Here is to 2011

I got this idea from a wonderful business coach Nancy Roberts, she is the founder of Insights
This is my second annual year in review

Top 25 Accomplishments

Moving to Rochester

Completing Leadership Genesee

Accepting a Board Position

Being a Star Consultant

Competing in a Pageant

Celebrating my Dad’s 80^th birthday

Planning 9/11, Martin Luther King Day Events

3^rd term in AmeriCorps

4^th year on team for Young Christians at Work

Becoming a Godmother J

Judging a Pageant

Mary Kay Fall Retreat

First Wine Tour

Annual Bills Trip

Welcoming Luca and Melena

Taking part in the We Live United Summit

Visiting the Ko family..twice once with AJ surviving it

Becoming a Graduate Assistant

Being the Speaker at Fabulous Females

Planning Voice of Experience

Creating a new fundraising event for YWCA

Getting my kitty J

Spending St, Patrick’s Day with a real Irishman

Doing the Bethany Frankel 30 day cleanse and restore

Completing a Month of Supreme 90 Days

Top 10 distractions

Not celebrating along the way

Not focusing on me

Letting the urgent cloud my focus

Forgetting how much I have done

Self doubt

Letting bad people influence me

Trying to fix everything

Blaming myself for everything

Missing the big picture

Not listening enough

Top 10 goals for 2012

Complete my Masters

Become a Star Consultant

Pay off credit card debt

Spend more time with family

Read one “good for me” book a month

Start back on my workout plan

Plan a vacation just for me

See a Broadway show

Start a 401K

Celebrate along the way

Year in Review

AJ and Vicky’s Year in Review

That’s right, this year AJ and myself have joined forces to bring you our year in review. If there was a word to describe this year it might be CATS. We started the year off by welcoming Topcat into our lives and by April he was joined by Baby, they are happily settled into their ownership of us and make sure things run smoothly at the apartment. Baby has taken to making sure that we are up daily by 6:30am, sometimes she is nice on the weekends at lets us sleep till 8. Topcat has made it his job to stand watch at our front window and make sure no one weird comes into the apartment building.

Another word we could use to describe the past year would be FOOTBALL, or as most American’s call it, Soccer. Our household is truly filled with soccer every day. On any given day AJ can be leaving or coming back from one of his four games depending on the season, the cats have taken to making sure his stinky socks move around the whole apartment. We could also be talking about our 2014 trip to Brazil to watch the World Cup or getting ready for a Premier League game at our favorite Irish Pub Mage Pies (Go Arsenal!). AJ this past year traveled with the Rochester Chapter of the American Outlaws to watch the USA vs. Mexico friendly game and he came back to tell about it.

We are also please to let everyone know that all the members of my family under 4 feet, or as I collectively call them the Babies, know that AJ’s name is really AJ and not CJ as they thought last Christmas J. He has taken to spreading is love of soccer to them near and far. He also survived is first trip to New Jersey and is hopefully that my newest baby cousin Luca will be the next great USA player and that possible Dylan will be the next great goalie.

A word that has for many years described me was PAGEANTS, sadly April marked my 24^th birthday and the end of my eligibility in the Miss America System.  I have so many wonderful experiences throughout my years in the system and truly meet so the greatest girls and volunteers ever. I competed again in October in the Miss New York International Pageant and was so happy to be able to be there to support a good friend of mine as she gave up her crown. I am also happy to announce that while I am not competing anymore I have accepted a board position with the Miss Greater Rochester Scholarship Program, which was my first pageant even in the Miss America System I will be serving as their Public Relations Chair.

BIRTHDAY was something else we celebrated a lot of this past year. We celebrated my father’s 80^th Birthday. AJ also celebrated his last birthday in his 20s, he celebrated it in fine fashion along with St. Patrick’s Day in March. I participated in Relay for Life this year, helping to raise money for the American Cancer Society’s campaign for more birthdays. I celebrated my birthday this past year the Zonta’s Annual Lucky Numbers Luncheon, the first one I have attended as a member of Zonta International.

Those words really bring to focus a lot of what we have done over the past year….now on to 2012! Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year we hope this letter fines you happy and healthy.

Love,

AJ, Vicky, Topcat and Baby

Its been so long!

Hi Everyone!

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. So much has been going on its hard to know where you start. Life has been busy and I have learn alot of lessons. I time I will tell you everything!!!!!

Right now I am in the middle of my final papers!!!! I finish the semester next week and then I will be on vacation :) School has been great but I am soo excited about  graduation in May!!! I will have my masters and its really hard to believe that I am finishing school and getting ready to start the next chapter in my life.

I think back to four short years ago and how much my life has change since then. It feels like time is flying by however there were points that it seems like time was dragging on and on.

The journey truly never ends and I am so excited to tell you about this next part in my journey..stay to there is so much to come.