2014 Resolutions/ Goals/ Etc....

It's here.  Another year has come and gone.  A new one is afoot.  There's something refreshing about that.  Something invigorating.  Something that inspires us to look inward and assess where we are, and where we intend to go.

So, I'll start with looking over my goals for 2013 to see what went right, what went wrong, and what was successful....

In the area of finances we pretty much crashed and burned at the end of the year...  We're not starting off on a happy note there, but there's plenty of room for improvement, so onward!

In the area of kids, I'm so glad that I set goals in these different areas specifically, because if I were to generalize my self with the kids I would say I'm in the tank there too, but not so!  I just looked over my goals for the kids and I actually accomplished several I had for them this past year- Auston is driving, Shea graduated therapy, and Gregory is more social.  I've monitored William for needs and he seems to be doing fine :)

In the area of my marriage, we've continued regular date nights (until the last couple months of the year when our lives spiraled out of control with me having Shingles and the finances went in the tank).  We never got a separate get away together outside of the MUD conferences, so that is on the list again.  I need to dress up for him more still...  I've convinced myself that yoga pants are ok to wear All.The.Time......  probably not so.....

In the area of friends and family, I did a fairly good job with the birthday cards this year, could use some improvement..  And I had a couple of get aways with Jess for races, so not too shabby...

In the area of health and fitness I again am thankful for specific goals.  My health has pretty much sucked the last 2 month of the year, but that doesn't paint a clear picture of where I was last year when setting my goals!  I did run several races, and even PR'd my 10K time.  I completed another Half Marathon and quit the soda!  The last 2 months have been brutal, but I'll get back up on that horse and kick butt :)

In the area of Home improvement: FAIL......

In the area of Spirituality, that has not gone great either.  I finished out Bible Study last year, but did not return in the Fall because we started at Liberty.  I'm having a struggle finding my niche now....

In the area of other personal goals, life did not slow down....  it sped up.  Still need to work on that.  I have started to read a little more, the last couple of months, but there's some definite room for improvement there too.

So- let's get to it:

Finances:

• Create and maintain sinking funds for various projects around the house and car
• Fully fund our family trip to Disney World in December through Pampered Chef Commissions
• Menu plan and start a Meatless Monday habit
• Pay down remaining debt
• Reestablish emergency fund (got depleted this year on emergencies)
• No more than 4 total late payments on all bills total in 2014
• Buy a "new" car for me
• Pay off Durango

Children:

• Get William’s belly button fixed and circumcision done-seriously!!!
• Start teaching Grego to drive *gasp* *ack!* *I'm not ready!*
• Graduate Auston
• Find the joy in my children, and see less of the work and burden
• Figure out whether to continue homeschooling Shea, or not
• Teach the kids how to pick up after themselves consistently
• Institute regular kids cook nights

Marriage:

• Continue regular date nights, but add some variety, spice
• Carve a weekend away (In addition to MUD conventions)
• Get dressed up for him more
• Less nagging, more fun

Friends and Family:

• Consistently send out Birthday and Occasion cards
• Pray for my friends and family more specifically 
• Do at least 3 RAK's this year to my friends/family
• Be more present in real life instead of relying on social media

Health and Fitness:

• PR my 5K time, (I’d like to get closer to 30 mins)
• Run Every Day in January
• Participate in at least one race that is longer than a 5K
• Watch my eating, cut way back on the junk food
• Do at least 1 14 day no sugar challenge
• Drink more water!
• Encourage at least one person to start running
• Start some strength training
• Stay off the soda....  
• Move to a more "clean" diet
• Lose weight.  I want to be specific, but I also want to be realistic.  So, I'm going to set quarterly goals for weight loss and assess where I am each quarter...  1st quarter- I want to lose 20 pounds.  There are 13 weeks between now and the end of March, so I think that's doable :)

Home Management:

• Redo William’s room
• Replace furniture (from thrift store)or recover my couch that needs recovering, but I love it so much....
• Redo Deck (maybe a covered patio?)
• Plant flowers
• Get a cleaning schedule/rotation going again 
• Get the rest of the family involved and invested in maintaining the house so it isn't all on my shoulders :) 
• Fix garage door 
• New Oven

Spirituality:

