Holiday Decor

I think one of the hardest things about moving is finding how all your old stuff fits into a new place. That being said, I have some really nice areas in my new home for some good holiday cheer.

My christmas tree directly in front of a large window on the 1st floor, so it can be enjoyed from the inside and outside.

A couple shelves right by the entrance are perfect for seasonal decorating.

There's a bit more christmas decorations scattered around the house, but those are definitely my most fun areas.

Top Ten Recap

It's that wonderful time of year with turkey, then peppermint, and shortly after that champagne. Since 2013 is rapidly approaching (given the world doesn't end on the 21st), I figured I'd reviewed my New Year's resolutions from January to see how I did this year. I know it's not quite the end of 2012, but it is December and the busy holiday season so if I haven't accomplished it yet, I'm probably not going to in the next few days.

1. Irish/Euro Trip 2012 - Done and done. I had an amazing week with my family traveling around southern Ireland followed by another awesome week with just my brother and sister in Paris, Berlin, and Prague. We even had an added bonus of getting to visit the Burke/Sandeman household.
2. Niezgoda Family Reunion - Another check off the list. Sadly, we were down 2 members of the group that initially thought they could make it, but I even managed to catch up with one of them a couple weeks later in NYC.
3. No Smoking - Okay, not an entire win. However, I did manage to only have about 1 pack (maybe 20 cigarettes) throughout the whole year which is a huge step in the right direction. Maybe I will renew this one for next year.
4. New Job - Huge win. I now have an awesome job working in the pediatrics department at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. It definitely continues to challenge me medically and came with an outstanding benefits package compared to my previous employment.  As an added bonus, I also really like everyone I work with now.
5. Wakeboarding - This is also definitely an accomplishment. It is also tons of fun. The only down side is I now don't know what I like to do more at the lake, wakeboard or waterski.
6. Baseball - Tradition continued.  The RedSox had a terrible season this year, however I did manage to get to a Yankees/Sox game and the Sox even won! 
7. Boston Reunion - Jane and Chris threw a beautiful wedding event. I was especially impressed that our people came from all over the country (and world) to celebrate. The 2-day hangover I had was a nice momento of the magnitude of fun we had.
8. More NYC Fun - Mission accomplished. I had a wonderful birthday weekend that included a 7-course tasting menu at a restaurant, plus I made it to restaurant week in both the winter and the summer.
9. Donate Blood - Epic fail. However, this was not due to my lack of effort. I tried to donate blood 3 times, but twice my count wasn't high enough to donate and once they cancelled my appointment. I did join the bone marrow registry though, so I think I'll take that as an even trade.
10. Blog - This post will be number 20 for the year. It's not quite the twice a month (24) that I was aiming for, but it is pretty close. Who knows, maybe I'll even add another to that number before the year is over.