Seems like yesterday I was posting my year in review for 2011. Time flies when you aren't paying attention!
Some people, just before the New Year, say things like, "Ugh - here's to hoping that NEXT year is better!!!" or "Maybe next year will be my year." I'm a firm believer in making things happen for yourself and sitting around waiting for good things to fall in your lap will leave you frustrated, hopeless and no further than you were before. So if you feel you needed a nudge in the direction of taking charge, I hope you got it here!!
So in chronological order, I will go through my year!
January 2012 - We kicked off the start of the new year with our Barrett Christmas party!
February 2012 - The Superbowl! As usual, Alek and I started at my Uncle Pat and Aunt Gina's house, and ended our night with the Brennan crew just down the street from our house!
March 2012 - I had a brachioplasty/mastepexy combo to remove excess skin from weight loss. Although it was hard and painful at times, it was worth all of it!
April 2012 - For the last time in my life, I enjoyed too much red wine. We called this "White Trash Easter" and is the sole reason that even the smell of red wine now makes my stomach turn.
My wonderful family and friends also threw me a benefit to help pay for my skin removal surgery! It was wonderful to get so much support!
May 2012 - I enjoyed a wonderful day with my family at my cousin Gina's baby shower! Later in the year, we got to meet Dylan!
June 2012 - This was a big month! I turned 26, Melissa graduated from high school and I picked out my wedding dress!
July 2012 - We went on a family trip to Conesus Lake, NY in the RV and rented a boat for the day! It was a ton of fun!
August 2012 - We said, "See you Soon" to our dear friends Jess, Zach and little Avie before their move to Florida with a throwback to 1997 party that included a cake fight (the first sleepover Jess and I had when we were 11 included a cake fight)!
September 2012 - We spent another weekend at Darien Lake, but this time it was for Fright Fest (Darien Lake turns the park into a Halloween Themed amusement park)! It was an unseasonably cold/wet weekend, but we had a blast and I especially got a kick out of the red dyed water (blood) fountain.
We also spent the weekend with our wonderful Barrett Family at Allegany's Camp Turner campsite. As always, it was a weekend well spent with a loving family!
October 2012 - We made the trek to Florida to visit Jess, Zach and Avie for Avie's 1st Birthday! Despite Hurricane Sandy, we had a blast anyway (I'd do it again even if it included getting stuck in Chicago for another night)!
November 2012 - We celebrated Charlie and Owen's 2nd birthdays Halloween style and of course enjoyed Thanksgiving (and Black Friday shopping - which allowed Alek and I to complete our How I Met Your Mother DVD collection!). Jess, Zach and Avie also made a surprise visit and my beautiful bridesmaids picked out their dresses!!
December 2012 - I went ahead and had my revision surgery done on my left under arm - Alek took great care of me and I return to work tomorrow! We had a legendary End of The World Party, and to add to the excitement of our upcoming wedding, Alek and I got a TON of kitchen items for our new home! For our Christmas tree, we got 2 new ornaments :-)
With such a long engagement, I started thinking 2013 would never get here! But here we are: 6 months before we tie the knot and I couldn't be more excited! This is the year we get married, go off on our own, and Alek will finally get the piece of paper from UB that says he is a Computer Engineer! 
I hope everyone has a happy, safe and rewarding 2013! The best is yet to come!