• Tithe Consistently
• Find and keep a regular quiet time to reconnect with God
• Read at least 2 books on spiritual growth
• Restart our home group (going to be more important than ever with getting a new pastor)
• Be more consistent with Prayer list for DOK
• Start a prayer journal 

Business:

• Sell an average of $2500 each month
• Fully fund our trip to Disney in December through commissions
• Recruit at least 4 team members
• Increase show average.  Current show average is around $500.  Want it to be over $600

Other Personal Goals:

• Make sure I have the time and money for regular massages and pedicures
• Steal away some time for myself
• Read at least 4 books this year
• Craft more
• Keep my car clean
• Take some items off my schedule to get out of the excessive busyness cycle
• Continue with my list of 6 daily to stay on task
• Paint my nails
• Wear Perfume 

I think that about covers it :)  Here's to a prosperous 2014,

-May you all find your plumb line and stay true to it.

- May you all define your own "lines in the sand" and find some sense of ownership in your lives through them.

- May you all give more grace than deserved to those around you, and may you all find grace when you're not expecting it.

This past year I used Hebrews 12:15 to shape how I tried to deal with the people around me:  "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God".  I think we can ALL use an extra dose of grace...

For 2014 I want to focus on Joy....

Philemon 1:7

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

New Years Resolutions- Looking to 2013

Well, it’s that time again.  I’ve reflected on the past year, and now it’s time to take a good look at 2013.  I’ve pretty much always written New Year’s Resolutions, and some years I’ve been more dedicated than others.  Still, though, it’s important to take a look at your life regularly and think about where you’re going and where you actually want to go…..

As my life has gotten extremely busy in recent years I think it’s more important than ever to set some goals.  It’s like a plumb line…  If you get off just a bit here, in a year you don’t even know where you are.  Resolutions are an opportunity to reset the plumb line.

As I look over my resolutions from 2012 I see some things that I didn’t really get to, and others that I did quite well.  For example, in the area of finance I did menu plan all year, and we paid off some debt, but not as much as I would have liked….  For Children, Auston is still learning to drive, and William’s belly button is still not fixed.  Neither of these things are my fault, (I’m driving with Auston, he’s just not ready yet, and William got a ring worm that delayed the surgery), but they’ll roll over to 2013 nonetheless.  Marriage:  Up until the last couple of weeks I’ve done a good job with making sure Michael has socks ….  And I think our marriage is striving quite well right now   Friend and family: I’ve finally started doing pretty good with birthday and occasion cards in the last quarter of the year, so that will stay on the list for improvement.  There is some improvement with my mother, we’ve exchanged some nice text messages.  I’m happy with any progress at all in that area.  I didn’t do nearly as many acts of kindness this year as I would have liked, busyness took over my life.  Home Management:  The boys got their room, and the siding and fascia were replaced.  There’s still work to be done around here!  Spiritual- I’m maintaining Bible Study, but just barely as of late…  There will be some things on the list for that one, and the other personal goals of clearing out my schedule and creating time for myself…..  well…..  with the exception of my running, I’ve pretty much failed all around on that…. 

So, you see, some things get better, some things still need improvement…  Here we are at another year, so it’s time to reset the plumbline

So, here are my goals for 2013:

Finances:

• Create and maintain sinking funds for various projects around the house and car
• Create and maintain Christmas Fund
• Move to a monthly menu planning/shopping schedule to reduce spending
• Pay down remaining debt
• Reestablish emergency fund (got depleted this year on emergencies)
• Try to begin moving to a pay this months bills with last month’s paycheck system

Children:

• Get William’s belly button fixed and circumcision done
• Continue teaching Auston to drive, and when he’s ready get him his license
• Help Gregory find more ways to be social
• Find the joy in my children, and see less of the work and burden
• Keep up with the kids schoolwork …  Don’t get behind
• Maintain Shea’s therapy schedule and continue to monitor William for needs
• Teach the kids to cook by having them help me in the kitchen

Marriage:

• Continue regular date nights, but add some variety, spice
• Carve a weekend away (In addition to MUD conventions)
• Get dressed up for him more
• Give him more of myself

Friends and Family:

• Consistently send out Birthday and Occasion cards
• Pray for my friends and family more specifically
• More GNOs, maybe a Girls weekend?
• Do at least 12 RAK’s (Random Acts of Kindness) this year

Health and Fitness:

