Glancing back and looking forward

2012 was a year of grand celebrations and exciting new beginnings for us and those people closest to us.  Taking the time to look back at all of it has me really excited for the new adventures that will come to us in 2013!

January
We rang in the New Year with our traditional trip to a friend's cabin.
I finally started to win my battle against ITBS and ran my first mile in a long time.

The rest of the month was a lot of PT sessions and being cold.

February
I started February off by losing my wallet (womp womp), but there was lots of fun too.  I can't even remember how we spent Valentine's Day, but I'm sure it was lovely.

I bought a gym membership for the first time ever.

Made my first visit to a running store and bought my first pair of real running shoes.  I later hated them and returned them, but have fallen in love with my new shoes and the local running store.

March
The highlight of March, by far, was our cruise to the Bahamas.  We desperately needed an escape, and this vacation was the perfect answer.  We had a wonderfully low-key relaxing trip with beautiful weather... of which the hubs is still keeping the pictures hostage.

I also hit double digits running in style with a 10 miler in a blizzard.

April
April was a month of happy endings.  After 3 long years and countless tears, I walked across the stage and received my doctorate degree.  That will be one of the greatest days of my life... ever.  Really, anything else that happened in April pales in comparison.

May
The major excitement of May was undoubtedly the running my first marathon, which also happened to be my first race ever.  I was officially hooked as a runner after this.

The rest of the month was consumed by studying for my board exam, catching up with everything that had been neglected for the 3 years I was in grad school (literally, that long), and job searching.

June
June was time to get really serious about studying for my board exam, and I tackled it like a full time job.
I spent most of my time here...

Reading this...

But occasionally found some time for fun with friends...

July
July was a month of new beginnings and celebrations.  I took and passed my board exam.  I also accepted and started my first PT job.
I spent the 4th of July poolside with my family, finally relaxing with my boards behind me.

And the hubs and I celebrated our FIVE YEAR anniversary.  How time flies when you're having fun!

August
August was a month of fun.  I was off of work for the summer (yes, just two weeks after starting), and I spent my birthday with the fam while the hubs was out of town.

I tackled the Color Me Rad race with a few friends and had a blast.

And I threw my sister's bridal shower, which was pretty ridiculously awesome if I do say so myself.

September
The parade of 2012 weddings started in September with one of my close grad school friends and the hubs good hometown friend both tying the knot.  I also got behind the camera for the first time, shooting a wedding with the hubs.

October
The wedding festivities continued into October with the main event being my younger sister tying the knot!

We also celebrated another couple's nuptials, where we had a blast.

And I tackled my first half-marathon, only further hooking me into being a running-lover.

November
We started November by finally capping off wedding season with my cousin's wedding.

I ended November by trading in my beloved Cavalier for a shiny new set of wheels that I am in love with.  A belated graduation present to myself!

December
For the first time in a long time, I didn't spend December studying for finals or preparing a final project.  It was amazing to actually relax and enjoy the excitement leading to the holidays, even if it meant spending half the month at home while the hubs was working in Italy.  We spent much of the last weeks enjoying time with friends and family.

The hubs did not make the nice list after touching the Elf on the Shelf!

My nephew is adorable and the hubs is a major goof

New Year's was a little bit of a downer after I got hit with a ridiculous stomach bug, cutting our cabin trip short and bringing us home.  Bummer, but the hubs at least woke me up at 11:55 so we could quietly ring in the new year together.

Now.... spending these lazy days planning a fun 2013.  Marathons and a trip to Europe are in the near future, and we are so blessed.