#2013Countdown: What are 12 things you love about year 2012?

I am a bit off-track with my #2013Countdown posts, but I do hope to catch up over the next week to squeeze them all in by the new year.

Again, I'm going to stick with bullets to make this easy and concise. I have to admit I am intimidated about trying to come up with 12 things I loved about this year.

Here goes nothing; 12 things I love(d) about 2012:

1. Devoting my summer to running. The heat never bothered me; I loved getting out there and pushing myself.
2. Skiing a New England high eight days last winter, despite the fact that snowfall was so low and conditions were far less than ideal. I braved the ice and spotty coverage, and I think I became a better skier for it.
3. Putting insecurities aside and hitting the club in Boston. These nights are some of my fondest memories. I especially loved getting dressed up and rocking high heels and short skirts.
4. Reconnecting with my favorite cover band. They have become some of my closest friends, and I love going to shows and hanging out. I reconnected with the dancer and live music lover in me.
5. Providence Restaurant Week. I attended both sessions this year and discovered some delightful new restaurants.
6. Finishing my first half marathon with a very respectable time. 
7. Beach and boat days. We had such a hot summer, and I took advantage spending as much time in the summer sun as I could. 
8. Following on #7, the best tan I've probably ever had. Between running, boating, spending afternoons at the beach, laying on the beach after losing my job and cruising the Caribbean, I owned a glowing tan.
9. Celebrating my birthday my way. It was a great week. Yes, a full week.
10. Eastern/Southern Caribbean cruise. Any year I cruise, this is one of my favorite things about the year. I love being on the ocean and in warm, tropical places. I needed and loved this trip.
11. Running the annual sales meeting at my former company. The prep, the challenges, the planning, the relationships developed, the execution... I lived for every moment and loved it.
12. Disney World with my mom. It was so hot and so exhausting, but we had a great time, and I loved having dedicated mother-daughter time away from home. 

What did you love about your 2012?

#2013Countdown: How has 2012 been?

I decided to participate in a little end-of-the-year reflection journaling exercise in the hopes of revitalizing this space -- which I'm undecided about what I want to do with.

For now, I'll just jump right into it. How was my 2012? Well, the first and most powerful word that comes to mind to describe my year: growth. This has been a year of growing and discovery for me. I've been thrown in the deep end more times than I can count, and I've been forced to sink or swim. Thankfully, I seem to be pretty good at swimming in water over my head -- to continue the analogy.

I don't want to dig too deep or make this post too long, so let's just bullet some highlights, shall we?

• I skied on my first black diamond trails at the beginning of this year, conquering my fear and just going for it. It was exhilarating! 
• I launched my first solo marketing campaigns at work, and they went well. I loved being able to flex my creative muscles a little bit.
• Also at work, I planned my first customer event and managed our annual sales conference (with help from some gracious colleagues, of course). It was super stressful but super fun and rewarding. I went to Disney World! :)
• I reignited some lost friendships that have proven invaluable to me this year. They have loved me, supported me, reminded me of how passionate I am, taught me and lifted me up. I'm forever grateful.
• I was laid off. This was probably the biggest growth experience of the year for me. I had to rebuild my identity, figuring out who I am without my job. I had to create my own structure and keep myself positive. I had to figure out how I was going to survive (physically and emotionally), and I had to plot out my next steps in my career. It wasn't easy, but it was a priceless experience, and I totally view it in a positive light. I learned so much.
• I re-evaluated all of my relationships. Losing yourself in unemployment will do this. I learned who my real friends are. I learned who is an uplifting presence in my life and who brings me down. This is so important to do often.
• I ran my first half marathon! Ok, this is a contender for the biggest growth experience of the year. Keeping the positive spin, I was laid off the second week of my training plan, which gave me ample time to devote to training for this beast (and it was a beast). Running kept me sane when I wasn't working full-time. This was easily one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. I can't wait to do it again!
• I fell in love with myself. Yes, that sounds weird. Sure, it may seem narcissistic. Listen: it is crucial to your happiness. I learned this the hard way. The really hard way. The long, time-consuming (wasting), hard way. I happen to think I'm pretty swell. I know, trust, believe that I am exactly where I am supposed to be and who I am supposed to be at this precise moment in time. I have a pretty firm grasp on who I am, and I know what I need to do. I am proud of that. So, yes, in re-evaluating my relationships, I learned that the most important one is with myself. Call me selfish, I do not care.
• I got my heart broken. I'm not going to go into details as to how, who or what. That's not important to you. What's important is this is an opportunity to grow. Remember that.
• I started a new job! After four months of being unemployed, I am back in the workforce, and I couldn't be happier. Being thrust into a new professional setting always encourages growth, and I can't wait to see what this new opportunity brings. I am truly excited, and I think I am going to love what I do now.

