This is kind of cliche, but I have really been thinking a lot over the last few weeks about all the wonderful people and things in my life. Here is an "I'm thankful for..." list, just for fun!
- time spent with family and close friends
- a job I absolutely love
- my experience in NYC this time last year
- the opportunities I have had to travel
- school is over!!!!!!!!!!!
- my health and the health of my family
- T ;)
- lazy days
- freedom
- the cinnamon dolce latte at Starbuck's
- clean sheets
- laughing
- books
- CHRISTMAS!!!
And the list goes on and on! I hope you all have a wonderful, Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27, 2008
November 9, 2008
Wish I could have taken a picture...
So I went to the grocery store today to pick up a few things. I was talking to Melanie on the phone in my car before I went in. Right after we hung up, I heard this extremely LOUD rap music, loud enough to shake my car. So I turn around expecting to find some ghetto-fabulous Caddy with spinning wheels and hydraulics....only I find this brand new, shiny, red VW bug convertible with an old, bald, white guy at the wheel!!! Hahahaha, it was hilarious! He was completely straight faced, music blaring! I was trying so hard not to laugh because he was 3 feet from me, but I know that I didn't have straight face! Hope you all got a great laugh out of that, I know I did! Have a great week!
October 19, 2008
Christmas
I started getting my Christmas decorations out the other day, even though it's October and still about 90 degrees outside. :) I'm so super excited about it, it's not even funny! I turned up the Christmas tunes (Amy Grant's White Christmas, my favorite) and unpacked the festiveness! Honestly, my apartment is not big enough for all the decorations I have, so I'm having a hard time deciding where to put things. I like that this is going to end up being a several week long process. That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
My apartment this year is also not big enough for my 9 foot Christmas tree (I'm fighting back tears as I type). So my options are to use it anyway and have Christmas Mr. Willaby style, leave it in the box until next year (SO sad) and get a smaller artificial tree, or wait until the first of December and go get a real tree for this year. I would love the smell of a real tree, but I can't carry one by myself (nudge nudge, Melanie!) and I'm not sure I would be good at remembering to water it. I would hate for it to die before Christmas. I also don't like to wait until December to put up my tree. Christmas is just too much fun to enjoy for only one month! But I also don't want to spend tons of money on another artificial tree when I have a perfect one in the closet!! Any ideas? What should I do?
And just for fun, here are a few pictures of Christmas in New York last year! Happy Holidays!
My apartment this year is also not big enough for my 9 foot Christmas tree (I'm fighting back tears as I type). So my options are to use it anyway and have Christmas Mr. Willaby style, leave it in the box until next year (SO sad) and get a smaller artificial tree, or wait until the first of December and go get a real tree for this year. I would love the smell of a real tree, but I can't carry one by myself (nudge nudge, Melanie!) and I'm not sure I would be good at remembering to water it. I would hate for it to die before Christmas. I also don't like to wait until December to put up my tree. Christmas is just too much fun to enjoy for only one month! But I also don't want to spend tons of money on another artificial tree when I have a perfect one in the closet!! Any ideas? What should I do?
And just for fun, here are a few pictures of Christmas in New York last year! Happy Holidays!
Making cookies for the Christmas Cookie Party.
Cohen and I when they came to visit...he was so small!!
Fun family photo (not sure where Christian was...sorry!)
The beautiful tree in Rockefeller Center!
Tony Bennett warming up for the tree lighting performance.
The Rockefeller tree all lit up!!!
My kitchen Christmas tree...
My living room Christmas tree... :)
October 2, 2008
Night Shift
Kyle called me out for not posting anything for awhile. Working nights, I tend to be up at all kinds of weird hours. It's 3 am, and I have nothing to do, so I'm going to post some random thoughts that have popped into my head lately.
- I need a day job.
- I confess that I like the Beach Boys.
- When school is over, I'm going to need a hobby. Any ideas?
- It's almost time to start listening to Christmas music! Maybe I'll do that this week...
- I really should start going to the gym again.
- I recently discovered Silver Jeans. Love them!
- Anyone remember The Judds? I'm pretty sure we had their final concert on VHS tape.
- I went to get a mighty meal at McDonald's with a friend of mine tonight. When the lady handed us our food, we asked for ketchup. She told us it was in the bag. We asked if it was a lot. She said, "it's enough for your small fries" and shut the window!! Seriously?! Is that allowed?
