WEverb Catch Up

With our vacation, Christmas and other things going on, I've slacked in the WEverb11 posts, so I'm gonna play a little catch up today.  Ready for a marathon of reflection?  Let's go!

WEverb #9: Appreciate
In which moment did you find yourself flooded with gratitude? How will you rally around gratitude in 2012?

Ted was in a car accident in October.  He was fine, but his car was not.  For a few days, we didn't know if his car would actually work again, and we are in no position to buy another new car this year.  I really had no idea what the hell we were going to do.  I was pouring my heart out to my dear friend Jessica, and she says, "Mer, you can have my mom's car.  I'm never going to drive it, and she would have wanted it to be used to help someone.  If Ted's car is officially scrap metal, let me know and we'll get it to you."  Yall, I cried.  That offer meant the world to me, and I love that I have a friend who would do that for me, especially when 9 times out of 10 I don't feel like I deserve such beautiful friendship.  Jess, you are amazing and I love you!!  The gratitude I felt in that moment was truly monumental.  Hopefully I can remember that feeling and bring it to someone in 2012.

WEverb #10: Create
Share a creative project you undertook this year (art, writing, DIY, cooking, home decoration, crafts, photography … whatever comes to mind). How do you use your creativity to express yourself?

For Christmas this year, Blair and I decided to make a calendar for Mom.  It wasn't just any old calendar: it was a calendar full of pictures from our childhood that we then reenacted as adults.  It is the funniest thing ever!  We had so much fun putting it together and coming up with ways to redo the photos as adults.  I love that Mom may love it more than any other present she got this year.

WEver #11: Try
What 12 things do you want to do/accomplish in 2012?

1. Finish my thesis.
2. Celebrate my friends and their new additions
3. Create a built in desk in the breakfast nook
4. Buy the bookcases for our living room
5. Accomplish at least 10 items on my 101 in 1,001 list
6. Lose weight
7. Redo our front landscaping
8. Go on another trip (Europe perhaps?)
9. Be a better employee
10. Make a new friend
11. Go to more cultural events
12. Spend more time with my Grandma

WEverb #19: Laugh
Tell us about your biggest belly laugh in 2011.

I had a few belly laughs in 2011, but the most recent that sticks out in my mind is from last week.  I took my Grandma and Mom over to my Great Aunt's house to pick up a strudel for my Dad.  Well, after we left I wasn't sure where we were going: Mom's house or Grandma's house.  So I ask, "Where are we going ladies?"  And my Grandma, without missing a beat, replies, "Straight" in the most smart-ass tone I've ever heard her use.  I started to laugh and told her to stop being such a smart ass and to tell me the location she wanted to go, not the direction.  Mom started to laugh, and then Grandma started to laugh.  I think we laughed until we pulled into Mom's driveway.  It was a beautiful moment.

WEver #20: Plug In / Unplug
How has technology affected your life (positively or negatively) in 2011?  Do you want this to continue for 2012?

Ted and I are constantly on our computers or our phones.  I love that we have something to entertain us, but I always worry it is going to eventually negatively impact our relationship because there are some nights we are in the same room but we don't actually talk to each other because we are too engrossed in our laptops.  I'd like for us to tone it down in 2012.

WEverb11 #7: Travel

Where did you travel this year? What was your favorite part? If you didn’t get to travel, where do you want to go next year?

We had a pretty good travel year.  In June, we celebrated Blair's graduation from Baylor by taking a family trip to Las Vegas.  I love going to Vegas  and I wish we could afford to go more often!

In a few days we are taking a trip to Orlando to go to Disney World and Universal with Jess and Terry.  I am so excited to see the parks all decked out in Christmas decor.  I am just as excited to go on a vacation with two of my dearest friends and celebrate not only our anniversaries, but their upcoming addition to their family!

I'm not sure if I can talk Ted into it, but if we can pay off the Florida trip in a timely manner, I would love to go to Hawaii or maybe even London next year. 

WEverb11 # 3 - Learn

What lesson did you learn in 2011 from “The School of Life” rather than a classroom?

You can't always get what you want.  You have to have patience and trust that what you want will eventually happen. 

WEverb11 #2: Listen

What song did you listen to in 2011 to completely change your mood?  Think about ways you can you add more music to your life in 2012.

This is a tough question!  I don't think I can pick one song, so I think I'm gonna pick a few:

When I wanted to rock out and get silly I loved LMFAO's new one "Sexy and I Know It"  I dare you to listen to it and not get the giggles.  It is fantastic to dance to in the car!

When I wanted to reflect, I loved to hear Christina Perri's "Jar of Hearts".  It isn't a new song, but one of our radio stations decided to play it at the beginning of the year.  It reminds of me of a few people in my past and sometimes it is a good thing to reflect on why they are exactly that - in my past.

When I wanted to pretend to be ghetto-fabulous, there was nothing better than Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now" (Even though I feel dirty about it.  He is gross, no doubt about it, but damn can that boy put together a good collaboration and throw down an awesome beat)

When I wanted to think about my dear Ted, I was happy to hear the new Christina Perri song from the Twilight album "Thousand Years".  Can we say cheesetastic?

For 2012 I want to get back to classical music.  I'm listening to KUHA more, and I really want to make an effort to study the pieces the orchestra is performing.  I really miss learning about music history and the interesting stories behind composers and their masterpieces.

WEverb11 #1: Choose One Word

So I stumbled upon this idea through several of the blogs I have in my blogger dashboard, and I really like it.  It is called WEverb11 and they give you prompt for every day in December to reflect on the year that is 2011 and you can utilize all the prompts or pick what you want.  Here's more info on WEverb11 if you want to know more:

Choose one word. Choose one word. Encapsulate the year 2011 in one word. Explain why. Imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2012 for you? I must say my word is Stagnate. I hate that it is a negative word, I really, I really do.  I began the year with such hopeful intention.  There are certain things that I had hoped to achieve by now - in my personal life and in my professional life.  I can't help but wonder where (and why) I stalled.  Sure, some things I obviously have no control over and despite my best efforts have just not happened for me. For us.  And that lack of development has been devastating in a way that really surprises me.  Some things I had partial control of and I just didn't follow through.  I thought I'd have mustered the willpower to finally finish my thesis, and here I am, basically in the same exact place I stopped in the last two thesis efforts.  I did make some stride with my career, but after the past few weeks I wonder if there will honestly be more momentum to come.  Again - I'm stagnate. One year from today I want my word to be Satisfied.  Not happy...satisfied.  I think I have many moments of happiness, but I really want 2012 to be about satisfying things that I put off for so long that I think about constantly.