Ok, that's it for me. Now it's your turn: How was your 2012? What did you learn this year?

How I Had a Successful Cold

My absence last week was due to a cold/flu that knocked me off my feet. I tend to get really sick when I get a cold -- a sinus infection is always guaranteed -- but this one was really different for a couple reasons.

I had felt a cold coming on for a week or two before I got really sick, and I tried to fight it by exercising, drinking lots of tea and orange juice (which I hate), eating clementines, resting and generally trying to take care of myself. 

Oh, and I used this new friend of mine: my NeilMed NasaFlo neti pot (no, this is not a paid advertisement for this product, just an account of my personal experience).

I used this thing daily to help keep my sinuses clear so an infection wouldn't develop, and to hopefully flush that oncoming cold away.

It didn't keep the cold away; I woke up last Monday morning with more aches than I could recount, a headache, a cough, nausea and a general sick feeling. I had a temperature of 99.5. I continued the "cold treatment" regiment and told myself I'd call my doctor if I didn't feel better the next day. I thought it might be the flu. Ugh.

Tuesday morning, I was glad to notice the aches were gone, but now I was coughing and congested. I upped the neti pot usage to twice that day, but I was getting afraid of an impending sinus infection and started taking decongestants. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much Tuesday night because I couldn't breathe.

The neti pot didn't even work Wednesday I was so congested. Uh oh. Thankfully I had Monday as a vacation day, and I took sick days Tuesday and Wednesday to rest. Thursday and Friday were also vacation days, but I was supposed to be going up to Bretton Woods, NH, for my annual ski trip with my sister and aunt. I called my aunt to tell her I didn't think I was going to make it. 

Miraculously, I felt better on Thursday -- still sick -- but I could breathe! I made the decision to drive up to NH Friday night and just make sure I got lots of rest after skiing.

Sorry for the TMI, but I don't want you to think I was slacking off here. :) I didn't even open my computer for the majority of last week, except to email my aunt.

I'm still recovering a bit, but I made it through a cold in ONE WEEK without getting a sinus infection! Folks, you have no idea what this means to me; I can't remember the last time I got sick and was able to recover so quickly without an infection. It has been at least 15 years. I owe it to the neti pot, which if you haven't tried, you should. Everyone told me how great it was for years before I tried it, and I was really skeptical, but it does work.

I had a decent weekend skiing. Unfortunately, I didn't feel much like myself, but I managed ok. My sister and I took a private lesson on Sunday, and the instructor (Leah -- who was awesome) took us out on a couple of black diamond trails, which we navigated quite well! She gave me three things to work on, and I will be quite busy mastering them for the rest of the season. I spent Sunday afternoon mostly tumbling down the slopes due to eight inches of fresh ungroomed powder, intense concentration on what I was doing and being tired.

Oh, and then I slipped and fell down the stairs in front of the ski resort hitting myself in the head with one ski and dropping the other down the stairs. OUCH! Still a little sore from that.

Tomorrow I am hoping to do a post on our stay at Bretton Woods. A little travel article for you guys.

{Photo credit: 1. Femininity in a Feminist World  2. Opinion Queen}

Roses and Thorns

Roses to snow-tubing Sunday! So fun, in such a childish way! Pure joy.