- I'm going to see NKOTB in a few weeks.
- Watching the news is depressing. So I just don't do it.
- All of these things remind me of visits to see grandparents when I was growing up: fruit roll-ups, trampoline, big brown pillow, Silly Silly Sandwich, cinnamon toast, homemade rolls, nachos, Single Women Rich Men, frosted Cokes, square dancing skirts, bear pancakes, cheesecake, and My Country, 'Tis of Thee.
- Sometimes I really miss New York.
- This one is just so I can see what the word 'discombobulated' looks like. I'm not sure if I spelled it right though.
- It makes me sad when I look at my schedule and realize that I won't get any significant amount of sleep for the next few weeks.
- I am very interested to see how Grey's Anatomy turns out this season.
Pretty random. Sometimes I wonder how I function in life when this many different things can cross my mind in such a short time frame. :) I hope you all have a great day!
- I need a day job.
- I confess that I like the Beach Boys.
- When school is over, I'm going to need a hobby. Any ideas?
- It's almost time to start listening to Christmas music! Maybe I'll do that this week...
- I really should start going to the gym again.
- I recently discovered Silver Jeans. Love them!
- Anyone remember The Judds? I'm pretty sure we had their final concert on VHS tape.
- I went to get a mighty meal at McDonald's with a friend of mine tonight. When the lady handed us our food, we asked for ketchup. She told us it was in the bag. We asked if it was a lot. She said, "it's enough for your small fries" and shut the window!! Seriously?! Is that allowed?
- I'm going to see NKOTB in a few weeks.
- Watching the news is depressing. So I just don't do it.
- All of these things remind me of visits to see grandparents when I was growing up: fruit roll-ups, trampoline, big brown pillow, Silly Silly Sandwich, cinnamon toast, homemade rolls, nachos, Single Women Rich Men, frosted Cokes, square dancing skirts, bear pancakes, cheesecake, and My Country, 'Tis of Thee.
- Sometimes I really miss New York.
- This one is just so I can see what the word 'discombobulated' looks like. I'm not sure if I spelled it right though.
- It makes me sad when I look at my schedule and realize that I won't get any significant amount of sleep for the next few weeks.
- I am very interested to see how Grey's Anatomy turns out this season.
Pretty random. Sometimes I wonder how I function in life when this many different things can cross my mind in such a short time frame. :) I hope you all have a great day!
August 31, 2008
Boston
Last weekend, I went to Boston to visit my friend Kate. She and I were travelers together in New York, and she is now on a travel assignment in Boston. I was able to meet up with my friend Meghan as well. She is also there on a travel assignment. It was so much fun! The weather was perfect, the people were great, and the history of the city is fascinating! I'm going to try to post some pictures, but I've never done this before, so if it doesn't work....I guess I will figure it out some other time. Hope you all have a great week!
Kate & I on the boat...it was really windy!
Way out there in the middle of the picture is a whale out of the water. It was hard to catch them in the air, but truly amazing to see!
Paul Revere...
USS Constitution. This is a ship that was built in the late 1700s and is still used sometimes! They offer tours of the inside, but we didn't make it in time. Still, I think it's pretty cool to see!
Kate & I
We went on a whale watching tour. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen! We saw a total of 6 humpback whales. They were jumping out of the water, and our guide told us they only actually do that on one out of every ten tours! Here is a view of Boston from the boat.
Kate & I on the boat...it was really windy!
Way out there in the middle of the picture is a whale out of the water. It was hard to catch them in the air, but truly amazing to see!
Now a few random Boston sights. Fenway Park...
Paul Revere...
USS Constitution. This is a ship that was built in the late 1700s and is still used sometimes! They offer tours of the inside, but we didn't make it in time. Still, I think it's pretty cool to see!
I hope you all have a great week!
July 22, 2008
Sweet addictions
My #1 favorite addiction is spending time with my nephew, Cohen. He seriously is the cutest kid on this planet. And I'm not just biased...he really is!! He is so much fun to watch. He is just learning so much and getting so big! I love every minute of it. Check out my sister's blog (link on the right - Melanie Ross) for pictures of him. (I will have to check with Melanie first before I post pictures of him on my blog. I'm sure it's fine, but I want to make sure!).
