Justine Limpic

Let’s see, I think it was two years ago that I pledged my New Years resolution to be that I blog more frequently…I think I’ve blogged twice since then! Hah!! Well, maybe 2012 will be my year, but first I would like to reflect on 2011. It has been rather productive and exciting year. Here are some of the highlights:

#10 – My First Concert!
In May I managed to get Jayme to come along with me to see Josh Turner in concert. I have always been opposed to live performaces by recording artists because they never live up to the quality of performance you hear on their recordings, but I was pleasantly surprised. Josh Turner put on an excellent show and his live performance quality was very impressive. Jayme and I had a great time and I would definitely consider seeing him in concert again in the future.

#9 – Classical Music Hiatus
After a busy schedule earlier this year I decided not to participate with the Concert Singers of Cary after our last concert of the 2010/11 season. The rehearsal schedule was just too cumbersome with my work schedule. I had an opportunity to participate in a paid role this season, but I had to keep my sanity. Maybe one day I will be able to go back to my craft?

#8 – Church Involvement
I have been singing with the worship team at Hope Community Church for several years now, but this year seemed to take on a new level of participation. I think I had the pleasure of leading worship with the team on average, every other week. This is certainly an example of “serve where you’re gifted.” Being the introverted person I am, this is the best and most rewarding way for me to share the Lord with all those attending.

#7 – Disney Cruise
Jayme and I enjoyed a wonderful, yet short, trip on the Disney Dream in March. It was our first Disney Cruise and Jayme’s first cruise ever! The ship was beautiful and the vacation was so enjoyable. There was one let down. Our last day was supposed to be on the white sands and crystal blue waters of Castaway Cay, but due to high winds the ship was unable to dock. It was the part of the trip that we were looking forward to the most so we were bummed. The good news? We’re going on our second Disney Cruise in May 2012!

#6 – Natural Disasters
Weather seemed to be the story of the year for much of the world, but we had our fair share in our back yard this year. On April 16 we had a close call when a group of tornados touched down in Raleigh and much of the Central North Carolina region. Thankfully none of the family was affected, but that’s not to say that people we know weren’t. In fact, I was scheduled to meet a new client the next day whose home was damaged by the Tornado. Jayme actually saw a Tornado while rushing to his sister’s home. There were so many who weren’t so lucky though!

Then, in September, we were faced with the reality of hurricane Irene. In my 5 years in this state I have never experienced a serious hurricane threat so this was new. Jayme was out of town on vacation and I was holding down the fort at his place. Thankfully he and his family decided to drive home a day early, so besides a little rain they were able to avoid getting caught in Irene’s path. Irene managed to pass through our part of North Carolina with little damage – just some small tree branches and mild flooding. All of this happened in the same week of a rare East Coast earthquake!

#5 – Dave Ramsey: Entreleadership
I have been an avid Dave Ramsey listener for a few years now and I have taken to his small business practices. It took me a while to warm up to his style, but after listening to him for a while I started to get his humor. I decided to attend his 3 hour Entreleadership event in September to see if I could learn anything new. This event was in conjunction with his book tour. I regret to say that I still haven’t read the book. I intend to – very soon! I attended his book signing afterward and was disappointed by the “signature” that he left for me. I took a picture and posted it to Twitter and their service department asked me to email my contact info so that they could rectify the problem. They never did… fail!

#4 – Savannah Half Marathon
In November, Jayme, his brother Kelly, and I drove to Savannah and ran in the Rock and Roll Savannah 1/2 Marathon. This was my 3rd half and it was by far my worst! I was semi-prepared and it showed. I didn’t even come close to beating my best time, but I beat my slowest time by 2 minutes. I had been struggling with some hip pain before the race and I dealt with it for about 4 weeks after. I’m always happy to say that I have completed another 13.1 miles, but this was painful!

#3 – The big 3-0
It was bound to sneak up on me one of these days. On December 12th, I finally turned 30. Oye! This last decade has just flown by. I hope the next 10 years go a little slower. I would like to enjoy them because I know they are bound to be wonderful!

#2 – Business Growth
2011 has been a tremendous year for growth at WigWagWalk! The business has seen an income growth of 110% – although the payroll also increased by 315%. I started the year struggling to find two new employees to replace two who left at the end of the year. One position proved difficult to fill and I actually went through 4 different people. I think we have settled in to a fairly consistent group of Team Members. We went from 4 Team Member in January to 6 by September. I have five extremely busy part-time walkers and promoted one Team Member to Lead Walker. She helps me with some administrative duties and fills in where needed in the schedule. I pray that 2012 will show as much or more growth and I can’t wait to see where WigWagWalk goes this year!

#1 – Sedona, AZ
Jayme and I planned a long weekend trip out to Sedona, AZ in October. I had never been to Red Rock Country before. The trip was amazing! We woke up before the sun each day and had the first few hours of hiking to ourselves pretty much. We did some pretty awesome hikes to Devils Bridge, Cathedral Rock, and Chicken Point. We also attempted to find a few Geo Caches, but we just aren’t any good at it! The scenery was gorgeous and our time together was life altering. After a long, hot, mid-day hike to Chicken Point, Jayme wanted to step off the beaten path to explore some. I was tired, and hot, and fighting a headache, but I forgot about all of those things as soon as Jayme asked me to marry him. I said, “yes” of course! We will be getting married in April 2012 and our new chapter will begin. I’m looking forward to it!

As I reminisce on 2011 I can’t help but look forward to 2012. The year will be unlike any other in my past. I cannot wait to experience all that it will hold for me. I am so grateful for everything in my life. Business is good and that is a true blessing this day and age. Jayme and I will continue writing our story together and there’s no telling what we will experience together tomorrow and well into the future. I am so blessed to have him and his family in my life. I love them all so much and I thank God each day for bringing us together. We have so much to be thankful for and I just don’t want to forget that. I love you Jayme and I look forward to our 2012 together!