Roses to another four-day work week!

Roses to my eyesight improving!

Roses to girls' night tonight at my BFF's!

Roses to finally finishing the novel I started in November.

Roses to snow days, especially since I don't have to drive in it.

Roses to love!

Thorns to having to leave the snow-covered beauty of the mountains.

Thorns to house-training Morris. We have to "tether" him when he won't pee outside, which means he's literally attached to my hip. There go my plans to vacuum -- I don't wanna traumatize the poor thing.

Thorns to BU losing the Beanpot (although it was a fun game).

Thorns to over-size FedEx trucks pulling down power lines. Caused some major damage to my neighbor's house. Ouch!

Thorns to still not having plans for Valentine's Day...

{Images via K.Law: Inspired}

Roses and Thorns

Happy Friday! I've been working on this post all week, so it would be scheduled and ready to go today. Right now, I am in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, skiing at Bretton Woods.

I love this place, and I'm so grateful I can come back every year.

So, as you can guess, my first rose goes to...

Roses to a long weekend in the mountains skiing!

Roses to Boston University rocking the Beanpot again this year! I love that NU can never manage to pull through, no matter how good of a season they're having.

Roses to my Northeastern fan friend selling me his Beanpot final tickets for Monday since he doesn't want to skip out of work early to catch NU in the consolation game. Bah, NU vs. Harvard... BORING!

Roses to going to above-mentioned final hockey game against BOSTON COLLEGE (woot, woot!) with my college drinking buddy I haven't seen in YEARS!

Roses to finally working on a budget this month.

Roses to four-day workweeks this week, next week and the week after!

Thorns to the BC ice Eagles... I can't stand them! It'll be my first BU vs. BC game, and they better not win!

Thorns to my house being freezing this week. What's up heat?

Thorns to Jed going away Sunday and me not seeing him before he leaves. :*(

Thorns to missing the last five minutes of the Beanpot game against NU because my DVR didn't record it.

Thorns to my dog "forgetting" where to go to the bathroom and using the entire house instead.

(If anyone can help with this issue, please comment, and I'll e-mail you. He's not a puppy, he's one and a half.)

Thorns to spending a lot of money in January. :-(

If you couldn't tell, I'm quite rallied up about this Beanpot tournament. I look forward to it every year because my alma mater pretty much owns it; so much so that even the news media refers to it as the "BU Invitational." It's kinda like the football bowls for all you schools in the Midwest. If you don't know what all this nonsense is about, you can read about it here.

{R&T images and idea from K.Law: Inspired}

Making a Difference Monday: Karma

Karma can be a b*tch, can't it? That's why I decided to head her off last weekend when I went skiing. I did a good deed out of empathy and in hopes that the favor will be returned to me one day when I most need it.

via

Last weekend, I had a tough time skiing because I was both breaking in new ski boots and trying a bunch of demo skis. My aunt wouldn't let me go more than four runs on the same pair of skis, so I was constantly readjusting, and as a result, falling.

I took a pretty bad spill on a narrow, steep section of a beginner trail, and my ski popped off. It must have taken me 10 minutes to pop it back on. I don't mind falling -- it comes with the territory -- but I hate when I lose my skis.

On the next run after this incident, I was skiing down a wide, beginner trail, and I noticed a ski laying in the middle of the trail in front of me. About 20 feet downhill, I saw a girl lying in the snow, missing a ski and struggling to get up. I picked up the ski and yelled to her, "Is this your ski?" She told me it was, so I skied it down to her.

She was very grateful, and I told her I know how it feels. Having to fight your way up mountain to retrieve a piece of equipment sucks.

I was glad I was able to help this girl, but as I skied away, I realized there were dozens of people coming down the slope who didn't stop to help her. It only took a minute to pick up her ski and give it to her. Why not?

I realize it's no longer Monday, but I didn't get to read Carrie's MADM post until late last night.

