2011 Goals in Review

This is awkward.  Yes, I’ve been absent for about a month.  My apologies.  I can’t share everything on the bloggie, but various things have either been 1) making me not want to blog or 2) taking up all my time so I can’t blog!

Either way, I’m always on Twitter or doing freelance writing.  But I don’t anticipate another long absence again any time soon (or ever).

So, 2012 is totally coming up on us!  This Sunday, in fact.  Can you believe it?

I’m very relieved 2011 is over.  Despite my getting married earlier this year, 2011 was one of my toughest, roughest years in a long time, for various reasons.  I’m VERY happy to put it behind me and start anew in the big TWENTY TWELVE!

I’ve been working on and thinking about my goals for next year and I should have those posted shortly.  For now, here are my 2011 goals in review:

(Original 2011 goals post here.)

Goal #1 – Write, Write, Write.

FAIL.  I wrote a decent amount this year, but not as much as I’d like.  How to accomplish this?  How do I get in the habit of writing something, anything on a daily basis?

Goal #2 – Find Balance.

Well, I’ve just stared at the screen, contemplating this goal for a solid minute, so I’d say this is still a WORK IN PROGRESS?  In some ways, I have found balance; in others, I’ve lost it even more.  I think it’s an ever-changing process.

Goal #3 – Find a Routine.

Sort of SUCCESS?  Adam (my husband) and I both struggle with this, but have really gotten into some good habits since we’ve gotten married.

• Alarm Clock in the bathroom.  If you struggle with getting up (like we I do), put your alarm clock far away, maybe in another room, like the bathroom.  It’s been a huge success for us.
• Cooking.  We have been cooking SO much at home lately!  I love it!  It’s a fun activity to do together, healthy, and saves money.  I’d still like to start planning ahead and making meal plans instead of just throwing a list together as I walk out the door for the grocery store.
• Working out in the morning.  Having the alarm clock in the ‘ol bathroom really helps us get going in the morning.  It’s so much better to get your sweat on in the morning!

Goals #4 – Love, Love, Love.

WTF?  I don’t even know what I was thinking when I wrote this.  I must have been feeling mean that week.  I think this goal fell by the wayside pretty early on because I already love enough.    SUCCESS.

Goal #5 – Get Married!

SUCCESS!  As you know, I am very happy that the wedding is over and we’re just an old married couple.    I am quite sad that the honeymoon is over though.  Best 2 weeks of my life!

Goal #6 – Lose 10 Pounds.

I can’t even.  Let’s just say that I DID lose 10 pounds before the wedding … and then gained it back.  I’ve definitely gotten familiar with “happy weight”.  It’s so happy going on … not so happy when you realize what you’ve done.  (Spoiler alert: Look for a similar goal on m 2012 goal list.  How embarrassing.)

Goal #7 – Financial Goals.

• Wedding budget – OWNED/SUCCESS.
• Combine finances – SUCCESS.  There are pros and cons to this.  There are things I miss about having my own finances, but the pros outweigh those things by so much.  This is a way of life for us now.
• Start house-hunting – SUCCESS?  As of today, we met our savings goals.  But you know what?  The house listings are just sad this time of the year.  Holidays and cold weather do not make people want to sell their houses.  Our lease is up on April 30th and I already talked to the ladies in the office who said we could do month-to-month as long as we needed to, but I don’t anticipate us being in our apartment past June of this year.  After the Super Bowl, we will really start to get out there and seriously hunt for our new house!
• Make more side-income – SUCCESS!  I made a huge amount of freelance income this year.  When I started this blog almost 3 years ago, I had no intentions of making a dime!  I can’t believe the amount I’ve pulled in this year.  I am so lucky and blessed.  When things lighten up at work after the first of the year, I can put more time into this little blog/freelance work of mine.  After all, this blog does generate income, shouldn’t I treat it as a business?
• Start a dog-fund – FAIL.  I just don’t think it’s necessary right now.  Let’s say we buy a house in May 2011.  We’ll be out of town for a friend’s wedding in June 2011 and then plan to go on a summer vacation.  I don’t want to get a dog right after we buy a house only to leave it right away to go travelling.  We’ll probably buy (adopt) our dog this summer, so we’ll have plenty of time to throw together a little savings fund for the big guy later this year (especially since we’re not going to be putting away so damn much for our down payment anymore!).

How did your goals for 2011 go?

P.S. I get my Invisalign this afternoon.  Scared!  Wish me luck on Twitter!

P.S.S. I updated my 29 before 29 goals page.  I’m all about the goals today.