It really has been a whirlwind year, guys.

Just yesterday, we were making the hours long trek home from Phil’s first xmas in New Mexico . Today we trek home again from his second New Mex Christmas with Grandma. It blows my mind how fast time has passed, how much has happened in the last year, and how much Phil has grown as a kid (and we have grown as parents).

As we look forward to the fast-approaching 2012 (and possible end of the world yuk yuk yuk), it’s time to take stock of what I want to work on in the coming year. I try to keep my list short and doable – let’s hope this year’s New Year’s Resolutions stick on some level!

1) Connect more with new and old friends.
It’s ridiculous how little free time I have these days between the freelance graphic design business and family. But in the new year, I want to use more free time to work on actual real life relationships without the aid of the computer or texting. I want to call more and text less. I want to write more cards and letters, and make more plans for actual real world get togethers. I’m blessed with amazing friends and family, and I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like. But I’d like to try harder.

2) Work on my anxiety.
A side effect of growing up in a fairly dysfunctional family has been an adult life full of anxiety. I’ve been working with this for years. 2012 brings more work. I want to get better at recognizing anxiety when it knocks on my door and put it on notice before it comes in and makes itself at home. More working on stopping unhealthy cycles that I grew up with so they do not continue in my own relationships with Josh and Phil.

3) Get healthier.
Josh and I both work a lot, and like all busy families we drop the ball on cooking at home sometimes. In 2012, I want to try and get better about planning our meals out each weekend for the following week, cook at home more, and eat out less. I want to hit the gym down the street at least twice a week. Which is better than zero times a week.

4)More art, less fart.
It’s time to brush off the paint, brushes, and canvases and get back into painting. I’m participating in a group show at Leanna Lin’s Wonderland in early 2012, and I’m hoping that will be the start of full force arting again! If you hear of a group show my style would fit well with, please let me know!

5) Grow my business.
I’ll find more inexpensive and free ways to network and grow my business, and continue making my existing clients feel like the really important part they play in my successes. I’ll finally get around to completely revamping the portfolio section of my website for ease of navigation, and do a couple of site tweaks to increase traffic.

6) Re-organize our disaster preparedness supplies.
I know the chances of the world ending in 2012 are slim to bupkiss… but better safe than sorry. We need to beef up our earthquake supplies anyways, may as well make sure that happens before next December!

I could go on; we all have lots of things to work on in our lives. But I wanna keep the list short and manageable – this stuff is doable, right?

It’s your turn – what are you working on for 2012? Do you pass on the standard New Years Resolutions? If you do make a list, what’s on it this year?