one word for twenty twelve

happy new year, everyone! i have to say that 2011 was a good year, but it seems to have passed me by in a blur.

i was recently talking to a friend who said that each year she chooses a word for herself – a word that will define her year, her actions and her attitude. in 2010, i did the 365 project (i started late and i, regrettably, didn’t finish out the year so it ended up being my 299 project, but it was all based on the things i was grateful for so i guess you could say 2010 was my year to be grateful. i didn’t do a 365 project this year and to be honest, it wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that i realized just how much i missed it. as i thought about 2012 and the things i wanted to do differently i knew that i would attempt another 365 project. the project made me realize that i have a lot to be grateful for but it also made me feel like i was truly present in each day. so, my word for 2012 is present.

 2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year for me and i refuse to let it be a blur, so starting today i’ll be taking a photo a day. and each day i will be present.

via design is mine 

as if the 365 project and all the layers of goodness it presents wasn’t enough to make me get all mushy – i’ll have partners in the project this year. roo and lu both received ipods for their birthdays this year and have really gotten into iphoneography. we loaded them with shakeitphoto (which i used for my last 365 project) and instagram and the girls are loving both apps. roo heard me talking about the 365 project the other day and asked about it. i explained the purpose and what i got out of it and my little dreamer said, “mama, do you think i could do a 365 project?”.

and then my heart exploded.

not to be left behind, the lu jumped in with a quick, “i wanna do a project, too!”

together, i know we’ll keep each other accountable, push each other to be creative and also remind each other to be grateful and most importantly – to be present – a habit i wish i would have developed when i was their age.

i’ll be posting my photos to facebook daily and i’ll blog them weekly. and we’ll be posting roo and lu’s photos on their blog weekly as well.

wish us luck as we begin our year of being present.

what are you going to to differently in 2012?