3/365 One of My New Favorite Places in Our House

As mentioned on my blog multiple times...I love baths.  Perhaps that is why one of the things that called to me most about our house when we were hunting was the claw foot tub in this house.  I love taking baths here...add a bath bomb, a glass of wine, and a good book...and to me, this is a little slice of heaven on earth!

2/365 Church

I spent this morning, like most Sunday mornings, at St. Anne's Church.  Here is my view of one of the uppermost stained glass windows.

1/365 Lazy Day

My New Years' Day morning consisted of surfing on my MacBook, reading my book, and watching The Tudors.  All in all, a much needed morning of rest!

2011 New Years' Resolutions

Here they are...my Resolutions for 2011!  Most are repeats from last year that I really want to complete.  When I made my resolutions last year, I had no idea how hectic 2010 would be with a wedding, buying a house, etc.  I am hoping for more time in 2011 to be disciplined in my resolutions, and ultimately, in my life!

1. Complete a 365 Day Photo Project - While sometimes a bit of a burden to take a photo every day, for the 2 months I completed this last year, I really enjoyed it.  It is especially entertaining to look back on the photos and remember those days.  This year, in preparation, I have a great new point-and-shoot camera, a working way to transfer the photos to my computer, and a battery charger.  So...unless I lose any of those items again...I have no excuses for not completing the project this year!

2.  Read the Bible through in a Year-  Again, like last year, this is something I really want to do...and would benefit me greatly as a daily devotional.  Enough said.

3.  Make it a priority to have at least one "date night" with my husband a week-  Currently we have tried to set aside Tuesday as "date night".  Perhaps I can use the blog to keep me accountable on this...let's hope by the end of the year I have 52 "Date Night" posts.  Hmmm.

4.  Run/Exercise at least 3 times a week- In 2010, I probably managed to average exercising 2 times a week after taking a month off after the Goofy Challenge.  Since I mentioned in my last post that I've gained 7 pounds since this time last year (2 over the course of the year...5 since the wedding and our gluttony-filled honeymoon), I really need to have some discipline in my running.  It really is the best way for me to stay fit and at a healthy weight.  I'm signing up for a March half-marathon to jump-start my January with some long runs and a reason to train!

5.  Lose the 7 pounds I've gained since last year.  My clothes fit the same..but I feel "blah" and blob-ish.  Time for some January clean-slate healthy eating and exercise motivation!

So, as you can see, I'm trying to be a little more conservative this year, and hopefully I'll be able to complete these year long projects!

2010 New Years' Resolutions Evaluation

So, let's see how I fared with my Resolutions for 2010 (something tells me they didn't go so well).

1.  Complete the 365 Day Photo Project.  Hmm.  I started out well with this...got to March...and then lost my camera.  I tried to pick it up again in August...and then wedding planning got in the way.  FAIL!

2.  Read Through the Bible in a Year.  Again.  I made it to April, and then missed enough Daily Readings that it would be difficult to catch up.  FAIL!

3.  For every novel that I read, read a Nonfiction book.  Well, I didn't read one for one....but I did read a lot more nonfiction this year, which was the point of the resolution. Partial FAIL

4. Stick to my Savings Budget.  So, I didn't stick completely..but I did fairly well considering I chipped in for our wedding and we bought a house.  Finishing the year with some $ still in savings was an accomplishment.  And, I managed to curb my spending. EVEN

5. Attempt a No-Spending Month.  Absolutely didn't happen.  Pretty difficult when planning a wedding. FAIL!

6. Cook a Julia Child recipe every Sunday.  Uh... started out well with this (Boeuf Bourginon, Fish in white sauce, Boullabaisse...) and then...my excuse for the year...wedding planning and house buying!  FAIL!

7.  LOSE 10 lbs.  Oops.  I gained 7.  Of course, at this time last year I was running 30+ miles a week.  Now I am lucky to get in 5...Extreme FAIL!


Obviously, I should have made my resolutions for this year to be Get Engaged, Buy a House, Plan a Fabulous Wedding, and Get Married.  Hindsight, you know?

Stay Tuned for my 2011 Resolutions...

2010 Year-In-Review

I love reflecting on this past year...I think it may have been one of the best of my life!  Even though it was probably the most stressful, as well!

January- I complete the Goofy Challenge (39.3 miles in two days!) at Disney World.  Come home, and J proposes.  I giddily accept!

February- Wedding details are ironed out (date, venue, etc).  I play "Gertie" in the Chorale's Production of Oklahoma! 

March- Good friends throw J and I a fabulous surprise Engagement Party.  We make a snap decision to start looking to purchase a house!

April- Travel to SC for 200 guest Engagement Party thrown by my parents.  We put in a contract on an old Victorian house in Baltimore.

May- Become a homeowner!  I close on our house while J is in France.

June- Begin to settle J into new house.  Do A LOT of painting.

July- Complete many wedding details.  Visit Chapel Hill.

August- Wedding planning and housework are in full swing.  I also complete my third Iron Girl Triathlon (and likely my last for awhile).

September- Everything is pretty much All-Wedding, all the time.  Except for day jobs, opera, and singing. :)

October- Only one month 'til the wedding you say?  Things are fairly under control.  We move my stuff into the Spy House (the name for our new home!).  We host a yummy Cabernet tasting dinner.

November- Did anything important happen in November?  I can't seem to remember...oh, right!  I made a sacred covenant with God and J to be joined to him forever.  Also went on an amazing trip to the Napa Valley for our mini-moon (which, let's be honest, was not so "mini").

December- Sang some (but not as much as past Decembers).  Worked on getting our house in order.  Put up giant, gorgeous live Christmas tree.  Parents and Godmother visited for Christmas.

So...that is my very brief Year In Review.  Here's to a fabulous 2011, as well!

Some Things

Hello, my few and far between blog-readers!  I'm married!  It was lovely.  I now live in Baltimore in my New-to-me Old Victorian house with my husband (Husband!  It's taking awhile to get used to saying that).  My surprise Mini-moon destination was Napa Valley.  It was lovely, as well.

Christmas happened.  My parents and Godmother visited.  We have a humongous live tree.  It's beautiful.

New Years' is around the corner.  We'll get our professional wedding pictures back in a few weeks.  I'll hopefully get some posted here.

Now that I have a new camera and am not furiously house-buying and wedding-planning, I hope to complete the 365 project this year.

Please see my next few posts for a 2010 year-end review (my, my, the changes that have occured!), an evaluation of last years' resolutions, and my resolutions for 2011.