Accomplishments 2011

I am sure you all remember my New Year's resolution post from last year, right?

Well, this past year has been a very busy and turbulent one. Lots of things have happened, and I can truly say that there was a lot of growth. So I wanted to go down memory lane and see if I put into action what I had promised:

I wanted to grow in my spiritual life and I can say that I have taken some amazing steps in the God-walk. I had some battling to do and some soul searching, I had to do some grieving and I had to have unconditional trust in the Lord, I had to forgive and it felt so so good, and I received mercy and grace. So definitely, I grew as a Christian woman, having faith and hope. And I like the Better Me. I am looking forward to this new year and what it will bring.

I know I grew as a wife, and we grew as a couple, we are communicating on a deeper level. There is more understanding and a willingness to give grace for each other.
I definitely feel like I have grown as a mother as well. I might not spend alot of time with the kids, but it is quality time. Homeschooling automatically makes us spend a big chunk of time together in the morning. We go to a co-op and do field trips. But I also see how well the kids play with each other and that makes me a happy Mama. Through the year, Peanut has really come around with sharing, taking turns and understanding boundaries. It's amazing, and I believe that Coqui, being a good example, is playing a major role in her progress.

I gained a best friend - that is a major enrichment to my life, and makes my life more complete. It feels like that was a part that was always missing. I have gained a person that understands me as a woman, on a different level than my husband can, and that feels so right. Beth is awesome and kind and so encouraging, she is an inspiration to me and I love her so much.

I have run 300 miles this year in total - that is 5 miles per week on average. Those 300 miles translates into 121 single workouts, and I burned a total of 12 pounds. My strongest months was September when I ran a total of 38 miles. If I recount it correctly, I ran a fun music race in February in NYC, walked 19 miles for the American Cancer Relay for Life in May, ran the Ovarian cancer race in late August, which was the worst one of all because it was so hot that day, I ran the Superhero Race for Abused Children in September, and ran the Komen Race in November; a nice total of 5 races in one year. Well, I am very proud of that. In general, I lost round about 20 pounds from January until December. Pretty cool.

Remember my post about being a clean freak and not liking people in the house, taking baby steps in throwing a baby shower at my house, and how nervous I was? Well, this house has become more like a hotel over the last year, and I absolutely loved it. I have had many, many play dates here, we had tons of people over for dinner, couples and entire families, or even multiple families at once. The last five weeks, we had visitors constantly, and yesterday, the last one left. I enjoyed having so much company and having so much life in our house. It's gonna be quiet for a while here, which is not bad (for homeschooling), but we won't be waiting long for the next visitors, I am sure of it.

After all this, we had some pretty big news to announce: expecting our little Munchkin! It has been long since we started this process, we are now 15 weeks pregnant, and it's been a roller-coaster of emotions, but it also has been so very exciting. We are awaiting his or her birth impatiently, and hope that this will make our family complete. In the meantime, we will enjoy this ride of a shared pregnancy - a wonderful experience for the both of us. I feel like we have overcome major obstacles and are now bonded to endure this adventure together as a team and as best friends.

Several people have told me that they feel this year will be a great one for our family. Well, I am very much looking forward to it. I am expectant of great things. Our God is awesome and deserves all our praises. Through Him, all things are possible.