Cheers,
Ashley

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Today as I was taking down my Christmas decorations and getting my house back to normal I spent some time reflecting on the year that had just past and the year to come. This past year has been a year of tremendous change for me both personally and professionally. I decided to make a list of what I learned from 2008 and what I wanted to accomplish in 2009.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM 2008
Balance is a critical piece to an individuals success. If you have balance in both your personal and professional lives achieving inner balance is possible. Balance is critical to be successful!

Children are a lot wiser that we give them credit for. I have two small children and they have taught me more this past year than I have learned in the past ten years.

I have learned that it is important to try new things and it is OK not to like them, but when you find something new you like it is magical.

I have learned that teamwork is sometimes a hard thing to do but when you do work as a team you have a lot more fun and you can also accomplish a lot more (someday I will blog about my daughter coloring my sons face while he read a book and held the markers for her).

Telling someone that you love them is important and can make or break their day.

Being creative is critical to ones self growth and there are no right or wrongs to being creative. Coloring in the lines doesn’t need to happen to have something be pretty.

I think the thing I learned the most in 2008 is that it is OK not to say yes to everything, but the things you choose to say yes to need to be important and you need to do them 110%!

WHAT I AM HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH IN 2009!
My grandmother is a letter writer and always has been. Even when I was a child and lived a block a way from her she would send me cards and letters. I am not very good at sending birthday cards much less writing letters. This year I want to try and be a better letter writer. A hand written note has such a greater impact than an email.

I want to continue to grow both personally and professionally. I have to say I am the luckest person in the world because I absolutely love what I do and I get to meet and work with amazing people I want to continue to do this and the way for me to do this is to stay on top of the trends in the wedding industry and well as making sure that I am offering the best services as I can to my clients.

Personally I want to make sure that I am taking the time to really take in my kids accomplishments and milestones and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t sit down with them face to face and spend quality time with them. I also want to make sure that I spend quality time with my husband, and set aside a small amount of this time for myself.

I want to read more.

I want to spend more time in my yard gardening.

I want to expand the capacity in which I volunteer for Kaleidoscope and the time I spend volunteering for them is not done in haste.

I want to blog more!! I am going to try my hardest to post more that once a week. I have plans of blogging about great vendors, new ideas and the background of some of the traditions of weddings.

Here is to a great 2009! I hope you had a wonderful 2008 and 2009 has wonderful things in store for you!

Ashley