Welcome "Twenty-Eleven"!

I am sooooooooo ready for a new year!  Not just any new year, mind you, but this particular new year.  I have grandiose plans!  I have dreams!  I have goals!  I have something in me that  is shouting that "Twenty-Eleven" is going to be the year of great things for my family and myself.  I'm ready to get this show on the road and start making things happen.  I don't normally like to just wish time away or want to skip parts of my life, buuuuuuutt, this is not one of those times.  Smiley Face.

Happy New Year everyone!  Be safe and smart tonight!

UPDATE: 1/1/11 @ 5:11pm (I'd do a new post, but I don't want to be that girl.)

OK, so I've finally figured out some resolutions, although I'm going to do things a bit differently.  I figure, if I can't stick to 'em previously, I need to switch things up a bit in order to make something work!  Ready for it?

*Drum roll please* ...

Monthly resolutions!  Yes, yes, I know.  Genius isn't it?  You've never heard anything like it.  You're wondering where I come up with these things.  Well, let's just say I'm that good.  In all seriousness,  I do want to succeed with setting a goal, sticking to it, and accomplishing it.  Maybe if I start on a smaller scale and work my way up, I'll actually be able to do this.

So, monthly resolutions it is!  For January, I'm resolving to not eat fast food for the entire month.  I'm not a huge fast food eater, but I used to be and it's definitely a weakness and given the opportunity to eat it, I'd take it every time.  I'd say right now, I eat fast food 1-2 times a week.  Not a lot, but I think I can cut it out.  Last fast food I had?  Yesterday I had Taco Bell for dinner, and it was delicious!

How do I plan to not eat fast food?  Not put myself in a position to have to go get something to eat.  So, I need to bring something for lunch to eat at work.  No more showing up without anything to eat.  Second, if I want to eat tacos or burgers or fries, make them at home!  They don't taste the same, but man do they still taste good!  The hubs happens to make killer burgers on the BBQ or in the skillet.  Fries?  Got it covered- buy a frozen bag from the store.

So, here's to day one!  Every little step helps/counts :)

Merry Christmas!

Ok, I am well aware that I am a few days late with a "Merry Christmas" post, but I was really enjoying the laziness of Christmas and doing nothing but opening presents and hanging out with family.  Blogging is work; there was no way in hell I was gonna do anything that resembled work on Christmas!

Every year we drive down to the East Bay to spend Christmas with my husbands family.  We do Christmas Eve at his Grandma's house (everyone comes, you're not aloud to NOT come), and then Christmas day with his Dad. When I say every year, I mean every year!  Our first Christmas together we lived in Washington, about 20-25 minutes from Seattle.  WE DROVE ALL NIGHT TO MAKE IT DOWN FOR CHRISTMAS.  Talk about a long ass drive.  Anyway, this year was no different.  I love spending Christmas down there.  My husbands WHOLE family gets together, all of his aunts and uncles and cousins... even his 105 year old Great Grandma!!  Yes folks, you are reading that right.  Lady is 105, 'bout to turn 106 in February.  She doesn't quite remember everyone, but is still well enough to be brought over and enjoy dinner with the family.  (I know she has no idea who I am, so I usually don't partake in the whole-family-hug-great-grandma routine, cause I don't want to confuse her.)  She noticed me this time though, although I know she won't remember me for next Christmas.

I really love that we are able to/make it a priority to head down there for Christmas.  It's identical to how every one of my childhood Christmas were.  Every Christmas Eve (except for a VERY few), my parents took us over to my Grandparents on my moms side and the WHOLE family was there.  All of my Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, their boyfriend/girlfriends, their boyfriend/girlfriend's kids... even friends who had no where else to go.  My grandma ALWAYS bought extra little gifts for extra kids who showed up unannounced.  My grandparents had a very small two bed, one bath house... we'd cram 30-40 people in there every year.

Anywho!  This year I got designated to make the Green Bean Casserole.  Usually this is Aunt Tammy's job... if she doesn't make it she isn't aloud to come.  The funny thing is she doesn't even like the stuff... but OH EM GEE do I freakin' love it.  I'm moving on up in this family now, I'm getting assigned shit to make!  Ohhhhh yeaaaaaaah.  I also made this AMAZING Three Cheese Artichoke Dip that is to die for.  I'll find the recipe and post soon!

We didn't get back to his dads house until I think 1:30 in the morning!  I was beyond exhausted and literally walked in the door and straight into our room to go to bed.  Christmas morning was amazing.  I LOVE Christmas,... it is my favorite time of year.  Not just for the presents... although those are pretty fabulous too.  I love getting together with everyone and being around family.  It's about a 3 to 3 1/2 hour drive down (in good weather, which we HAVE not been getting lately.  It took us 6 1/2 hours to get home yesterday due to the snow), and that is our closest family.  The rest of my family is in Washington and Texas.  It's hard not being able to see them, really hard.  And the longer I haven't seen them the harder it gets.  But we do at least get to see his family every couple months.  

