Saturday, January 1, 2011

Personal Commitments For 2011...

I don't do New Year's Resolutions....They have never worked in the past and I'm not very optimistic that they will work in the future. However, I do need motivation for self improvement over the next twelve months, so here is my list of Personal Commitments For The Year 2011:


1. Clean Up My Mouth....When I Get Mad Or Frustrated - I Can Sometimes Lose It.

2. Stay Organized - The Mail Is My Worst Enemy, It's All Over My House (Mostly Unopened).

3. Prepare Next Day's Lunches The Night Before So I Can Sleep An Extra 20 Minutes In The Morning.

4. Get At Least Seven Hours Of Sleep.

5. Train And Be Ready For The Five Mile Lake Women's Triathlon Sprint Distance In June.

6. Blog At Least Once Every Two Weeks.

7. Read For 30 Minutes Every Day.

8. Cook Dinner Every Night - No More Going Out.

9. Do More Nice Things For Jim.

10. Date Nights With Kayla.

The biggest commitment is going to be #8. As of right now, we probably eat out at least 3 or 4 nights a weeks, because who wants to cook after working all day??? Not me. But that's going to change!!! I have created a second blog to help keep me on track where I will post recipes as well as nutrition information (when available). You should check it out:


Looking Back At 2010

I don't know what it is about January 1st - but every year on this day, I can't help but think back to the previous year, and contemplate what I could have changed to make the year better. I do have to say that 2010 was a VERY good year and my family has been more than lucky this year. Here is a quick picture summary of the Browns in the year 2010:


January 2010

We Added Miley To Our Family (Whippet / Bull Terrier Mix)
One Of the Best Decisions We Have Made As A Family

February 2010

An Uneventful Month - But Still Fun Nonetheless
The Girls All Got Into Webkinz

March 2010

Pretty Uneventful Again
There Is Always Some Sisterly Love Going On

April 2010

Dying Easter Eggs With G'ma & G'pa Startin


Easter PiƱata


Miley Became A Rock Star!

May 2010

Kelsey Turned 12 (In December 2009)
We Celebrated A Few Months AFTER Since Her Birthday Is So Close To Christmas


Mother's Day - Salt Creek Recreational Park (Port Angeles, WA)
We Go Camping Every Year For Mother's Day (My Choice)


Our Beautiful Girls - Salt Creek


Auburn's Annual Pet Palooza and Dog Trot
Running Our First 5K Together With The Dog

June 2010

Jim Turned The Big 4-1!


Katlynne Graduated From Middle School
The Upper Campus Of Her Private School Closed - She Got To Start High School At The Public School - She Was More Than Thrilled And LOVES It!

July 2010

Lilly (Rottweiler/German Shepherd)
We Tried Rescuing A Second Dog - Turns Out I Was Very Allergic To Her And We Had To Give Her Back After Just Two Weeks


Family Camping Trip - Mt. Saint Helens


Making The Drive Up To The Volcano


Awesome Experience For Our Family



Kayla Got To Go On An Alaskan Cruise With Her Dad And His Family



Kayla And Her Cousin Got To Dress Up On The Cruise

August 2010

Katlynne Turned 14!!!
She Got Her Very Own New Bedroom

September 2010

Overlake Hospital Annual Company Picnic - Remlinger Farms


Remlinger Farms


Kayla Turned 8 And Started 3rd Grade!

October 2010

We Visited Roloff Farms In Oregon And Got To Meet The Roloff Family

November 2010

I Exited The 20's And Entered The 30's - A Huge Deal For Me!

It Snowed!!!

December 2010


Our House Ready For Christmas



We Got A Real Tree - A First For All Of Our Girls



Startin Family Christmas Party In Ellensburg



Katlynne & Emma - Caviness Family Christmas Party



Great G'pa Caviness & Our Girls



Ryan - Home On Leave For Christmas From Afghanistan



We Got My Parents A Wii - My Dad Is Now Deaf In His Left Ear!



The Aftermath!



Santa Brought Kayla Her Most Wanted Gift On Christmas Morning - A Skateboard!

That pretty much sums up the last twelve months for the Brown family. We have been very fortunate and very blessed. We have wonderful friends and wonderful family who we love so much and can't thank them enough for the love and support that have given to us throughout the year. You are all amazing! I hope 2011 brings you all happiness and success in all that you do!

2010 Home Improvement Projects

Since my blog is also my own personal journal, I wanted to blog about our Home Improvement Projects that were started in 2010....some of which have been completed, but not all of them:



The Backyard:

Then


Now
Still In Progress...


Katlynne's Bedroom

Then


Now


Upstairs Loft / Office

Then


Now
It Has Since Been Rearranged And Valences Are Hanging


Kayla & Kelsey's Bedroom

Then


Now


Front Living Room

Then

Now

That's all that has been done for now. We still have a long ways to go - especially with the backyard. But it has proven to be quite a challenge since our backyard neighbors decided to put up their fence before we were able to build our retaining wall since our yard slopes down on that end. But we will have to come up with a plan to get it finished this Spring. Can't wait!