2012

while lying in bed one night, unable to go to sleep, i had the idea for this card. my original idea involved us lined up on the sofa, making serious faces. but every shot i took turned out completely unlike the vision in my head, so we went with silly instead. 

we could have written a newsletter, outlining how our 2011 came and went. we could have listed, in paragraph or bullet format, all the things we did over the past year: how smart our kids are, how talented, how busy. the truth is, our 2011 hasn't been all that great. if you are not new here, you already know that

so here's what i've been thinking: i want 2012 to be a good year for the bennett family. 

i am not one to make new year's resolutions. i think they are kind of ridiculous to be honest. what's so special about january 1 versus august 1? or any day in between? actually, i think i don't make resolutions because i am certain i won't keep them. i am not a real follow-through kind of gal in a lot of ways. although people who love me have reminded me lately that really i am. but for some reason i have the notion of myself as a giver-upper in crunch times.

but here's what i am thinking for 2012: i want this upcoming year to be full of good things for us. sure, a job for my husband. sure, health for the whole family. but here's what i really mean:

• i want to eat intentionally, with thought, savoring each bite. i want to eat whole food. good food. nourishing food. 
• i want to speak patiently, with love, with self-control to my kids, to my spouse.
• i want to take time for me, in whatever way that looks like (e.g., taking a pottery class, going on walks around the pond), so that i can recharge and be able to follow through with the second bullet point
• i want to appreciate what i have, enjoy the simple things, take stock of what's in front of me and savor that instead of looking ahead and worrying about the future*
• i want to find my place outside my home's walls
• i want to kindle or rekindle meaningful friendships

so who's with me?

*i'm completely grateful that i looked up "mustache party" on urbandictionary.com before using it in the heading for our christmas/new year photo)