Intentions.

New Year's Resolutions kinda suck.

In my own personal experience, they tend to start off sweeping and grandiose, only to soon fade into the background, (as a constant, dim sense of nagging guilt), until eventually they are banished from my mind completely.

In light of that, this year I've decided to choose "words of intention" for the entirety of 2012. Not so much specific goals, but overall concepts that I hope to integrate into every facet of my life in a deeper and more revolutionary way over the course of every day, every week, and every month, throughout the whole year.

Narrowing my ideas was tough, but I managed to whittle it down to 4 core concepts that I want to fully embrace this year:

Brave - to be courageous in all circumstances, to be willing to get out of my comfort-zone.

Create - to constantly be pouring creative energy into multiple positive and beautiful outlets.

Learn - to continually challenge and expand my mind by actively and critically thinking, absorbing, and devouring information.

Trust - to lean on God completely and not on my own understanding.

I've written each of my intention words on a chalkboard in the hallway outside our bedroom, so I'll be reminded of them constantly. I'll keep you up-to-date on my adventures in each area of this challenge!

All that said, we just returned from 11 days of sparkly-Christmas-magic in warm, lovely, green, sea-kissed Florida, and it's taking me a bit of time to transition back into the 28-degree-real-world.

But what an incredible trip. Highlight reel:

We won the gingerbread-house contest (clearly)

A candle-lit Christmas Eve

PJ'd with the bros on Christmas morning

And lots and lots of this glory

Kindle + ocean = bliss

My tribe

My favorite guys in the world

Mom and I gettin' all fancy at Lady Anne's Tea Room

Plenty of whimsical sand-art

And QT with this fine-lookin' man

Oh how I love him

Sparklers + New Year's Eve + a cookout on the beach = best fun ever

So yeah, it was thebomb.com. I miss them already. Like crazy. But now I'm diving into 2012 with both feet. Cheers to a year filled with adventures, new experiences, new knowledge, and more love than we know what to do with! Happy New Year!