A year in review: 2012- The year I almost gave up blogging

2012 was the year I almost gave up blogging.

I had someone I considered a friend say some very hurtful things to me, among them, that "it is very hypocritical of me to blog about a simple life when not everything I do is simple." hmm... though provoking... and yes, somewhat true. Not everything in my life is simple. Obviously. I live in a face paced, first world country. I work full time in a job that is constantly changing. I am a mom of a very busy, very smart toddler because we spend large amounts of time playing and learning together. We own a business. I am slightly obsessed with having my house organized which often creates extra stress. All of our family and many of our friends live far away, yet we manage to stay in contact with them. We travel often.  I have more hobbies than I really should. I enjoy technology and try struggle to keep up with how quickly it changes. I often overschedule myself.

I am not trying to falsely portray that my life is as simple as it could get or perfect. It's not. I do not try to falsely portray anything about my life. But I blog because I like to keep track of our journey in this life, the same reason I scrapbook. I also get a lot of ideas from other blogs and enjoy sharing with those who are interested in our lives what we are up to- whether it be my simple (or simple-intended) DIY projects for gifts and home décor, the simple unexpected gifts that nature gives us and my attempt as a friend, a wife, a mom to create memories and make people's lives better.

But I kept on blogging and I am glad I did...I documented the ways we have simplified our life, our races, craft projects and traditions.  My posts became more about crafts/projects and less personal after I felt like I was being judged so intensely. I stopped promoting all my blog posts on Facebook.  I learned more about the technology and web coding behind blogging (definitely NOT simple). I improved the quality of my photos.

I kept blogging more out of spite because I wasn't going to let someone bully me into giving up something I enjoy. Like the time my high school art teacher told me I had no talent. After shedding many tears, I tried harder and harder. I won state art competitions and went on to college to obtain a degree in art. Or the time an ex-boyfriend told me I could not possibly skate in an inline marathon with the little training I did and I was fat and out of shape, I funneled that anger into energy that led me to the fastest race I'd ever done. I could certainly do with less negativity in general, but that is not realistic. People will not always like me, agree with me or say nice things. I am not responsible for their actions, but I am responsible for how I react to them.

I think often people say hurtful things because they are not happy themselves. They compare their lives to others. I don't do that. I am content with who I am as a person, trying to be the best mom/friend/wife/employee/neighbor/member of society that I can be. I am not saying it is easy. It is a lifelong goal that I am constantly working towards.  I have feelings. I wish I could say that I did not care what other people think. That would be a lie. I do care. But I truly believe a positive attitude wins in almost any situation. And that is a simple concept that is hard to be taught.

~Angela

Here are my 3 favorite blog posts of 2012:

1. I Know What it Means to Love

2. Our 7th Wedding Anniversary that did not go as planned (told you my life was not perfect!)

3. This is a home where a child lives

Top 10 of 2011

With just one more day left in 2011, I can't help but reflect back on all that the year had in store for us:
We took on a lot of projects. We ran and skated and snowshoed in races. We introduced our little girl to the beauty of the outdoors. We organized and decorated our home, finished our basement, and took on landscaping projects. We played and played and played with our little girl. We travelled alot. We visited family and friends and spent a significant amount of time in the car. We took a few amazing vacations. We spent time on the lake. After looking back on my scrapbook from 2011, here are my top 10 favorite memories (in no particular order):

1.  Traveling to Maine as a family.

We flew out (Bundle's first plane ride) and spent a week along the coast. I collected over 70 heart shaped rocks, we scoped out lighthouses, we biked and hiked around Acadia National Park and most imporatantly, we relaxed. It was a simple, low key, beautiful vacation.

2. My little girl's taking her first steps.

3. How excited my little girl was to see me after I got home from a girls weekend in Seattle.

The trip was also a highlight, of course, but seeing her excited to see me after I'd been away, I wish I could bottle that up and save it:

4. Getting all of the barbed wire from our backyard ripped out.  It feels so much safer to be outside now. This was a project two years in the works.

5. Getting our photographs displayed in our home! I love looking around and seeing photos of our family and friends all around us.

6. Spending time with my family, relaxing and doing things we enjoy, with no agenda. I love the simplicity of being with family. I made two trips to see my Grandma. We also had a super fun family wedding thrown in the mix!

7. Boating. It was a beautiful summer to be on the lake.

8. Murder Mystery Weekend. We hosted two of these this year and it was great fun!

9. Running a half marathon. This year, I trained with a friend and even though she was not able to be there to race with me, she and her family came out to cheer me on, along with my husband and daughter.

10. The trip to Michigan with my husband and his parents. We stayed at Sand Hills Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast where Jon proposed to me. It was a road trip that was filled with simple pleasures, like collecting rocks, watching sunsets and piano music.

~Angela