• PR my 5K time, (I’d like to get closer to 30 mins)
• Run Every Day in January
• Participate in at least one race that is longer than a 5K
• Watch my eating, cut way back on the junk food
• Drink more water!
• Encourage at least one person to start running
• Start some strength training
• Maintain my reduction of soda pops to 1-2 per month or less

Home Management:

• Redo William’s room
• Replace furniture (from thrift store)
• Redo Deck (maybe a covered patio?)
• Plant flowers
• Get a cleaning schedule/rotation going again

Spirituality:

• Tithe Consistently
• Get better about doing my bible study homework daily
• Read at least 2 books on spiritual growth
• Restart our home group (going to be more important than ever with our pastor retiring)
• Be more consistent with Prayer list for DOK
• Start a prayer journal

Other Personal Goals:

• Make sure I have the time and money for regular massages and pedicures
• Steal away some time for myself
• Read at least 4 books this year
• Craft more
• Keep my car clean
• Take some items off my schedule to get out of the excessive busyness cycle
• Continue with my list of 6 daily to stay on task
• Paint my nails
• Wear Perfume

I have some work to do in 2013, but I think these are attainable goals.  Now that I’ve done this I’m ready to get started!

January RUN STREAK Sign Up Starts NOW! (Free Level)

It’s time!!!
We’ve had our fill of turkey, pie, potatoes, etc.  Now it’s time to start thinking about our goals for 2013, and what better way to start the New Year off than with a bang!
This page is to be used to sign up for the FREE Level for the RUN STREAK.  No prizes will be sent, but I hope that you will join in on facebook to give and receive encouragement!  If you’re looking for the Medal Level Click Here.

The Rules are simple:

1. Sign up between November 23 and January 7 (but you must start running every day beginning January 1) using the forms provided, and pay (If participating in the Medal Level)
2. Share with your friends, running groups etc. The more people playing the more fun we’ll have
3. Like my page on Facebook to get all of the updates and encourage each other to make it the full month!
4. Get Ready to RUN!
5. Beginning January 1, you must RUN every single day.
6. Walking does not count for this challenge.
7. There is no required mileage, or time. If you run around your block you run around your block. If you run 5 miles you run 5 miles. If you run 5 minutes you run 5 minutes. The challenge is to RUN EVERY DAY.

That’s it! Why are we doing this? Well, for several reasons.

• We want to kick the New Year off right!
• To say we did it!
• To know we can!
• To set an attainable goal and accomplish it!
• To break down the walls that keep us from running (Not enough time, it’s too cold, I need a rest day, insert your favorite excuse here)

So often I talk myself out of running because I don’t have time to do the mileage I want. Why? This challenge is about encouraging the new runner and the seasoned runner alike. We’re running for the love of running. If you’re doing another race in January, great! That counts. If your participating in another virtual race you just got double duty! If you just need to remember why you loved running before you started that grueling training plan, this is for you! Don’t delay, sign up now while you’re thinking about it!
If you’re looking for the Medal Level Click Here.

On January 1 we’ll kick off our streak with sharing pictures of us running New Years Day.  Some of you have talked about running at Midnight!  I’d love to see pictures, and get an account of how you started your 2013 journey!
Thanks again for joining in with me on this crazy idea

January RUN STREAK MRTT PAGE

This page is for Moms Run This Town members ONLY!  If you do not belong to a chapter, click here to find one
It’s time!!! We’ve had our fill of turkey, pie and potatoes, and now it’s time to start focusing on 2013 and our goals for the coming year. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the New Year than a Run Streak, so we’re going to do it together! There are two levels of commitment for this Run Streak, the Free level and the Medal Level.

This page is for the Medal Level, if you’re looking for the free level click here.
The Rules are simple:

1. Sign up between November 23 and January 7 (but you must start running January 1) using the forms provided, and pay (If participating in the Medal Level)
2. Share with your friends, running groups etc. The more people playing the more fun we’ll have
3. Like my page on Facebook to get all of the updates and encourage each other to make it the full month!
4. Get Ready to RUN!
5. Beginning January 1, you must RUN every single day.
6. Walking does not count for this challenge.
7. There is no required mileage, or time. If you run around your block you run around your block. If you run 5 miles you run 5 miles. If you run 5 minutes you run 5 minutes. The challenge is to RUN EVERY DAY.

