Reflect&Renew.

In 2011, we started a new "tradition". We decided to save some keepsakes in a jar labeled with the year "2011" & toss in keepsakes throughout the year. Then, on New Years Day, we would go out for breakfast, reflect on the year with help from the jar, and then make new goals for "2012" that would then go in our new jar. I really wanted to do this because we only seem to remember all of the BIG things that happened at the end of the year which is great but, I really wanted to reflect on all of the little things that we did together too.

So we followed through with the jar for 2011, but had to put the breakfast on hold because of the pending surgery & Ryan wasn't feeling too well that day. The night before his momentous surgery, we went out for a quick bite to eat at our beloved Prince Street Cafe & started our reflection there over a nice cup of coffee, a breakfast burrito, & a grilled cheese.


I took a note card I had lying around and divided it into two sides. One side was for reflecting on the big & little things we did together in 2011. The opposite side was for all of our goals in 2012. The idea is at the end of 2012, we can reflect and see how many (if any) goals were accomplished!



Some key moments that were both meaningful & cherished by the Donnelly's included:
- Buying our first home (of course!).
- Our first DFH brewery tour & experience.
- Me learning more about patience & Ryan learning about teaching technology (starting his graduate degree).

Some of our future goals for 2012 include:
- Paying off my car.
- Finding a Mr. Beans for our home (and if you don't know, that would be our future Boston Terrier pup. Luckily Owen can't read or he might been angry about that when he was posing for me..)
- Me mastering sewing & Ryan drumming more.

A new year to me always feels like you just went through a cleaning binge and organized every nook & cranny in your home. It's that fresh & re-energized outlook that recharges your mind, body, and soul. Who cares if your goals are outlandish & will never be met? Who cares if you don't go to the gym everyday? The point of all of this is to reflect on your past & step boldly forward onto a new "slate".



Here's to learning from 2011 & doing in 2012.