35 things I did this year

It's my birthday today! I'm 36 and slowly creeping closer to the big (and scary) 4-0! This has been a good year and I feel like I've grown a lot.

A few things that I did this year:

1. Visited both coasts – Florida and California
2. Read 37 books (so far)
3. Gave birth to and nursed 4th child
4. Finally learned to chill out about post-child weight loss. It’s such a short time in the grand scheme of things.
5. Taught 6 Relief Society Lessons before being released
6. Learned how to make cinnamon rolls
7. Joined Pinterest (and promptly became inspired and overwhelmed by ideas)
8. Washed/folded approximately 520 loads of laundry
9. Started a scripture journal
10. Enjoyed date night almost every week with Allen
11. Read “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” and it changed my life
12. Spent countless hours sitting at the piano practicing with my kids
13. Bought almost NO seasonal home décor (1 thing for fall, 1 for summer and 1 for Christmas)
14. Crossed 3 more states off my “To Visit” list : Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama
15. Loved my weekly lunch dates with my girlfriends
16. Decided that a table saw is the next thing on my “must have” list. I have a lot of projects on my list
17. Worked very hard to cut processed foods out of our diets
18. Joined a local organic produce co-op that we love. Love how it has expanded our taste buds and made our kids ADVENTUROUS eaters. We have eaten fresh fig, kale, eggplant, various squash’s, turnips, pluots and beets and have loved it all
19. Was so sad to see the Harry Potter saga come to an end through the movies. I cried at the end of the last movie – just because it is over.
20. Made at least one batch of homemade cookies every week
21. Favorite TV shows included: Project Runway, Modern Family and Harry’s Law
22. Drove Approximately 200 miles per week to my kids school/activities (yes, I calculated this)
23. Best purchases were my new camera lens and my first pair of Frye boots – both totally worth every cent!
24. Thoroughly enjoyed every sip of my morning diet Coke runs
25. Started a list of things I’d like to accomplish before I turned 40 and had a mini midlife crisis in the process
26. Nearly completed my third year of Project 365 and still going strong and loving it
27. Spent a good portion of the fall reorganizing and dejunking my life. I still have a long way to go but I’m drastically improved.
28. Wonder how I ever nursed a baby without the convenience of my iPhone
29. Had my first ever mammogram and full-body skin check
30. Felt so much gratitude for the abundant blessings in my life – family, friends, health, the gospel, etc.
31. Fell even MORE in love with living in NM and hoping I can squeeze in one more year of living here
32. Almost bought a new van, bought Allen a new car instead, almost bought a new van AGAIN and then decided to hold out until the car blows up or I’m no longer commuting a million miles to school so I can get an SUV instead
33. Fell in love with watching my older kids fall in love with their baby sister
34. Felt totally heartbroken that Emery is my last baby and have savored every second of her babyhood. I feel pretty at peace with our family size now and am excited to move on to the next stage in life.
35. Learned to stop and enjoy the moment a little more this year. I've had some stark reminders this fall about how fragile and temporary this life can be and I'm determined to make the most of every second of mine!

I'm hoping 36 is another great year!