thoughts on the new year (and a blogger award)!
December 31, 2011 § 8 Comments
We are just a few short hours away from the commencement of 2012. I’m sitting in sunny Altadena (It’s currently 79° here. Amazing!), and anxiously awaiting my fiance’s (!) arrival at LAX just in time for a family New Year’s Eve party complete with burgers from In-N-Out.
So here’s a quick roundup of exciting events that occurred in 2011, and I’d like to share some hopes for 2012.
1. Well…. I got engaged! This only happened about 11 days before the year ended, but James surprised me with a beautiful proposal on the shores of Lake Nicol in Tuscaloosa. It was dark, misty, and wonderfully romantic. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.
2. I got my first real job. I started the year with a great internship at Coastal Living magazine, but in March I was hired at Hoffman Media as the assistant editor for Celebrate magazine. I love my job, and I feel utterly privileged to go to work every day for such a beautiful publication.
3. I started up this blog. This had existed before with a different name and focus, but for the longest time I wanted it to be something more. Cactus & Kudzu is constantly a work in progress, but I am writing about what I’m passionate about, and I hope to keep it going.
4. I’ve grown closer to the Lord through my involvement in Brook Hills Church in Birmingham. I’m so grateful for the fellowship and opportunity I’ve had to better my relationship with Him.
My hopes for 2012:
1. Get married! And as we are hoping for a summer wedding…the planning begins!
2. Improve as a writer and as an editor. Celebrate is on the verge of making great changes, and I’m so excited to be apart of it.
3. Continue to grow in the Lord through opportunities for serving Him and spending time in His word with other believers.
4. Become a better budgeter and saver. Learning how to manage money can be tricky, and I have a lot to learn. I did get better this year at keeping track of my income and spending, but I want to really get that nailed down by the time I get married!
5. Let this blog blossom. I am so excited to see where Cactus & Kudzu will be at the end of 2012.
And before all of the excitement ensued, I received a blog award! And since coming home makes me probably the world’s worst blogger, I’m just now getting around to accepting it. Ashley from Lifevesting (a great blog to check out, by the way) nominated me for The Versatile Blogger award. Thanks so much, Ashley!
These are the rules for The Versatile Blogger award:
- Nominate 15 fellow bloggers.
- Inform the bloggers of the nomination.
- Share 7 random things about yourself.
- Thank the blogger who nominated you.
- Add The Versatile Blogger badge to your blog post.
Here are my 15 nominations in no particular order for bloggers that show fabulous versatility:
3. strataflora
8. Home Dreams
10. Allison Eats
11. publikworks
13. Dramshop Beer
14. Brewly Noted
15. so.chic
Seven Random Tidbits:
1. My idea of a great Friday night can be as simple as ordering a pizza and uncorking a bottle of wine (or grabbing some beer or whipping up some margaritas) and enjoying a movie or a TV show we love.
2. I don’t have a great sweet tooth—foods I crave are typically savory. But if I do crave something sweet, it will be chocolate.
3. I want to start saving up for an SLR camera, and I want to learn more about food styling and photography.
4. I also want to take cooking classes and improve my skills and overall food knowledge.
5. I have three sisters and our names are unique. Brett (me!), Brynn, Brass, and Brikk. My parents followed the BR – short vowel – double consonant.
6. I have two dogs on the West Coast (Angus, a westie, and Diego, a spaniel of some sorts), and one dog in the South (Leroy, a German Shorthaired Pointer). I wish they could meet!
7. I feel so incredibly blessed to be marrying James Jaillet! And my new last name will rhyme with my first name. I’ll be Brett Jaillet!
Here’s to a wonderful 2011 and an even better 2012!! I’m so happy and excited for you. :)
Congratulations on your award, and congrats on your editorial position at Celebrate. How wonderful! I haven’t read that magazine (though am familiar with Coastal Living) so will seek it out! Happy 2012. Another congratulations to you and your fiancee on your upcoming wedding. If you need any advice, i just went through the wedding planning process myself ;)
Congrats on the award and good luck with your goal list! (I’m also saving for a DSLR – hope we both get one) And thank you for passing along the award to me – so sweet and flattering! Happy new Year!
ps – you made me miss In-N-Out so bad! ;)
Ha! I love your new name. And congrats on the engagement! How exciting.
Oh, and thanks so much for the Versatile Blogger nomination – it’s sweet of you! :)
I’ll be sure to let you know when I pass it on..
Happy New Year, Brett, and best wishes on your engagement. What an exciting year you had and I hope this one is even better, By the way, thank you for the Versatile Blogger nomination! I don’t know how versatile I am, but I’m flattered you thought of me.
Hey there..thanks for the nomination. Happy New Year and congratulations on the engagement and new job..lucky you! I am also very jealous of your location and weather. Here in Ireland, it is cold but it is a dull and damp cold! No snow or no sun! I have a bit of a head cold so I would love some sun right now! Good luck in 2012!
Oh I didn’t realize you got engaged!! Congrats! What fun planning will be! And I love your other resolutions, they are so positive and all build on things you have already accomplished.
[...] and thanks to Brett from Catcus and Kudzu, who passed me the Versatile Blogger Award. By the way, isn’t that the best name for a [...]