2012 : Resolved.

So, I have so many resolutions for 2012, and many of them I have resolved to do in the past.  This year is the year to make it happen.

Resolution: Be Crafty 
I have already gotten started on this...  I have DIYed our personalized stationary.  This was an easy transition into being crafty in the new year.  I bought flat cards & envelopes from paper-papers.com and ordered personalized name & return address stamps from Etsy.  BM Linda and I had a crafting day before the new year, and got some envelopes done, and a few days later I did some cards so we could finally send out some thank you notes from when we got engaged!

Hate to blur our beautiful stamps, but need to keep some things private!

 Next crafty project - Calligraphy classes!  A small adult school, night class offers an introductory calligraphy class.  I'm coughing up the $65, the $1 non-resident fee, and the $10 materials fee.  All to master the art of penmanship.  Hopefully this will work IN my favor and not against it, as it takes away from my next resolution.



Resolution: Be Wealthy

I don't really mean that I want to win millions of dollars this year, but Mr Ly and I are TERRIBLE at saving our money.  We both have good jobs, make very decent livings, and for some reason can not figure out why each month it seems that we are living paycheck to paycheck.  How to solve this: BUDGET.  While we are not paying for most our wedding (THANK YOU MOM & DAD!!) we still have a lot that we will be paying for, a couple thousand dollars worth, probably.  Between the Rehearsal Dinner, Brunch the day after, hair/makeup, bridal party gifts, etc.  It ADDS UP! We need to really learn how to budget our money better, because with what we each bring home, saving shouldn't be such a problem.  If we can each manage to put away a couple hundred a month, we should be in great shape for the wedding! So, this way after the wedding we will be WEALTHY.

Also, I have tried my hand at extreme couponing.  It's easier in the summer when I only work every other weekend, and can spend all week searching sales, couponing, and stocking up our now-diminishing stock pile.  But I need to be better at using coupons every time I shop.  It feels like a waste of money knowing that I could have saved on something I didn't. Get back into couponing (spending just a few hours a week can make a HUGE difference!) It's part of our 2012: Be Wealthy plan! 

Resolution: Be Healthy

Every bride wants to lose weight, get in shape, fit into that beautiful sample size dress for her wedding.  And, yes, that is a dream of mine too.  Somehow, all those years of dieting failures will all be forgotten, and this year, I will be successful in losing A LOT of weight.  But really, I want to be healthy.  I want to be around for many many years with my wonderful husband-to-be, and the best way to ensure that is to make sure I am healthy.  I doubt I will be any smaller than a plus-sized bride for my wedding, and I'm ok with that.  I want to feel good, and look beautiful on my wedding day - but for me, that doesn't equate to being a size 4, more like being a size 14.  It's a healthy size for me, and THAT is my goal.  


Resolution: Be Organized

Ok, TRUTH: I am messy. and that, my friends, is an understatement.  I am a disaster.  A lot of people watch Hoarders as a fascinating (in a car-wreck-so-bad-I-can't-help-but-look kinda way) reality TV show.  I watch it as a cautionary tale.  I watch Hoarders and think to myself - if you don't get that table cleared off, this is what will eventually become of it. And some years down the road, I'll be unearthed under a pile of papers, and they'll find something disgusting and I'll be saying - I don't know how it got to be this bad. Really, these are my thoughts as I watch Hoarders.  So, my second to last resolution is to TRY to get organized. I am sure planning a wedding is next to impossible if you are not organized, and luckily, Mr. Ly is SO much better at all of that than I am. We bought a shredder with some holiday gift cards, and this has been a savior so far. Nothing short of life changing.  I now have somewhere to put all that junk I never know what to do with, I shred it, and toss it.  Done. 2012 is the year I WILL not become a hoarder (hey, it's a step).

Last, but most importantly:
Resolution: Be Happy!

I am not resolving to be happy because I am unhappy. Not at all.  I am so very happy.  I am engaged to the love of my life, we are planning a fantastic wedding, and life is grand.  But... wedding stress has already crept up on me, and we are still over a year away from the wedding.  I want to remind myself to be happy while planning this occasion because while the little details I stress over (how should we ask our bridal party to be our bridal party? What kind of engagement party should we have? Where/when should we register?) that none of this matters if Mr. Ly and I are letting the stress build up and melt down our relationship.  I'm not proud to say that we've had more than one fight over stupid wedding stuff since we've been engaged (less than 2 months) and stupid non-wedding stuff because we've just been bundles of stress and nerves for some reason.  I resolve in 2012, to take time off from wedding planning. To talk about things non-wedding related (not just to Mr. Ly, but to my friends, who are wonderful and will listen to me ramble on about weddings non-stop, but shouldn't have to), and not to become a bride-to-be who thinks the sun rises and sets by my wedding.  Happiness is what our day (and year and life) is all about, and if we let that go, then we're left with an expensive party that doesn't mean a whole lot.  I resolve to keep the love and happiness present, every day in 2012.

And with that, I'm wishing you ALL a very happy and healthy and wealthy and organized and crafty 2012.