Truth about Improving

First of all, nice game :)

2...h6 was weird :) (I know you played white).

For 4...e6 you say "Black decides to return the pawn and not hold on to his pawn advantage..."

I don't know a lot about 1.d4 openings, but isn't that impossible here?  White gets the pawn back no matter what eg if b5 then a4 etc that old stuff and white gets a nice advantage.

From here to move 12 you have good thinking and clean moves (in my opinion) yeah b3 may have been a bit off, but your ideas aren't wrong (wanting to push e4 so protecting d4).  The only thing I'd add is pressure on the c file!

12.Ne4 you say "I decided to decline the exchange as I feel I can possibly get my Knight to a strong square on d6"

Which is excellent thinking, ever since black played b5 though the squares that lit up for mere were (no surprise) c5 and c6.  I was thinking you'd want to sink a knight in on c5 -- d6 isn't possible yet because you'd just lose a pawn so I was surprised you were more focused there.

But maaaaybe, and I only consider this because you made me double think this move talking about d6, you could try 12.Nxd5 because of how poor black's bishop is (and how good the d5 knight is).  In fact black for sure would recapture with the queen then you could try either 13. Qc2 or Ba3 playing against the dark squares... taking on d5 to me is in a way counter-intuitive (c5 and pressure down the c-file calling to me) and your 12.Ne4 I really like, but 12.Nxd5 is simply another thought you may not have noticed.

Did you consider 14.Nxc5?  I know it looks pretty wild after 14...Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Qxd4 hitting your rook and knight, but you're castled and this opening seems pre-mature for black.  Maybe black's fine but on principal alone I'd look at that line if I were you to see if anything's there.  Even after 15...Qxd4 considering stuff like 16.Nxe6 (because the king is so open, if black accepts then Bg6+) ok maybe I'm in blitz mode there, but like I said a good line to look into because black's position isn't quite ready for things to bust open.

Still, hard to argue with how you played, very clean way to win a pawn, white is certainly better.

Does your move 16.Nd6 lose a pawn to 16...Nxc5?  on the surface of it anyway looks like if 17.b4 Bxd6 and black's fine.

After 17...Nd7 you have two pawns under attack.  At first I was thinking you may try 18.Qe3 but of course your c pawn is under attack twice.  So how about 18.Qe4 threatening mate and... looks like winning another pawn (f5 is insane and if g6 then h6 hangs)  In any case you have time to throw in b4 and keep both your pawns... although again it's hard to argue with how you played, it was a creative solution to go ahead and trade the e pawn for the b pawn and get a very strong queenside presence, white's still winning.

In the further moves, trading down, recognizing your bishops, keeping the d file, all very good.  In fact ever since black's 16...Bxf6 I felt like white had a solid advantage and you never let it slip at all.

I can see why you'd want to post this game, it was a very clean game by you -- good game.  If you keep playing like that I'd imagine you won't have much trouble reaching 1700 by the end of the year!