The year 2011 brought us....
1. OUR WEDDING! Hands down the best day of the year...and my life to this point. It was a gorgeous day, and an amazing party, and I can't believe it's been 8 months since that perfect day already...I can't wait to see what God has in store for our marriage for the rest of our lives. 
2. Our dream vacation! Bora Bora was the most romantic destination in the world, and when I was unwilling to compromise on a "cheaper" honeymoon option, my husband made it happen! I'm not sure if we'll ever go on another trip as perfect as that one, but it was the best vacation anyone could ever ask for, and I'm glad we have one million pictures to remind me of the beautiful views and priceless memories.
3. Cape Christmas - In an earlier blog, I called Cape Christmas one of my favorite weekends of the summer. I'm already looking forward to continuing the tradition in 2012 with some of my favorite people in the world. 
4. My first trip to Miami!!! Yes, I know, 27 years and I never made it out in South Beach. Thank you to all my friends who helped plan and throw me an unforgettable bachelorette party. I have some smokin hot friends.
5. The coldest & worst winter ever - By this time last year, I believe NYC had not one, but TWO crazy blizzards. I'm sure we're in for it in 2012, but I'd like to thank the city of Manhattan for introducing me to "winter" properly. Now every other winter will seem like cake (**knock on wood**).
6. Our first Christmas together - Yes, I realize that I wrote about this earlier on in my blog, but something has to be said about being together 4 years and not seeing each other on Christmas day. Mike and I lived together in NY before our wedding, so at first it didn't feel much different after we came home from our honeymoon as a married couple. So it was great to still have a few things (like spending Christmas together finally) that are preserved for after marriage.
7. Mike's new job(s) - After our honeymoon, Mike went through a few months of changing up his career. It was a stressful few months of Mike weighing his options and figuring out the best move to plan our future, but I'm so proud of where he ended up and hope that 2012 brings him more success.
8. My first Princeton/Yale football weekender - This has been a tradition for Mike & his friends for years before I even knew anyone. It's one of Mike's favorite/most festive activities every other year and Princeton has become like a second home for Mike. So I was so glad that Winston and myself were included in the festivities this year!
9. The 10th Anniversary of 9/11 - I wasn't here in 2001, and I was ironically flying in to the city on 9/11 2011, but I had immense pride for the city that has been my home for the past 2 years on that day. I have yet to visit the memorial, but I've made it one of my resolutions to go see that during 2012.
10. Family trip to Chicago - I know it's a tradition that we've done for the past few years, but it's one of the most anticipated weekends of the year for me. I know I have another 9 or 10 months until we go back for the 2012 football season, but I hope that we keep this tradition for many years to come.
11. My first river rafting excursion - Since completing 4+ cycles of P90X, I find it harder and harder to sit still and relax during my vacations. Furthermore, after living in a concrete jungle for the past 2 years, I crave nature when going on vacations. And Mike and I were so lucky to find a great deal on a somewhat last minute trip to Sun Valley in the summer. The river guides warned me that the rafting trip in Idaho would "ruin me" for other rivers since it was one of the most amazing trips in the world, and while I'd like to try it again somewhere else, I fear they may be right! 
12. Our trip to the Hamptons! It was a crazy weekend of fun, parties, and some intense competition, but we had so much fun out there with our friends!
13. A Manhattan Earthquake - Yep....NYC had an earthquake. That's all.
14. An anti-climactic Hurricane - I was terrified that Hurricane Irene would wipe out the island of Manhattan, and spent the better part of a week putting together a survival kit in the event that we were trapped. But instead it turned into a party weekend with some heavy rain.  |
| Our pretty little goldfish |
16. Our new pet gold fish...Cannoli. Back in September when we won those shiney little goldfish at the Feast of Saint Gennaro, I had no idea that the little white beauty would have lived this long. While Cannoli's brother (Parmesan) didn't have the same luck, our little 25 cent friend has quickly become a festive fixture in our kitchen and we enjoy listening to her blow bubbles at each of her mealtimes.
To ring in 2012, we had a very grown up night with the Bucks at a delicious restaurant in the Meat Packing District. We snacked on delicious treats of oysters, caviar, Turbot fish, wagu beef and tasty desserts. I've always wants to do a fancy/dressed up New Years Eve, and it was one of the best NYE's I think we've ever had (I feel like I say that every year, but each year just gets better
and better!). At midnight, the restaurant staff handed out hats and noisemakers and paraded through the restaurant banging on pots and pans. And to top it off, we had no problems finding cabs (which was honestly my biggest fear about being in Manhattan on NYE) at the end of the night. They say that how you spend NYE is indicative of how you'll spend the rest of the year, so if that means that we'll spend 2012 being fancy with all of our friends followed by a safe night with the little family....then it's going to be a good year!!!!
Finally, I know this has become a somewhat lengthy entry, but I wanted to also publish some of our new years resolutions. It's helpful to have them written down somewhere so that you can check on your progress over the course of the year. I used to write them down in a journal, but that became very personal...so if I didn't fulfill them...I only had myself to judge. So this year, we're going to share them with everyone....because that makes it so much more official! Our little family has each written separate resolutions, so here goes!
Steph:
1. Pay off my credit cards in full (And then stop using them so much so that I can start 2013 with no credit card debt)
2. Do another round of P90X and venture into P90X II by the middle of the year (yes, Tony Horton made a sequel).
3. Buy groceries every week to limit the amount of times we have to order takeout
4. Make dinner at home at least 2x/week (outside of the Sunday dinner tradition)
5. Work on our budget setting and saving $$$$
6. Continue to write one blog entry per week.
Mike:
1. Go to church services at least once a month
2. Start doing Pilates instead of just working with a trainer to keep my back in shape
3. Enjoy the attractions and of New York city a little bit more
Winston:
1. Don't go to the ICU this year
2. Stop eating dad's leather shoes
3. Don't sleep on mom & dad's new leather chair
It's only January 2nd, and I'm already excited about all the adventures Mike and I have coming up in 2012.
I get little butterflies thinking about all the fun things we have planned and I know the year will absolutely fly by as this one did in 2011. As always, I look forward to sharing all of those memories and experiences with you all and hope to write a similar recap of 2012 on this day next year. Here is to hoping the Mayan's are wrong!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
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