All in all, this Christmas was better then expected.  We got a real tree this year and apparently my cats don't like the smell of "outdoors" because they wouldn't even go near it!  Don continued his Christmas tradition of getting me a new Coach bag, and his Dad and I got him a new Snowboard!  Yes ladies, my husband has a tradition of buying me Coach bags... go a head and be jealous, I know you are.  He got me one after we had been dating a couple of months, got me one last Christmas, and then one again this Christmas.  He "says" he won't be getting me one every year, but tradition is tradition... you CANNOT break that!  

I hope everyone had a love filled Christmas!

Christmas Eve at Grandmas

I think my face says it all

Hubs finding out he's getting a Snowboard

Obligatory tree photo

Snowboard he bought on our way home

Feeling Pretty Loved Right About Now

Wow!  I had no idea how receptive and excited people were going to be when I said "Hey, guess what I did?" and started a blog.  It really all just happened on a whim.  I had thought about doing this a couple of months ago and then just never got around to it (doesn't life always seem to just get in the way?).  Then, I was reading a few blogs the last couple of days on some things I'm interested in (I'm withholding that info for now!!) and I honestly could just not think of a reason not to start one.  So I went for it.  I still have no idea what I really want to write about.  Hell, I'm not even sure if anything I have to say is even worth reading.  I'm not very interesting.  

So, Monday night after work I told my husband I started a blog.  I was nervous about telling him.  I don't really know why, but I was hesitant and thought "I wonder how long I can do this and just have him not notice?".  I quickly realized that just wasn't a good idea and if I ever wanted to put this on Facebook (ADDICTED!) I should tell him first.  If it were the other way around I'd be pretty damn pissed if I wasn't the first person he told or he just hid it from me.  (I do that a lot... "If  this were reversed, how would I feel if he was doing this?".  I think it's great to keep him in mind in a lot of my decisions.  Sometimes it's hard to look at things rationally or with a clear mind, and thats when you can start to get yourself in trouble. OK, enough of the ramble...)  I think I was more afraid of him thinking it was dumb or I was dumb or anything remotely negative.  Why would he do that you ask? Oh, he wouldn't.  I just have this fabulous tendency to imagine the worst and convince myself that bad things are going to happen.  He's actually pretty fabulous.

He was really excited!  I couldn't get the grin off my face.  As soon as I said what I had done, he instantly asked for the link.  Didn't miss a beat.  It was awesome.  AND he said he was proud of me!  ME!!  It felt amazing to have my other half be excited about what I am doing and tell me that he's proud of me and impressed by what I am doing.  

From there it has just gotten better.  My closest friends at work were thrilled for me as well.  They knew when I was younger I dreamed of being an author, so they could see that this was a good thing for me to do.  It's great having them to share everything with, and it's great knowing that they just get you.  They get that this is what I am into.  They get that I'm the kinda person that needs to share and get feedback.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty loved!  I've already been featured in another fabulous blog, Our Happy Home (shout out!!!) and I feel like I've been initiated into some cool ass sorority or club.  

I never knew I wanted in.

My First Blog!

I don't know what I am doing here, but here goes nothing!  I've always loved writing; I had tons of diaries and journals when I was younger.  I took Creative Writing in high school.  I used to dream about becoming an author.  I'm not any closer to having a book published then I am to winning a gold medal in the Olympics.  (Although, if I were a betting man... I'd bet I'd see a book published before a gold medal!).

Any-who, I've been eye-balling these here blog things for a while now, so I thought there was no better time to start then a new year.  Sure, there are like two weeks until we start having to write 2011 on everything, but when I registered this account and they let me customize everything I just couldn't help myself!

Question, is it apropos to say "Twenty-Eleven"?

Guess I should start thinking of some New Years Resolutions.  I never do well with these!  I never stick to anything.  I always end up making some stupid resolution that I never have a chance to keep, like loosing weight or something.  January-March I tell myself I have all the time in the world and can justify eating anything I want.  Then it's May and bathing suit season is right around the corner(or starting where I live!) and I realize I haven't done a damn thing.

I keep telling myself that "Twenty-Eleven" is going to be my year, but it doesn't feel right to not have at least one resolution in place.  I've got to get on this!

In the spirit of New Years Resolutions, I'd like to share what I hope to achieve with/get out of/ abide by, with this blog over the next year:

• Blog at least once a week for a year!
• I want to be able to capture one small part of my life.  Who knows, maybe "Twenty Eleven" really is my year and something amazing happens and if I don't blog about it now I'll be kicking myself in the ass when I'm 90 and can't really remember my youth anymore... but boy I can still read, why didn't I write any of that down?
• Be honest-if you can't be honest with what you write, it isn't worth sharing.
• I don't want to be 90 and think "gee, what a sugary sweet year that was" if it really wasn't!  If I can't share something honestly, or I have to sugar coat it, then it doesn't need to be shared.
• In being honest, also be courteous.
• I want to openly share, but not at the expense of the people around me.
• Have a place to be me, and say what is on my mind.
• I want to treat this as my journal.
• Create a blog that changes lives!
• Ok, so maybe I won't actually changes lives, as in plural... but maybe one?  You never know how the words you write will effect someone else.  As they say, "Reach for the moon, if you fall at least you'll land among stars".

So here I go: blogging for one whole year.  I hope this is as much fun as I've conjured up in my head!