That’s it! Why are we doing this? Well, for several reasons.

• We want to kick the New Year off right!
• To say we did it!
• To know we can!
• To set an attainable goal and accomplish it!
• To break down the walls that keep us from running (Not enough time, it’s too cold, I need a rest day, insert your favorite excuse here)

So often I talk myself out of running because I don’t have time to do the mileage I want. Why? This challenge is about encouraging the new runner and the seasoned runner alike. We’re running for the love of running. If you’re doing another race in January, great! That counts. If your participating in another virtual race you just got double duty! If you just need to remember why you loved running before you started that grueling training plan, this is for you! Don’t delay, sign up now while you’re thinking about it!
How to get started:
Pay for your medal here: The price is $9 each or less for higher quantities

Be sure to chose the right option for the quantity you order!

1-5 $9.00 USD 5-10 $8.00 USD 10-19 $7.00 USD 20+ $6.00 USD

Please Enter Your Full Name

This Page is for MRTT Members only
Then fill out the form. This will be matched up with your payment, so I can send out your medal. Medals will be shipped by the middle of January, so you will have them by the end of the month. If I have them earlier I’ll ship them earlier. I will post on Facebook when they start shipping so you know when to be on the lookout!

Now that you’ve paid and filled out the form, we’re ready! Some of you have said you will start your RUN STREAK off by running at Midnight. Some will go in the morning, some will make it a family event. Whatever you do, please post to Facebook and post pictures if possible! Let’s get everyone excited!
Again, Thanks for joining with me on this crazy idea of mine!

Looking Forward to 2012- Resolutions Post

Many people think resolutions are dumb, that they are fun to make, but check them in say, February and they’re long forgotten.  I’ve never thought that way at all.  I think resolutions are what you make of them.  If you take them seriously they can have an impact on your life.  If you don’t, then yes, they are dumb.  I think the turning over of the calendar to a new year is a gift to each of us.  Just like the gift of Salvation- you only need to accept the gift.  If the calendar turns for you year after year after year and nothing ever changes, well, you have no one to blame but yourself. 

For me, the calendar turning is a time to reflect on the previous year and look towards the next to determine what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to change and what needs to be different.  Change is part of life.  We are all changing every moment.  The question is, is that positive change, or negative change?

As I look over my resolutions from last year, I am pleasantly surprised!  I have accomplished almost everything on my list from last year .   

In the area of Finances we can check off all but “accumulate no additional debt”.  We did accumulate an additional debt of a little under $1,000 for police lights and one piece of the kids’ curriculum.  With the pay cut we had, I’d say this is pretty good!In the area of children, most of these were progressive, or continual goals, but we made some progress on them, and the big one of finalize the adoptions happened! In the area of Marriage there is still the problem with the socks…..  And we didn’t renew our vows because we had so much going on with the babies around our anniversary…. Friends and Family will have a lot of the same goals this year, I need some work on priorities.  Home Management will be a main focus for 2012….  pretty much the same goals LOL….  but I will say my Spiritual growth has been huge this year.  So, as you can see, your resolutions are what you make of them.  I can say I have done a lot to improve myself and my life over the past year.  I don’t do it just for me, I do it for my kids and my husband.  I want to be the best I can for them.  I want to set a good example for my kids.  I want to instill to them the importance of continual self improvement.  I hope I’m doing that.

So, here are my goals for 2012:

Finances:

• Pay off all debt except the house
• Refinance the mortgage to be a 15 year mortgage
• Create and Maintain a Christmas Club Account
• Continue Menu Planning, with the goal of reducing the grocery bills
• Create and maintain sinking funds for various projects around the house and car

Children:

• Finish teaching Auston to drive, feel safe with him driving (is that possible?)
• Potty Train William
• Help Gregory to be more secure in himself
• Help all the children (but specifically the older boys) find some of their gifts and develop them
• Maintain the kids school schedules and keep up with their work
• Find a MDO program for the babies to go to
• Try not to “sweat the small stuff”
• Maintain the therapy schedule for the babies, and ensure they get what they need from that standpoint
• Get William’s belly button fixed and circumcision done

Marriage:

• Make sure he has clean socks LOL
• Continue regular date nights
• Spend some time away from the house for our anniversary (we never got to do this last year, hoping to do it this year)
• Revel in the newness of every day- even after 16 years together I still find out new things about my husband
• Believe in him always
• Surprise him
• Remember always that he is a gift

Friends and Family:

• Do more anonymous giving and acts of service this year.  (If you haven’t done anything like this you should!  It’s is a blast!)
• Send out Birthday and Occasion cards
• Continue with the progress I’ve made so far with my mother by exchanging cards, and try to focus on the positive.

