As 2012 is coming to an end, I figured it would be a good time to look back at the resolutions I set for this year.

1. Find a forever church home. Y'all - we did it! We may have cut it pretttty close to the deadline, but Adam and I have found a church that we love! We're so excited to start getting more involved, and love that there are so many other young couples.

2. Be more patient. I can definitely tell a difference since the beginning of the year. I may not actually be more patient, but I recognize when I am about to lose it and try to talk myself through it.

3. Run a half marathon. Done and DONE. I don't like saying never, but I will never do that again. My knees hurt SO bad afterwards, and since my mom has terrible knees I don't want to speed up that process for me (at least that's my excuse). Seriously, I haven't ran since the half marathon in April. (Which is going to have to change since we're running a 5K in January. Barf!)

2012 had its ups and downs, but we continue to thank God for ALL of our blessings! Some of this year's highlights include: me getting a new job, Adam starting at KSU for his Master's, Adam coaching baseball and softball at Lassiter for the first time (this is TOTALLY his calling and I'm so proud of him!), buying our first HOUSE and so many great times with our family and friends. I went into 2012 thinking there was no way it could top 2011 (it's hard to top the year of our wedding), but I am once again blown away by how truly blessed we are!

2013, we can't wait!

Homecoming 2012

For the first time in almost 2.5 years, I finally ended back up in Cullowhee, NC - the booming metropolis that is also home to my college that I love so very much - Western Carolina University. I could not believe how much the campus has changed, but the drive up there was just as stunning as I remember.

I also brought along Dominica for the ride, and as much as I tried to prepare her for what kind of situation she was about to be in - she didn't believe me until we were finally there. (Oh, it also might have had something to do with the fact that I forgot to tell her there's no taxis or cell service until we were about 15 minutes away...) Regardless, it was an amazing weekend filled with even more friend time and zero drama - MY FAVORITE.

The Princess, Natalie, turned 24 on Thursday so I made this little treat. (Shout out to Whitt for buying the cake!)

We hit up the usual spots: Speedy's, O'Malley's, Bogarts. And also the new "bars" in town: Rae's and No Name. Clearly we made a scene everywhere we went - it's really not our fault everyone knows us! :) Casually, we got a ride home in a limo with DJ Candy on Friday.

I got to catch up with an old friend, Chris Masters - love that kid. And the icing on the cake actually came at dinner on our first night... Dr. William Dulaney happened to be stopping in to Speedy's for a pitcher of beer the same time we were! He was by far mine and Emily's favorite professor, but he no longer works at Western. He was riding through on his hog and just happened to be there when we were! We asked him to go to Homecoming with us on Saturday and his reply was "Not a chance in hell." See why we love him?

The rest of our trip was spent laughing, drinking, seeing old friends, making new ones. You know, really deep stuff.

In other news, Adam's softball team is in the state playoffs and play the deciding game 3 vs. Brookwood in one hour! I would (of course) be there, but I'm bringing my mama along to a fancy work event. Everyone send good vibes to Adam and the Lady Trojans!

New Year, New Goals

At the beginning of every year, countless people commit to one or many New Year's resolutions. The most popular resolutions year after year include losing weight, managing debt, and to quit smoking. While we can always improve, Adam and I are very blessed that these resolutions don't really apply to us. However, this year I am challenging myself to do the following...

1. Find a forever church
Adam and I have attended church services at a couple venues here and there, but haven't felt home at any of them. My goal for this year is to find a church where Adam and I would like to spend for years to come; where we are comfortable; where we can grow in our faith; where we can find a church family. Any suggestions?

2. Be more patient
This is constantly at the top of my list. Although I have become much more conscious of my impatience, and try to stop myself in the act and tell myself to breathe, I still have a lot of work to do.

3. Run a half marathon
Adam and I decided to run a 10K in 2010, and I absolutely loved it! I felt so accomplished and proud of myself when I crossed the finished line, and could honestly say that I ran 6.2 miles without stopping. I also really enjoyed the training program - it's much easier to drag your butt to the gym when you have some motivation. So this year, I am challenging myself to run a half marathon (13.1 miles - eek!). My friends, Matelyn and Anna, have also taken on this challenge, and we're set to run our first one at the end of April. Wish us luck!

Of course, I also plan on enjoying the married life, spending more time with family and friends, and hope to make a fun trip or two in 2012. And although I don't quite know how 2012 is going to top 2011, I'm pretty excited to see what it has to offer!