2012

Honestly 2011 wasn't necessarily a bad year.  It wasn't a good year either.  I mean in the grand scheme of things, it was.  I am grateful that my husband and I both had our health, our home, our jobs and great family and friends supporting us throughout the year.  However, I suppose I would say that 2011 was a "nothing" year.  I didn't really do anything this year.  I worked, I cooked and I took care of my house, we visited home once and had a couple visits with family here in Orlando.  We did get our kitten Thunder who is a great (albeit often psycho) addition to our little family.

           Baby Thunder (approx. 6 weeks)                                                         Big Boy Thunder (approx. 5 months)

I did have the huge dissapointment of attempt to start a Master's degree only to find that it was not the right time for me to pursue this degree for various reasons.  After a month, the stress was too much for me to handle.  I remember telling my mom that I felt like I was in the home stretch of finals week and the semester had barely begun.  I decided that I did not want to spend my last few "no-kids" years stressed to the max not enjoying this time with my husband.  So after a lot of thinking, praying and dicussion with my husband, mom and best friend, I decided to drop my classses and withdraw from the program at this time.  In the short time I studied, I learned a lot about non-profit management and don't count it as a total loss.  It just wasn't right for me at this time.  I'm not sure if I'll return to school or continue with that program but I'm just going with the flow and continuing to pray for guidance as to what I am supposed to do.

After Christmas came, I was so excited to get 2012 started, ready to move on from the funky 2011 into a more productive and positive 2012.  I'm not going to lie, part of the reason I couldn't wait for the year to be over was that I wanted the holiday season to be over at work.  People who have been with the company many many many years agreed that this was the worst the guests had ever been and the busiest the parks had been throughout the holiday weeks.  This has lead me to get serious about my goal to get out of the department I currently work in.  I enjoy my job but I think its time.  I am not learning any transferable skills and am not doing anything to further any type of career I may have in this particular role.  I am going to try to find another position with the same company but I am (as I have been) looking at other companies in the area as well.  I'm really just trying to figure out what I want to do.  However, in this job market, I don't really have that luxury which is why I've stayed at my current job as long as I have.  Its a full time job. In addition, I really can't afford to take a job that pays less than I make now.  I'm not rolling in the dough but I do make a bit above minimum wage and many jobs will only pay that with no experience.  Its a viscious cycle I've been stuck in since I completed my internship after graduating three and a half years ago.  It is so frustrating but I'm really trying to stay positive about it and remember to be grateful for the job I do have since many people have been dealing with unemployment or underemployment much longer than me.

2012 is also the year that (for real!) my husband and I are taking control of our health.  If we want to start a family down the road, we know that we need to be healthy in order to secure longevity with our (future) family and to be a good example to our (future) kids.  Stay tuned for more about our lastest endeavor to get healthy!

I closed out 2011 with a glass of champagne, a couple friends (hubs was working) watching the ball drop in Times Square as I always do.  I was also lucky enough to be where I had a great view of Magic Kingdom's midnight fireworks. I woke up on January 1st with the great feeling that 2012 was going to be a good year! Cheers!