happy 2013!

when we got back from lava on sunday, we all passed out for a few hours. that was until jon got a mystery text from mike bird. after we had been texting back for a few minutes, we put it together that richard's number was saved under mike's name! not sure how or why that happened, but it was a happy mistake. richard and i got to hang out that night while jon played halo with my two brothers in law (alex and sam.)

we went to kalie's and hung out with her and spencer and their family. it was really fun, i have missed her so!

the next day was NYE! we celebrated bright and early by going to breakfast at the park cafe with emma, amanda, and malorie. the park cafe is almost as cute in a winter wonderland as it is in the summer.  i love hanging out with those girls and am so happy they have welcomed me into their fun little group:)

 amanda invited us to go up to Midway to Brecken's cabin for a party. it was quite the drive, but it was worth it!

 we didn't leave murray until 9:30...drinking that energy drink reminded me of lyndsi and my highschool/college days....ahh the memories.

 it was so much fun being up there! jon and i mingled for like three hours before we started to get tired. i was pretty proud of my usually introverted spouse, he chatted it up with a lot of people and made friends with no complaints! my favorite joke of the night was after i'd talk to a guy, turn to amanda or jon and say "SAD, he doesn't know i'm married." because if he did, he would not be wasting his charm on me! i loved meeting new people and hanging out with these cute girls. it was a really fun night.

on our way home from midway, we stopped at the heber cemetery. it was 2am at this time and FREEZING! we had to uncover quite a few headstones before finding my grandma's. we took a few minutes to write and leave a card. it was a nice way to end 2012/start 2013. it was a rough year losing my gran, but i'm ready to keep moving forward with her memory. i know she is proud of us for the difficult decision we have made to move, and she's probably happy she doesn't have to be in utah missing us while we are gone! 

i've been thinking a lot about her when deciding on goals for 2013. she was such a giving and genuine person, and she had quite a few traits i can strive for myself.

1. GIVE. and say YES.: i don't say yes and do things for other people enough. starting now, i'm going to help people out when they need it, and hopefully be able to tell they need it even if they might not. even doing little things like getting jon's phone from upstairs, getting him water, or running inside to grab his coat when he's forgotten it and we're already in the car. jon is really good at doing little things like this for me, i'm going to do better. 

2. doing things right when i think about them: this is one of katie's goals that i thought was really good. it's so convenient to procrastinate, but it makes life easier to just do things when you think about them. i'm already getting started on this one, i scheduled a dentist appointment, and i vacuumed the front room and got it all put back together now that the christmas stuff is put away! it took 15 minutes and now it doesn't have to weigh on me.

3. fitness: this is always a good resolution. jon and i have both started using my fitness pal and have been focussed on eating healthy food instead of snacking on chips and candy. we've had a rough start, but i'm ready for a lifestyle change.
(we are also seriously considering buying a juicer!)

4. graduate! seriously, this year my goal is to graduate from college with a bachelor's degree in Art History! and along those same lines, dare i say it...apply at UTSA for their Master's program in Art History! which also means i need to be fluent or at least halfway fluent in spanish, another goal of mine. 

5. continue to progress in my horseback riding lessons: come april, i will have been riding for a whole year. i want to be proud of how far i have come. i want to start jumping larger jumps and not letting my fear get in the way. one main goal is to be in a show by march with gerry
(and hopefully place, though i will be happy to be there no matter what happens)!