What the What??

I can't believe that its already the middle of December... Seriously, where did 2011 go?? I still have to catch myself from saying 2010 (I think that is one of the downsides to no longer writing checks, I don't have a reminder about what year it is!) and here it is, almost 2012!!

Looking back on this past year, it really seems like a big blur. so much happened, and we were so busy! I learned so much, and I feel like I am a better person than I was 12 months ago.

For the first time... well... ever, I guess, I completed BOTH of my New Year's Resolutions!

My first resolution was to only buy clothes at thrift stores all year. This was harder, and easier, than I thought it would be. I did slip a few times- I bought a pair of jeans (mega on sale, they were $12 from Eddie Bauer! Great jeans! What was I doing in an Eddie Bauer, you ask? Well, I am quite the outdoorsman, you know...) and a few tank tops from Old Navy (they were $2 each! And I needed new tank tops! And you can't buy those at a thrift store!) and I also got a pair of grey tights from Banana Republic, for $1.89. Seriously. I also got some stuff from J Crew, but I had a gift card from work, and I only spent like $6 of my own money, so I don't think it counts! I probably shouldn't officially cross this off the list, since I still have two and a half weeks to go, and I'm going shopping tomorrow for a winter coat (crossing my fingers that the thrift store has a good one, otherwise I will crack. It's cold!!), but really, I have done much better than I thought I would!

My second resolution was to run a 5k. Done and done!! I actually ran two this year! My first one was in November, and I ran it in 40:30. My second one was at Sea World last week, and I ran it in 39:47. I know, with a time like that, its basically like I was walking fast, but believe me, it felt like running... I actually enjoy running now, and I'm planning on doing another race on the coast in March.

I'm still crafting my resolutions for next year, I have a few really good ideas. I think the reason I was so successful this year is I had something really specific that I could actually cross off. You can't really measure 'being nicer' or 'being healthier' but I can specifically tell you that I did, in fact, run 3.1 miles (twice!), and I did (for the most part) only buy clothes at thrift stores. So I'm keeping that in mind for next year. Some things on the possible list:

• Become an extreme couponer
• Run 520 miles (over the year, not all at once!)
• Do one thing from Pintrest a month
• Have a baby (just kidding... sort of)
• Bake 12 new kinds of bread
• Run a 5k in under 30:00
• Write a mission statement (a la 7 Habits)
• Pay off my student loan