Health and Fitness:

• Renew my commitment to Weight Watchers and stick to the new 2012 plan
• Exercise 3-5 times a week at minimum on a regular basis
• Start running
• Participate in at least 3 organized events- 5K’s etc
• Eat more fruits and veggies
• Lose at least 25 pounds again this year (for a total of 50 pounds since joining WW again)
• Maintain my reduction to one cup of caffeinated coffee per day, supplementing with other non-caffeinated drinks and teas

Home Management:

• Build a room in the garage for the boys
• Stain the deck
• Replace remaining facia
• Replace Carpet with other flooring
• Replace furniture (from the thrift store) I do have two small children still after all….
• Plant Flowers
• Improve the landscaping around the house
• Replace the window that Gregory broke on Christmas
• Maintain a cleaning schedule so as not to get overwhelmed by the house
• Train my family to HELP with said cleaning schedule.

Spirituality:

• Continue to do Bible Study lessons consistently
• Trust God when it doesn’t seem right
• Believe that God is in control.  Always.
• Chose the activities I’m involved in with the church so I don’t feel burnt out or resentful
• Tithe Consistently

Other Personal Goals:

• Clear out my schedule a little
• Schedule time for myself, time for things like bubble baths WITHOUT interruption, pedicures, massages. 
• Remember that taking care of myself helps me to feel renewed and therefore makes me a better mom and wife
• Learn to better delegate, and trust other people to handle tasks
• Learn to not get upset when the tasks are not done how I would have done them
• Read at least 12 books this year.  I’m so excited to have my new Kindle and actually think I can do this.
• Create a relaxation ritual for myself
• Craft more

Seems like a lot, but really, is it?  There are, after all, 365 day in which to achieve these goals

2011- A Recap!

It’s that time….  Time to start thinking about resolutions again…  but before looking forward, it’s always a good idea to examine from where we came…..

I’ve done this for a few years now…  Here are the recaps for 2010, 2009, and 2008 if you’re interested….  It’s fun to look back and see what I had to say about those years and how much our lives have changed since then!

So, in 2011 we had many exciting things happen,  here’s my recap:

January: 

January began with the anticipation of finalizing our adoptions.  We had just finalized other aspects in court at the end of December, so now we were looking forward to having the CPS chapter of our lives over with.  Shea turned 2 in January, and became even more active and busy than she was before.  People say of their children, “They’re 2 going on 20”…  Well….  Shea actually IS “2 going on 20”.  She’s going to rule the world some day.  Does this give you a bit of a picture of “Shea Speed”?

February:

In February our daughter by heart, Heather, came to stay with us for a little while, before finding out she was pregnant.  She then decided to move in with her sister.  We continued on with the many CPS and ECI visits on our adoption journey.  It seemed that our schedule was only getting more and more full…..

March:

In March Michael was asked to be on the Discovery Team for the church.  Discovery is a spiritual retreat the church puts on every year designed to help you grow deeper in your faith.  It was a big, big commitment, but when Discovery took place in April I think we could all agree it was life changing for the team as well as the pilgrims.  I’m so glad he got to do this.  We also got word from the County that Michael’s department was going to face a major budget cut, including lay offs and pay cuts.  Michael was able to keep his job, but he was reduced to 32 hours a week (resulting in a 20% pay cut), and his schedule was changed.  It was quite frightening knowing our budget was already stretched, and that once the babies were adopted we’d no long receive foster money either, resulting in an even deeper cut.  But, we took the news by hitting our knees in prayer, and, I’m proud to say we made it through.  It wasn’t until December that his pay was reinstated, but God provided for us every step of the way.  Also in March Auston found out that he was elected to the Order of the Arrow in Boy Scouts, which was quite an honor.

April:

In April Auston and Gregory attended a Teen Pact Class in Austin, for which they needed a suit…  They look sharp, huh?

