What I learned in 2011

• There's nothing wrong with accepting help that is offered to you.
• I've found that starting our own family has filtered out what we don't need and held onto the things and people we do need. Also, our perspective on life has become much clearer.
• Sometimes a step backward is necessary to make a bigger step forward. Just remember not to step too far back or take too many steps in that direction.
• Some people don't ever change.
• If you ever really want to appreciate the things you have, pack them away for a few months.
• The work day isn't so bad when you're dedicated to the cause you're working for.
• The end of maternity leave is hard. The start of every day after that when you leave your baby for the day is even harder. But, it does get a littttle bit easier after a while.
• Oprah is even more amazing on her own network/OWN.
• People grow apart, and that's okay. Also, that doesn't mean that there has to be a definite ending, nor that if there is, it has to end badly.
• All-nighters are good for getting things done, and good for turning your brain to mush.
• Being humble is a challenge. Being more humble is also challenging, no matter how humble you were to begin with.
• Job hunting isn't so bad when you have really good motivation to do it and faith that someone will hire you.
• It's not that I'm not interested in having a career. It's that I'm more interested in growing our family and want to do it while my body still can. My career, whatever it will be, can wait, along with seeing the world.
• There's no such thing as a child who is a neat sleeper. 
• Mr.S and I make really sweet babies.
• Things are just things. What you need, you most likely already have.
• Is the show really worth it when all you're doing it for is yourself?
• "If we all realize that everyone has their own story, people would be kinder to one another."
• A cold can be a blessing.
• Going to emergency in an emergency doesn't mean that you're going to be seen right away. One thing it does mean, though, is that you'll worry and stress a lot, and you'll hear/see some strange things during the wait.
• Every woman has at least one story they'd like to tell, and if they could only tell one, they'd all be good.
• It is difficult to be useless.
• It's never too late to apologize.
• Even scary people smile.
• Whether you like it or not, that bad thing that happened to you is really a blessing in disguise. When you find out it's a blessing is often up to you.
• Some people completely change.
• One person can ENTIRELY change the direction in which your life is going. It's up to you if you want to let that person in and in which direction you'd like to go.

Dear Mr.S...