Best, Worst and Most Interesting (for Catherine)

When I was dating Dave, we went to Madison a bunch for football games and to visit his brother and family.  Being that his brother and wife are a few years older, they were/are ahead of us in life and already had a kid at the time.  Being that we both wanted to have kids, we'd visit and take mental notes and then talk about stuff on the long ride home.  I remember when one of the times we visited, their cute little family sat around the dinner table w/us and taught us a new 'game'.  We went around the table and asked/told each other what was the best, worst and most interesting parts of our day.  It was fun!  And it was adorable to hear my niece ask us and comment on our answers!  Well, she's just adorable so she could have been throwing the biggest tantrum and I would have said that anyway.  She still is adorable, even if she's about to go off to college.  (No, I haven't aged at all myself, it's some sort of time warp thing.  She got older, but I am not old.)
Anyway - fast forward to now, when I can't stand the fact that my own squirrelly kids do everything but make conversation at the table!  When I think of it, I remind them of the game and we go around the table and report on our day.  There is actual conversation shared, and it is then that I am reminded of how brilliant of a tool that is!  When we see friends we haven't seen in 10+ years, we ask them to summarize our time apart by playing the game!  It's really special to hear about their highs and lows and some really oddball stories...
I've decided to use this method to summarize 2012.  I worked on my goals for the year and had some successes, but some not so successful ventures too.  Always learning, always improving, it doesn't matter if I give myself an A+ or whatever!  So here we go...

2012's Best, Worst and Most Interesting

Best 

- went to a women's conference and am working w/a group planning another one in January of 2013.

- participated in 2 small groups - Courageous Parenting and a sermon based one.  AWESOME!!  The group of people we met and connected w/quickly became good friends and we are hoping to join/start new groups w/them soon!

- was the most successful so far in this season's Maximize Your Mornings Challenge.  We read through the book of 1 Peter and I am so glad I stuck it out.

- I did a super job of staying active and running in the warmer months, w/help from my hubby to free up some time in the schedule.  

- (other random stuff not on the goals list) I instituted a 5 bag policy for the kids (one ziploc for each day of the week, they pack the bags over the weekend so there is no discussion of what to wear in the AMs) and that is the best thing I think I have ever done!  I'd been doing well on getting enough sleep for most of the year but fell out of habit by the end (more on that later...).  I think I'm getting more of a hang of the rhythm of our days/life in general, which makes me so much happier.  I also feel like I have encouraged a lot of people to step out and try some things we've been doing - garden, eat better, etc...I try not to preach, I try not to criticize, but I aim to encourage.  I thought it would be so hard to break some habits or make changes for the better, but it gets easier every day.  I am no expert but I love to help people =)  Got that from my Mom!  I LOVE YOU MOM!

Worst

- I just can't seem to find time for my personal hobbies like reading, scrapbooking and sewing.  =(  I should say make time.  It's there...I just choose otherwise.

- I realized a few things this past Nov/Dec.  I do well for most of the year, but all my ambition, willpower and determination are gone by November.  It's like I just cave in!  I/We start eating SAD again (Standard American Diet), the days get shorter and we get less sunlight so we suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), life gets busy, I make excuses, I make poor choices and I just feel SAD (Surly, Annoyed and Depressed)!!  (----no, no link for that I just made it up!)  ***EDITED***  I had a whole paragraph here about food and feelings and it looks like blogger ate it.  I have no idea where it went!!***  =(

- Other worsts were the lack of progress on an adoption, a move, a trip out West, and reducing the amount of packaging in our lives.  

Most Interesting

- Well, I never thought I'd be part of the planning committee for a women's conference, nor going to practices for a community drama!  

- I also didn't think I'd get so good at french braiding hair, much less hair of someone w/a different ethnic makeup than myself.  But then again - at the least, it takes me an hour each week, so...I can say I have close to 60 hours of practice in!!  

- This last small group we participated in was hosted by a couple who were our first friends at the church we currently attend!  We hadn't hung out w/them in quite a while and rarely see them much anymore since we no longer attend the same church.  But it was sort of funny that we became friends by joining their small group back in the day, and here we were signing up for a group hosted at their house...it was sort of like old times =)  

- It was interesting that we had the same foster care placement for the whole entire year.  Most of our past placements were either a year long or for a very short time.  This one is turning out to be over a year, it may even go past a year and a half.  This is interesting...also, we're learning more about 'co-parenting'.  W/our previous placements, there was very little transition (for one reason or another) and very little reason to co-parent.  It looks like there will be plenty of both in this placement.  I can think of no better way to describe it than interesting.  We are learning a lot.  Not just about the system and co-parenting, but about ourselves, too.  

- Dave has a beard again.  It's been a while!  He's talking about letting it grow big again!  Due to his alopecia, it probably won't get as big as it was in college, but it's fun!  I like him w/a fuzzy face =)  We watch that show Duck Dynasty and I think he was inspired.  For as long as I've known him, he's never been able to get his beard to grow long/down b/c the curls are so tight!  It just gets dense and bushy, but not flowing like the guys from that show.  I commented that maybe since he's older now, it might grow differently.  I don't really care - beard or not - I love the guy and I just want him to be happy!  I have a feeling that by the time the heat of summer comes around, it will get shaved off, though, so I'm just sitting back and watching it grow for now.  Yep, that's interesting... 

Well, that's the goal recap for 2012.  I don't fret about the details, but I like to check on my progress in a relaxed way.  I was hoping to have time to write the 2013 ones before nap time was over, but...no such luck.  Maybe tomorrow =)