2014

*shimmy shimmy* It's 2014!!!

I think maybe I've done it yous guys.

So all day today I've been reading "One Little Word" posts and I want to jump on the bandwagon! Instead of a straight up resolution, they are choosing a word they'd like to embody more in 2014. A few I've seen so far are Brave, Balance, Revise & Whole.

I think this year, mine shall be "Now". Or maybe "Present"? "Focused?"

Ugh, I don't know if I have a word yet. But the essence of my word is to be more in-the-moment. I'm a daydreamer. I'm a planner. I'm a goal setter. Starting... well now!... I'm going to try to do better. When I'm at work, I won't be thinking about home reno. When I'm at home, I won't spend my evenings Pinning away at a dream closet I'd never shell out the money to acquire. I have just as many hours in the day as Beyonce, eh? There's time for it all.

So yea. Wish me luck.

Also, I mean, why not do this fun Pinterest quiz thing everyone else is doing while we're at it?!

A bad habit I want to break:
Eating sugar. I've identified it as a full blown addiction. I'm not being dramatic. The emotional ups and downs it creates is just unreal. Yes, Twix bars are what I imagine heaven tastes like. But I'm dependent on it to be in a good mood. No es bueno.

A new skill I'd like to learn:
Contouring and conversational Spanish. Because I'm cultured, but I still like to party.

A person I hope to be more like:
Daryl

I think that means I have to watch more Star Wars though. :)

A new food I'd like to try:
Tuna. I've never tried it because it looks like cat food and even comes in a can just like cat food. But I want to try to learn to like it.

Also, I want to learn how to cook a really baller steak.

A place I'd like to visit:
The southern Atlantic coast - South Carolina or Georgia. Oh, and also Belgium and Germany, of course :D

I'm going to do better at:
Car maintenance. Poor Lucy. She's looking ratchet.


Your turn. Let's hear your goals and plans. New Years Resolutions get a bad rap. Taking a moment to savor a clean slate never hurt anyone!

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Love It or Leave It

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!!!

*obligatory comment about how fast 2013 went by*

Tomorrow will be a whole new year. Tomorrow you and I will be have a chance to make 2014 the best year EVER. I have lots of goals and plans and hopes and dreams for 2014. Don't get me wrong, 2013 totally rocked. D and I bought a house! We traveled to Belize and Honduras. I attended my first Yoga festival and we raised a hilarious little pup that has warmed our hearts this year. 2013 did us right. I just know 2014 has new adventures in store and I'm chompin' at the bit!

I pulled together a Pinterest-y list of trends I'd love to see follow us to 2014 and another list of things I hope the bouncers at the door of 2014 don't let through. Here's what I hope fills my 2014 (along with family, friends, peace, health and all that shtuff).

Love it for 2014

Fringe! Especially in boots and purses.
Loafers and other preppy, pretty accessories for grown ups.
Monograms - I'm so vain, I love seeing my own initials everywhere
White minimalism, which sounds racist, kind of, but I mean just simple, classic white... in home decor, clothing, art, ect
Outdoor entertaining spaces - This may be me pining for warm weather but I cannot get enough of pretty outdoor gatherings!
J-Law's humor and everything she stands for. Intelligence and wit, kindness and bravery. We need more of her!
Curated vintage - this will never go out of style, right? I'm very much looking forward to beginning my own carefully selected collection of favorite things to warm up my home.
Eyebrows on babies

Leave it in 2013

Chevron fabrics - I'm cool with it in other applications, I'm just over it in fabric/clothes
Wordy wall decals
Mason Jars (even though I totally JUST bought some, they should be delivered today, because bloggers say they're the best way to store juice). For function, yes. As a trend to be incorporated into every holiday and gathering? No.
Wallpaper - The bane of my new homeowner existence at the moment.
High-waisted jean shorts - for one, I don't have the legs for them. For two, I just don't think they're the prettiest trend to hit our adorable 16 year old super models!
Mustache props
Haterz - People probably expect me to put Miley or Justin or Kimye as the antithesis of Jennifer Lawrence but you're wrong! I have nothing but love for celebrities and I don't wish for them to become less famous. I wish success on them. I wish for them to mature and for America to accept them so that they CAN mature. So that they are not pigeon-holed in to what the tabloids display them as. Haters & bullies & tabloids are so 2013.

