Sunday, December 30, 2012

High Fives!!

Well, it's my last post for 2012 and before I go hurtling into another year - lets see what's happened this year!! Here are my top fives - which has been pretty hard given that our lives are made up of so many choices.....

2012 TOP SHOPs & BUYs
1)Trade Me has still got to be my top shop - my top buy this year were 2 x 1000 pink and hot pink diamantes for a Pink Ribbon Breakfast I hosted (and raised $1200 for the Breast Cancer Foundation), followed by 2) Amazon and Abebooks - best buy - the entire series of David Handler's Berger & Mitry Mysteries, 3)Expedia - where we got all of our accomodation for the USA, 4)Ross: Dress for Less - only in the States and my happy place and 5)Deseret Bookstore, BYU Provo Bookstore & Cover to Cover Bookstore (Harding Blvd, Roseville, California) - my credit card's worst nightmares!! ;-)

FAVouRItE PLACES I VISITED in 2012
1) Grand Canyon - amazing and spiritual, 2) Disneyland & California Park - the Colour My World Show was just stunning!!, 3) Vegas - Over The Top and a confimation that the States do everything bigger than the rest of the world :-) & I for one cannot wait to go back!! 4) Alcatraz - the tours were done tastefully which was a welcome change to some other things/ Universal Studios - totally made for someone like me who loves movies and television and the highlight of 2012 has got to be 5) Attending General Conference and having lunch at the Roof Restuarant in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

My 2012 ACHIEVEMENTS
1)Back in the temple after a too long break - life changing for me, 2) I lost weight - and regardless of putting it all on plus some - I lost it ;-), 3) I wrote a song (a goal I set in 2010 so goes to show that I am a late achiever ;-), 4)I finally started writing my proposal for my Phd - FINALLY - a whole 14 years after my Masters - see takes time but I do get there... and 5)I got a job AND still managed to meet my son's 2 top expectations of a mother - picking them up from school and cooking dinner (nearly always ;-))

My 2012 PEOPLE
I'm not sure about you but there are people in my life that even though they are important to me - but because we live so far apart, or lives that are so different - I never thought I would ever see them again and sooo blessed and happy to done so in 2012. This year My 2012 People list includes: 1)Nola & Leon - the people responsible for Mr M joining the church and ultimately putting him in a place where he would meet me (we love Bruce & Debbie, and their family (including the dogs!), Nancy & Norm, Steve & Barabara and the rest... ;-) 2)Ryan & Shauna (Mr's friend and his beautiful family) 3)My dear primary school friend Michelle H (her parents and even her sister!!) & high school friends - Track, Nat, Betoles & Ari, 4)my past young women - Nairana & her gorgeous girls (a visit here in the View all the way from Bali where she lives) and Liz & her beautiful babies (all the way in Salt Lake City from Phoenix, Arizona where she lives) and 5)Vernon H (& his beautiful family - Elaine, Luke, Lauren, Levi & Liam), Maureen D, Eugene M, Uncle Sam, Conrad, Don, Kijiana & the Molenis. Before I left for the States the one person I wanted to meet was Ellen DeGeneres, but if you ask me - I think I did better than that with the people I caught up with!! I count my blessings every day ;-)

2012 FIRSTS
Here are some of the things I did for the first time EVER in 2012:
1)Walked across the Golden Gate Bridge with my sons - amazing!! 2)Made cardboard cars for my sons and nephew 3)Found a recipe in a magazine and made it - a scrumptious broccoli salad after seeing it in a magazine (brocolli, bacon, canberries & sunflower seeds sounds pretty basic - but its the dressing that is the winner - it uses 1/2c of sugar!!), 4)A paper wreath made out of music - thank you Pinterest and 5) recorded and sang my own song (I haven't sung for a long time, privately or in public - so was a pretty big thing for me!!) 

How did your 2012 go for you?  I hope it was amazing just like you.. Thanks for visiting - your support is much appreciated.... Many wishes of happiness from me to you and all the very best for a wonderful 2013..

May we all think on what the Dalai Lama encourages us to do in his Instriuctions for Life "Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, [we’ll] be able to enjoy it a second time."

Yours in friendship, Mxo

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