And that's a wrap!!!

Well its the time of the year where I write up a new blog about all of the happenings for the past year and look forward to the goals of the next. 2011 will be no exception... A lot happened in the past year and as we get ready to celebrate and ring in the new year lets take a little bit to reflect on the highlights of 2011.

1. I got an iPad for my birthday... it has totally changed how I approach work, but not how good I am at procrastinating.The wife and kids really like it too and I often have to fight for it when I am at home. I think we need another one! : )
   
2. We moved into a rental house. It was a long time coming but we finally were back in a house. I think though, that through that struggle I realized even more what work goes towards have a house. We have a garage and a huge backyard that the kids love. More importantly, my wife loves!!! It still leaves some things to be desired but its a lot better than our apartment. One of the nicest things has been being able to host family gatherings and park in the garage in the winter. So far we haven't had to scrape our windows this winter.
   
3. My mom bought my grandma's house and has put down some roots. It wasn't a stress-free process but I think as we make improvements to the house it will start to feel like "her" home more and more. Plus she can't beat the rent.
4. Austin went to his first Indianapolis 500 this year. It was still really hot but he enjoyed it and didn't ask if we could leave early. Although his favorite drivers didn't win, a rookie led going into the final turn until he hit the wall and Dan Wheldon took the lead to win his 2nd Indy 500 in classic style. No one signed him to drive this season and this was his first face of the year. Proved he still had it. In October Dan was killed in a wreck in the final race. He was unbelievable to see that happen. He was such an incredible driver and fun to follow. In his death finding out more of what he was like even solidified how incredible he was. Even in a year when he didn't have a full time team Dan told others he was having the best time of his life. IndyCar will never be the same without him! RIP Dan.
   
5. We spent a lot of the summer fixing up the house we are living in... its night and day how it looks when we moved in and how it looked when the summer came to an end. We also were part of a local CSA. I think without tracking it I ate more fruits and vegetables this year than ever before. It may not have shown on the scale but eating healthier is a start, right?
6. Austin was in the fifth grade this fall and went to the same school for two years in a row for the first time in his life!!! I think about going to the same school for eight years of grade school and then four years of high school. Including college he has already gone to more schools than me. Hopefully bringing more consistency to his life will help him feel like he has roots somewhere that he can call home too. As he gets older, the only issue we have had is that he is now calculated in what homework he slacks off on, when he tries to procrastinate himself, etc. I thought being a parent was hard when he was little and that it would be easier as he got older (guess I'm still learning).
7. Beth is still rocking it out in school. She doesn't love it but I am proud of her to see her step out of her comfort zone and challenge herself. She has also made a few friends along the way which is cool to see. Hopefully she continues to open her world to others and experience all that is possible. Often times we are the only limit on what we are capable of accomplishing.
   
8. Professionally things have been going well this year too. I received a promotion in April and have worked to adjust to the ever changing responsibilities of my new position. Procrastination continues to be one of the biggest obstacles to my person achievement. I hopefully will be able to crack this code and get better at finishing tasks on my time table rather than due to deadlines, etc.
9. Little Andrew is fully potty trained and doesn't even need pull ups at night. That helps the pocket book if you know what I mean. He has made so many advances over the year. To hear him say some of the things he does at times is sooo funny. He is becoming a little person versus a baby boy. Him and Austin got guinea pigs for Christmas that they are excited about. So far so good and I haven't gotten upset about them once. The real test will come when Beth finishes her nursing degree and we get a dog.
   
10. I read a book this year! And not just a kid book. I had a lot of motivation earlier in the year and read Drew Brees' book "Coming Back Stronger". It talked about him coming back from his shoulder injury and New Orleans coming back from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It was a pretty incredible read... Given the struggles that my family has been through in the last few years I am inspired to come back stronger too. I hope to more than meet expectations in the year to come. I also hope to get up the motivation to read more than one book!

We are poised for what will come in 2012... Austin - in middle school, Andrew - in pre-school, Beth - a year closer to completing her degree, and Me - another promotion??? I want our family to find a church to call home, we hope to buy a house, and I want to get in better shape physically. The life we have before us is only limited by what we think we can or can't accomplish. Once we get out of the way anything is possible.

Wishing you and yours the best in the year to come! Happy New Years!!!