Its a new dawn, its a new day...

... and I'm already exhausted.  :P

We're only a few days from 2012 (OMG when did THAT happen?!?!) and we already have so much planned for the coming year. But before I get into all of that, I wanted to take a minute and look bad at the year that was.

2011 was pretty f$&%ing amazing. The first part of the year brought a trip back east to Indiana, and while the reason for the trip was deeply sad and heartbreaking, getting the opportunity to watch a family come together to love and support each other through a time of grief and hurt was truly inspiring. If only every family could be like this. Shortly thereafter, I took and passed my Comprehensive exam, officially making me a Doctoral Candidate. There is still a long road ahead of me, but there is light at the end of the LOOOOOOOONG tunnel. This was, of course, rewarded with a trip to Disney World.

Shortly thereafter, we decided to sign up for the Disneyland half marathon, and running soon became the bane of my existence. We completed the Run for the Zoo 10k in May, and our training continued until the big race.

The summer was fairly uneventful, but we were able to visit with family in Vegas on Memorial Day, then Mom and Dave visited and we went to the Pork and Brew fest (yum!!), and then we took a trip out to AZ to visit one of our favorite people in the world in Phoenix. July also brought big news: Chipotle coming to ABQ! I can't express how excited the hubby was.

Fall brought with it the Disneyland half marathon. We both finished the race, my time was around 2h 30m. Not too shabby. But boy am I glad thats done. I should stick to swimming.

Fall also included Balloon Fiesta, a Halloween appearance by Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, and loads of Wildcat football. 

But I have to say, of all this, the best part of the year has been November and December. It has been in these two months that I have fully realized how truly blessed and lucky I am. I have a wonderful family, I have pups that are always excited to see me and spend quality time cuddling (who DOESN'T love that?!?), and most importantly, I am married to a man who loves me more than I deserve. He truly is my better half, and my world is infinitely better for having him in it. Being able to spend a quiet, restful Christmas with just the two of us was the best gift ever.

To be honest, this is the happiest I've been in 26 years. I'm genuinely thrilled for what I know 2012 will bring, and excited to find out what surprises it has in store. Its going to be a great year!