I hope to see fun 2014 vision boards popping up on Pinterest and blogs full of vibrancy, inspiration and fun. Let's do this, 2014!

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Gerald

Working in an itsy bitsy teensy town has it's ups and downs.

One 'up' is the gym. She's a dime. Oil money in a tiny town never looked so good. State of the art equipment, classroom with a KIOSK where you can cue up any class you want and it'll start playing on a projector (Spin, yoga, step, you name it), and last but not least, Gerald. Gerald is the 5'6" very ripped black guy that works there and handles little old people's physical therapy and is always more than willing to help me set up a new program, correct my plank form or brainstorm ideas as to why my toes fall asleep when I use the elliptical (anyone else?! EVERY TIME. My shoelaces aren't too tight, either... it's an enigma). 

But Gerald also totally sucks. Because if it weren't for him, I could go to the gym and be like, yea, I've totally always looked like this in these tights. I'd give anything for less consistent staffing. Someone who didn't know me would be like, "aw look at that lady working hard and sweatin' her butt off on her lunch break" but Gerald knows. Gerald knows I used to go to the gym EVERY DAY. He knows I was in decent shape at one point. There's no fooling him now. Darn you Gerald.

Moral of the story, I went back to the gym on my lunch break for the first time today. I had enough time to write this short blog after though because I had zero stamina. Getting back in shape is not gonna be pretty, you guys. Everyone brace yourselves for some blog posts circa April 2013; all diet, exercise and complaining. 

Oh, and also every January I come up with a brilliant invention. The butt sports bra (basically sports Spanx) to keep my butt fat from jiggling all over the place while I lose weight. Not just for aesthetic reasons, but because it kind of hurts, right?! Please don't leave me out in the cold here, bootylicious ladies. I can't be the only one experiencing this.

Happy last Monday of 2013!!!

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5 Things

The Game of Thrones "Books" - I already gushed about Audible.com, but allow me to gush about Game of Thrones now. I am really worried about the characters in this book. They are constantly in peril and you can't trust anyone (Littlefinger, I'm looking at you). I'm hooked. It's one of those books I catch myself ALMOST praying for the character's safety? Like, I forget it's just a book and God can't help them.

My new entry table - $40. Craigslist. AND the guy delivered it. He said it's originally from Pier One but they didn't have a place for it anymore. MINE! (Like one of the seagulls on Finding Nemo)

Please ignore my dirty grout.

Naked Juices - I have been patiently waiting to unwrap the Hurom Juicer that's been under the tree for a week now... so in the meantime, I took to Naked Juice! I know it's obviously not a GREAT replacement for fresh, organic, homemade juice, but I mean, c'mon. I could be drinking Chick Fil A Milkshakes so in comparison, go me!

AND LOOK at that photography skill right there! I had to hold it just right and SO still to get that reflection off the juice. 

Family - This holiday season was one for the books. SO hectic with work being crazy, The Nutcracker, prepping our new house for the party, battling a cold... you name it. AND THEN, a stomach bug infected my immediate family, so we had to skip our traditional Christmas morning! You would have thought I was 8 years old yesterday. I sobbed in the bathroom for over an hour. I wanted to risk getting a stomach bug and go have my mommy cook me breakfast and laugh at my dad's corny jokes and just be HOME! *sigh* Don't worry, we're having a makeup Christmas this Sunday, but I have officially vowed to spend more time with my family during non-holiday days because being away from them yesterday was miserable!

Our first family gathering at our house on Monday
(don't mind that 6' 5" kid on the left. He just really loves Santa)

The free Lumosity App - Just been flexing my brain muscles! My Brain Power Index (I'm sure that's a totally legit unit of measure) is 1206! I have no idea if that is good though, because D doesn't play it often enough to get a comparison. It's my new Candy Crush.

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