the chance to actually GO to the cinema and see any films, we did manage to view a few new ones. I think it’s a toss up between The Avengers and Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 30 this year. A big milestone, which was MEANT to be spent in Honduras, ziplining through the jungle onto a private beach for a nice bout of partying and making merry. Instead, the waters were too rough to dock, and I spent my birthday locked in a windowless cabin, nauseous and vomiting while Mark went out drinking with his friends, only coming back long enough to fight with me throughout the day. Not stellar.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

This last year was pretty darn good, I won’t lie. Sure we’ve had a HUGE amount of stress, but I’m still super happy with it. I don’t want to be the kind of person who spends all their time lamenting what they DON’T have. I am happy with what we’ve got and how we got it.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?

My site tagline says it all: “I wear baby vomit as a fashion statement.”

32. What kept you sane?

Mark. 100%. Would have gone completely insane without him.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

The same celebrity I have fancied forever and can’t help but wibble when I think of him. The gorgeous Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Heart throb and number 1 on my list of men I would totally cheat on Mark with. ;)

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The US Presidential election was a big one for us. Mark’s entire family (being Mormon) were very much wanting Mitt Romney. My family, while not liking Mitt Romney much at all, still wanted him to win as they hate Obama. Mark and I, having had a VERY tough year due to medical issues, were very much in the Obama camp, ready to hope for some great changes to the nation’s healthcare systems. I was over the moon when he won.

35. Who did you miss?

All of my friends in England. I can’t even articulate how much I miss them. I miss ENGLAND, itself. I am finding it so hard to make a new life for myself here. I just miss my adopted country.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

I’ve met some lovely people this year, mostly through blogging! Attending various events in the UK meant meeting some fabulous ladies that I might not otherwise have had the chance to connect with. I’ve met a few new folks in “real life” as well, which has been refreshing.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.

If it is important to you, you will find a way to do it. If it doesn’t, you’ll find an excuse.  Go after what you want, right away, and let nothing hold you back until you’ve got it.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

We made plans to be unbreakable
Love was all we knew
No insurance for the unthinkable
Blindly get us through
We’ve been searching for a lifetime
Short as it may seem
Riding on the fumes that spark us
While igniting dreams