twelve by 2012

So this morning when I checked out oh, hello friend, I found this wonderful project! Everyone always gets so busy these last few months of the year, and it's easy to get overwhelmed. It's already the middle of October and once the holiday season starts it's go-go-go. So along with a few other bloggers, I've decided to take part in the Twelve by 2012 project. Basically, it's just setting 12 goals for yourself to achieve by December 31, 2011. It's going to be tough, but now that I'm putting it out there for the world to see, I figure I'll have to be accountable and get them all done! (And if I don't finish ALL of them, I'll have a great place to start when coming up with New Year's Resolutions!)

1) Finish our photo wall in the living room: Sean and I have a large wall in our living room where we have a big frame with 2 wedding photos in it. Well, that frame looks awfully lonely up there, and we decided it needs some friends. At our recent visit to IKEA, we picked up a few things to add to the wall. Here is the before pic:

table full of frames; tape on the wall

This one is number 1 on the list for obvious reasons. Isn't that tape on the wall classy? And our dining table is covered in frames and therefore, out of commission.

2) Purchase a wedding album and print/assemble: We have been married for almost a year and a half and still don't have a wedding album! It hasn't happened yet because we each had different ideas about what we wanted, but I think we've reached an agreement now and can begin to move forward with it.

3) Make albums for our parents: We also need to make wedding albums for our parents... we apologize for neglecting this McPhillips and Campbell parents!

4) Blog more:  I would like us to start posting at least 3 times per week, whether it's just me or a combination of the two of us.

5) Clean and organize my closet: Since we've been living in our apartment (just over a year), I've let my closet get a little bit out of control. So I need to take a day and make a space for everything and keep it that way!

6) Take a camping trip: Sean has been wanting to go on a camping trip for a while now, and I would like to do that too! We need to take advantage of this beautiful fall weather!

7) Visit West Virginia: My college roommate Katy lives in Huntington and a visit with her is long overdue.

8) Start planning/saving for a vacation: I would like for Sean and I to travel somewhere fun in 2012!

9) Figure out a Christmas craft: My mom's side of the family always exchanges what they call "sussies" at Christmas. There are 8 of them, so it's just something small that they can afford to give to everyone. I would like to find something that Sean and I can make to give to our close friends and family this year.

10) Create holiday traditions: I would really love for Sean and I to start creating some of our own traditions for our "baby family." We are very busy during the holiday season with both of our extended families, and those traditions are important. But I think we need to take some time and create some of our own traditions and rituals to pass along.

11) Create our own Christmas cards:  Sean mentioned something about this the other day, and I think it's a great goal for us to have. We are both creative people and I think it would be fun to customize our cards that we send out this year.

12) Find a meaningful job and/or career path: I'm still in the midst of my job search, but I hope to find something soon that will get me back on track to my ultimate goal of finding a career that I'm passionate about.

So there it is... it's a pretty extensive list, but if I can accomplish or at least get on the path to accomplishing these things, I will be relieved and content. Now the blogosphere knows what my goals are for these last couple of months in 2011. Thanks for being my motivation guys!