Also in April I was helping Michelle out by watching her kids, here they are in front of the cross on Easter at the church.  It was a bit of an adjustment to have 6 children instead of 4 in tow many days, but I wouldn’t trade the time I got to spend with them, and they with each other.  I knew I couldn’t do it for long, so I just tried to enjoy them while I had them until Michelle found another babysitter. 

May:

In May, Gregory graduated from the Encourager Homeschool Enrichment Program, and turned 12, and was elected Senior Patrol Leader of the troop, Auston completed his Ordeal for the completion of is election into the Order of the Arrow, and was elected Assistant Senior Patrol Leader for the troop, and Calley graduated from Midland Lee High School with HIGH honors.  It was a very very busy month! 

June:

June… Oh June….  In June our family was finalized.  We are now officially Shea and William’s forever family and they ours.  June holds a major importance in our lives now.  It was an incredible way to start the summer

We could not believe how many people came out to our adoption to celebrate our family.  It was amazing to see that these people love our children as much as we do and were just as happy for us.  Really.  Words can’t describe how much it meant to us to have everyone there.  It made the day what it was supposed to be.  About community and love.  And sharing that love.

Seriously.  Do you see how many people were there to support us?  Could we be any luckier?  Even the judge was taken a back by the volume of people….

We are sooooo blessed….

It was a good day

Also in June, Semalee’s Oma, Lois Cook passed away.  She is dearly missed.

July:

In July Semalee went to Boy Scout Summer Camp with the boys again.  This year we headed back to Oklahoma, to Camp Hale.  It was an eventful trip, to say the least, complete with a broken down trailer and 3 out of 4 of the adults getting the flu the last night there and driving home sick…..  Blech….  Again I say, if they say I wasn’t a good mom, they need to read these recaps….    We also had a party to celebrate the adoptions, and had a special service at our church.  It was strange to realize that at that service the adoptions felt so much more real to us then they did in court.  We are so blessed by our church family as well. 

As if that wasn’t enough, Michael and I celebrated 15 years of marriage.  Weird to think after all this time I still love him with everything in me, and even weirder that he still loves me

August:

In August Auston spent 2 weeks at Camp Eagle as part of the service team.  It was sooooo weird to have him gone for that long.  And when he came back he was quite different.  My boy is growing up so fast.  The rest of us just tried to relax as best as we could, and started preparing for the school year.  Auston is doing 10th grade and Gregory is doing a majority of work from 8th grade…

September:

Mikey turned 40 in September…  FORTY….  Man he’s old~!!!!    I did not make this cake, my friend Terri did, and she did a great job.  We spent September getting ready for Terri’s wedding and settling into school for the year.  I made the wedding cake for Terri and Jeff’s wedding.  While I was happy with how it turned out, I’m not interested in making another wedding cake…… ever……

Michael was spoiled with a birthday MONTH instead of just one lousy day

October:

And in a blink it was October.  Our daughter by heart gave birth to our Granddaughter by heart, Makinzee just a few days before Auston turned 15.  Auston got his learner’s permit, and I am scared to death of the big 1-6 and him driving BY HIMSELF….. 

I also went to Women of Faith in San Antonio with my very dear friend Gwenn.  It was a wonderful experience, one we hope to repeat annually

November:

Michael was able to go to St. Louis for an Affected Coworker’s retreat with COPS in November.  He was really glad he went.    And, Semalee turned 37, and William turned two   We shared a birthday party with Zeny, who turned 3 a few days after William’s birthday.  I made a Dora and Diego cake for their birthday….

December:

And, before we knew it we were in December.  It was to be our first Christmas knowing that we had these babies forever.  Much anticipation preceded the event   We’d all done some growing since last year, and we were all breathing a little easier.  Shea got over her fear of Santa, for which we were so grateful for, since we had tickets to ride the Polar Express!  We cut down our tree at our favorite tree farm, and maintained as much of our traditions as possible amidst our crazy busy schedule.  Christmas day brought a visit from Heather and Makinzee, and some much needed rest.

As we look forward to 2012, we have so much to be thankful for this year.  Yes…. soooo much to be thankful for.  I can’t even imagine how 2012 could top 2011….  but with Michael and Auston planning a mission trip to Sri Lanka there’s some potential

 

From our family to yours, we hope your year has been wonderful as well!  May God bless you in 2012!