Thankful Tuesday

True to my word, I'm back to post about three things that I'm grateful for or make me smile.

via

I'm relieved that I think I have found skis I want. I tried these out Sunday skiing at Sunday River, and I really got comfortable on them. The one hesitation is I was using 150cm length skis, which I felt were a little long. I'd like to try them in the 145 length -- even though I'm supposed to be skiing 150's.

via

I smiled this morning when the clouds parted just enough to let the sun shine through. I feel like I haven't seen the sun in weeks, even though I was skiing in the sunshine Saturday. I felt majorly drained, but the sun is lifting me up, both physically and emotionally.

I'm grateful to Cher at Love, Actually for this cookbook, that is in the mail on its way to me. That's right, this lucky girl won another giveaway! Cher's blog is such a lifesaver if you've hit a rut in your romantic relationship -- or even if you haven't and are looking for new ideas. She has such great ideas and tips, all easy and economical! Plus, she's calling Boston her home these days, and I love a Boston girl! I can't wait to start experimenting with these recipes, especially since I've been cooking for one lately.
Thanks Cher!

FMM: My Daybook

It's a rough Monday. I'm totally exhausted from skiing all weekend (although it was great!); my shoulders ache, my legs feel like spaghetti, and I'm sleepy. That would all be bearable if it was a sunny day, or even if snow was gracefully falling to the ground. Instead, we get pelting rain in high winds. Fantastic.

So, this version of Friend-Makin' Monday is perfect for me: no thought required!

.{aefilkins}.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window... gray, gloomy rain and wind.

I am thinking.... of how tired I am, and how I can't wait for this day to be over.

I am thankful... for my awesome skiing weekend!

I am praying... for those in Haiti.

I am reading... The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb (still), and all of your blogs!

I am creating... new customer notes for my job. {Boring, I know.}

From the kitchen... I have no idea. Going to try to hit up the grocery store after work.

Around the house... I have to vacuum, big time. Tomorrow.

One of my favorite things... Snow! Boo to this yucky rain.

A few plans for the rest of the week... dinner with a friend I haven't seen in almost a year Wed. night, and then hopefully Jed and I will finally be seeing Avatar this weekend!

HAPPY MONDAY!!

Roses and Thorns

Happy Friday! TGIF! Seriously.

Quick lil post here, but I wanted to wish everyone a great weekend.

What are you up to? I love hearing your plans.

I'm sleeping over my parents' house tonight,

so me and lil sis can rise and shine in the AM to pick up my aunt

and drive up to Sunday River in Maine.

We're staying over Saturday night for two fun-filled days of skiing!

Now, on to the main event...

Roses to a little weekend trip in Maine for Sunday River skiing!

Roses for Friday! This four-day work-week has been the longest ever!

Roses to having the cutest dog ever; he's made me smile so much this week.

Roses for finally buying my own ski boots.

Roses to having a "financial plan."

Roses to just finding out that I MIGHT get a raise this year and actually be making what I'm supposed to (I'm at least $10k short of the quoted salary range for my position).

Thorns to feeling like I'm really going to miss Jed this weekend.

Thorns to Google Reader overwhelming me with new blogs this week!

Thorns to work's excuses.

Thorns to the dog using my door mat as a pee-pee pad.

Thorns for not taking Monday off to recover from this weekend's trip.

Thorns to laundry on a Friday afternoon.


{Images from K.Law: Inspired}

Best09: Rush

Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?

via vi.sualize.us

My best rush of the year happened early -- in January -- in Bretton Woods, NH, on my annual ski trip. This was the first year I attempted green trails on my own, since there was light, fresh powder on the ground and the going was fairly easy. It was the best! I loved skiing before this, but I was super hooked after that trip. I felt on top of the world, so proud and powerful. It was also so serene, on top of that mountain surrounded by people but so alone. Quiet, cold, peaceful, beautiful. I don't think there is anything else that gives me that same feeling.

I'm a happy girl, looking down a beautiful mountain!

I can't wait to go back this year in January or February. I might even have my own skis this year!