2013... I brought in the new year with my boyfriend, Colin, along with his best friend and his girlfriend. Low-key evening at home.....cooked dinner and played games. It was quite a change from last year's Power & Light party, but it was good. (Can't get my picture upload to work or I would post a few). :( As so many do, I feel reflective and inspired as we embark on the upcoming calendar year. 2012 was a good one for me. I met Colin, traveled, continued growing friendships that I've had, spent lots of time with my family and had an EPIC fail with my "30 Diet Cokes in my 30th Year". Oops. I did great until July when it went completely down the drain. I'm working on moderation....aren't we all? No big resolutions this year....as I sit on the couch with Colin and Stella (the pup), life feels pretty satisfying. My heart feels content and with that, I hope to continue to use my brain to be creative and kind, my body to be healthier and strong (maybe run a few 5K's this year) and for me to get booked up less (aka, more unstructured time). I do feel so grateful for everything in my life and also want to continue to improve, both professionally and in my personal life. Can't wait to see what 2013 brings! Wishing all of my friends and family only health and happiness.

Update on Life....

Well, I haven't posted since March! What the heck????? I do actually think about it and want to document events and happenings so I can look back on it, but I am a distractable and busy soul. I feel like the last few months have been full! Notably, my last post was about my roommate of 6 months Lindsay moving out. It seems like forever ago! Linds and I still see a lot of each other and I'm so glad that she's only about 5 minutes away. Linds LOVES being back under the same roof as her baby (my niece) Kya. She has made her little house SO cute and she has been very busy training for an upcoming marathon in October. So very proud of her. I have done quite a bit of work around my house, including staining my deck, painting my metal outdoor chairs, fixed my tile in my upstairs bathroom after a leak, had my kitchen ceiling fixed from said leak, painted my kitchen and got new lights in my kitchen and little breakfast nook. Also, last weekend I FINALLY set up a recycling center in my house. I know, seriously, about time. Besides that, I went to Arizona with two of my best friends in May to celebrate all of us turning 30 this year. We had a lot of fun enjoying sun and fun together. In June, my parents and I flew to Dallas for Fathers Day weekend and saw my sis. In July, my parents and I few to Chicago and met my sis to celebrate my mom's 61st birthday. We had an awesome few days of sightseeing, good foods and time togehter. Just last weekend, Linds and I drove to the Lake of the Ozarks and met up with our college roommates Julie and Kylie and spent time with their families. Very nice. Loved the relaxing setting and all the cute kids running around. Outside of house updates and traveling, I have spent quite a bit of time with my boyfriend of 6 months and his sweet puppy dog, Stella. I have also had her stay at my house when he's been out of town. Know that I do still LOVE reading all of your blog posts and hearing what is going on in your lives. Cute kids, lots of pictures from traveling and just daily stories...can't go wrong there. Even though I haven't posted recently I have had some new tech happenings....I got a gmail account to replace my AOL account that I've had since I was 14. Who would have ever guessed?! Also, I set up a google calendar which I'm loving. :) Yep, I know, exciting stuff. Hope to post again sooner than later. I'm looking into a new laptop as mine is end of life. Fingers crossed. :)

All by myseeeeeelf.....

After having a roomie for 6 months, I am back on my own again.....

This is a picture of Linds in her new bedroom this week after cleaning the floors. We have spent a TON of time working on getting her little house fixed up and it looks so good. I can't wait to see how Lindsay makes it her own. I know one thing for sure, is that she is SO excited to be reunited with her pup, Kya. Thankfully, her new house is about 4.5 minutes away from mine, so I'm betting I'll still get to see her! :)

Happy Moving Day, Lindsay!!!

#5...

I settled for a Diet Pepsi....but had to count it. SO NOT WORTH IT! :(

Babies and Wine.....not combined.

Quick update.....as Linds was reading my last post, she said, "I don't think I've had any water since it broke." Silly girl! :)

This weekend has been a good one.....minus the K-State loss. I have gotten to spend lots of time with some people I really enjoy, including lunch with one of my BFFs, Lacey, today.

There has been a little baby boom lately from my bunko group. Lisa had baby Liam on Thursday and I went to meet him Friday after work (she delivered in the hospital where I work). I didn't get to hold him cause he was having a little procedure, but saw him through a wind0w- super cute! Friday night Linds and I stopped by my friend Andrea's and met baby Harper. She is such a sweet baby....long and lanky and SO alert! We felt like she was really trying to talk to us! Harper's big brother was there and pretty excited to show his mom stuff from school.

After meeting Harper, we went to our friend Lindsey's apartment for a little wine tasting with Lindsey and Sarah. We each brought a bottle, she had some snacks put together and we just hung out and talked. Aren't those nights some of the best ones?! Hope your weekend has been a good one too. I'm looking forward to the Oscars tonight! Love all the fancy outfits and seeing who wins.

There's Been An Accident! :(

This is what happened at my house this week:


Linds was devastated. This is the glass she used pretty much every day....yes, it's a Grumpy Care Bears glass my mom gave me a couple years ago. She gave it to me as a joke (kind of) since I loved Care Bears when I was little and since I can sometimes be grumpy. Well, Linds has become pretty attached and the other night when I was loading the dishes, it just fell apart! Not sure what Linds will drink out of now, but it was a pretty sad scene. Guess I'm not allowed to load the dishwasher anymore, huh Linds?

Happy Ash Wednesday!

.....which according to facebook is apparently also National Margarita Day. Seems like that would have been more appropriate on Mardi Gras. Anyway, I have been struggling with what to give up during Lent (no, I'm not Catholic, but I think it's a great practice). Two years ago I gave up Diet Coke. At the time, I thought I was going to die....but I didn't. Turns out, I am pretty much off of it as is, thanks to my New Years resolution this year. Last year, I gave up sweets, which was good for me. My friend Sharee and I (and whoever else) have decided that we're going to volunteer once a week at Harvesters (a local food pantry that gives backpacks of food to kids that need it for the weekend). I'm looking forward to it and it's something I've been wanting to do anyway. I also decided that I'm going to STOP BITING MY NAILS! Like, for real. I NEED to. It's SO gross and something that I really want to stop....so hopefully not doing it for 40 days will help me to quit the habit. Hopefully your Lent is a time of reflection and thanks....and less nail biting. ;)