Friday, January 6, 2012

So this is the new year...

Happy New Year! It's time for the proverbial out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new soliloquy...

First, a recap of some 2011 high- and low- lights:

I kicked off last year by ending a relationship I wasn't happy with and embraced some time for myself for the first time in 4 years. Then I got a sweet new roommate, went to my first oyster shooting competition, and threw a fun party. I subsequently fell in love with the coolest person I've ever met, whom I quickly moved in with, then moved again with, into quite possibly the sweetest apartment in Olympia. I lost my grandma, started making song lyric art, and had my first(-fifth) mint julep(s). I watched Julie & Julia and took up cooking as a serious hobby. I made most of my Christmas presents and had the most wonderful holiday since I was in grade school. I started listening to the Old 97's and went through a LOT of glitter glue. I got sucked into competitive reality television shows such as Project Runway, Top Chef and X Factor.
















Ciao, 2011!



On the horizon for this year...

I think I'll stop daydreaming about being a mom and just enjoy not having kids. I don't really need 2012 to be a year full of dreams and aspirations...maybe it'll be the year when I'm finally happy where I'm at and not constantly looking forward to the next big thing. Of course, I get giddy thinking about the next big thing, but I've deleted some Pinterest boards and decided to hold off on planning a wedding before I'm engaged, outfitting a baby before it is conceived, and furnishing my dream home before I have the down payment. Maybe 2012 is the year of realism. I'm turning 29 in less than 2 weeks.

I do aspire, however, to increase the quality of several life components. I will aim to buy clothes that are well made and flattering and that I feel great wearing, and avoid cluttering my closet with cheap things I don't love. I will splurge occasionally on decorative things that I maybe don't need because I know how happy it makes me to have good aesthetics in my surroundings. I will purchase sturdy glassware, because try as I may, I may never break my habit of shattering a piece per week. I will treat myself to a manicure once in awhile, to celebrate the pretty white nails I have for the first time in my entire life because tearing them off is a habit I did manage to break last year. I will entertain more often. Specifically, I plan to make 2012 the Year of Adams Street Fondue. I will keep attempting to get into some kind of stretching routine, and I will keep promising myself that I will go to bed earlier and start getting to work on time. I will try to funnel more and scatter less and become great at a few things. Sometimes I will succeed, and sometimes I will fail. Link
In light of this being a year of realism, I want to focus on appreciating what is and being grateful for what I have. Honestly, I think I'm generally pretty awesome at this, but I am prone to the occasional pang of jealousy that comes from having a jillion amazing people in my life/facebook timeline/pinterest boards/universe doing ambitious things and having beautiful weddings and cute babies and successful careers and trendy clothes and ideal body shapes and mind-blowing culinary skills and the ability to walk in heels and stay charming after 2 martinis and so on. So, to aid in keeping the holiday spirit of gratefulness alive, and also to give me an excuse to blog more frequently, I am going to make like my pretty friend Megan and start a 30 day photo challenge centered on gratitude. I think that like her, I will do my photos on a weekly basis instead of daily, and I think I will start Monday. Stay tuned!

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

2 comments:

  1. Hi lovely! You had quite a year. I am with you on the year of realism. I keep looking ahead to my hazy future, dreaming about dogs and homes and adventures. But the future has it's own plans, weather I think it all out or not.
    My new years resolutions are to learn more (like how to play the ukulele I've had for two years) and write daily (even if it is only journal entries.)

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  2. So I wrote this really long comment last night and it got ATE. Grr.

    The gist was:

    Dude, I constantly compare myself to my super talented competent awesome friends and come up short. I have to remind myself that just because someone else can successfully raise 4 girls (my dream because of Little Women), have a house that looks like Pottery Barn, or clean behind their refrigerator...doesn't mean I could or should ever do that, and that's okay.

    Like, I wish I could be as happy, pretty and artistic as my friend Kaylene. Oh, well!

    I love your resolutions. And the fact that you had the best Christmas since you were a kid. How amazing is that?!

    Can't wait to see your favorite food!

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