My number #2 favorite addiction is my shoe collection. I will always maintain that there is not a problem in the world that a new pair of shoes will not either completely fix or at least alleviate for some period of time. I recently went to The Container Store (a whole new post in and of itself!) to buy the new shoe racks I had seen in the summer sale catalog. I bought 2 of them and I was ridiculously excited to get home, put them together, and organize my shoes. I had a blast doing this! A few days later, I went and bought another one...for expansion purposes. My closet isn't quite up to par with the Sex and the City penthouse closet that Big built for Carrie, or the Overboard ship closet that Dean built for Joanna....but I'm working on it!
And finally, my #3 favorite addiction is Red Bull. Many of you know that for quite some time I was seriously addicted to Starbuck's. And I mean, close to needing to go to meetings-type addicted. Well, on my quest to become more financially responsible, I managed to give up the everyday habit. Sigh. I do treat myself every now and again, and I'm sure those treats will become more frequent when the holidays roll around, but for the most part, I would say I am a recovered coffee-holic. However, working nights I still need a little kick going into the shift. One day on my way to work, I had only been able to sleep for a few hours. I stopped at the local (somewhat ghetto) 7 Eleven to get some water, and I decided to try a Red Bull to give me a little pep in my step. :) I'm completely addicted!! I love the stuff! Benefits of the justifiable Red Bull addiction are... a) cheaper than Starbucks, b) MUCH fewer calories than Starbucks, c) I started out on the sugar free kind, so I don't even know the difference, d) it gives me the push going into work that gets me through about 2 or 3 am, and e) (probably the best reason) you can buy it at the grocery store so I no longer have to stop at the ghetto-fabulous, somewhat scary 7 Eleven a few blocks from my place. (Yes I live in the ghetto...again a whole new post in and of itself).
I'm curious as to what everyone else's favorite addictions are and how you justify them....let me know! Have a great day!!!
My number #2 favorite addiction is my shoe collection. I will always maintain that there is not a problem in the world that a new pair of shoes will not either completely fix or at least alleviate for some period of time. I recently went to The Container Store (a whole new post in and of itself!) to buy the new shoe racks I had seen in the summer sale catalog. I bought 2 of them and I was ridiculously excited to get home, put them together, and organize my shoes. I had a blast doing this! A few days later, I went and bought another one...for expansion purposes. My closet isn't quite up to par with the Sex and the City penthouse closet that Big built for Carrie, or the Overboard ship closet that Dean built for Joanna....but I'm working on it!
And finally, my #3 favorite addiction is Red Bull. Many of you know that for quite some time I was seriously addicted to Starbuck's. And I mean, close to needing to go to meetings-type addicted. Well, on my quest to become more financially responsible, I managed to give up the everyday habit. Sigh. I do treat myself every now and again, and I'm sure those treats will become more frequent when the holidays roll around, but for the most part, I would say I am a recovered coffee-holic. However, working nights I still need a little kick going into the shift. One day on my way to work, I had only been able to sleep for a few hours. I stopped at the local (somewhat ghetto) 7 Eleven to get some water, and I decided to try a Red Bull to give me a little pep in my step. :) I'm completely addicted!! I love the stuff! Benefits of the justifiable Red Bull addiction are... a) cheaper than Starbucks, b) MUCH fewer calories than Starbucks, c) I started out on the sugar free kind, so I don't even know the difference, d) it gives me the push going into work that gets me through about 2 or 3 am, and e) (probably the best reason) you can buy it at the grocery store so I no longer have to stop at the ghetto-fabulous, somewhat scary 7 Eleven a few blocks from my place. (Yes I live in the ghetto...again a whole new post in and of itself).
I'm curious as to what everyone else's favorite addictions are and how you justify them....let me know! Have a great day!!!
July 14, 2008
The 6 month rule
A few years ago, after hauling all my stuff from place to place when I moved, I decided I should lighten the load. I began implementing the 6 month rule. This is where I go to my closet and drawers, and if something has not been worn in the last 6 months...it goes in the Goodwill pile. It was difficult at first. I would always resort to the, "well, I may wear that at some point" excuse. I finally realized that most likely, it will never be worn by me again. I also started doing this with books, saved documents and letters, other closets, and the junk drawer.
There are exceptions to the rule though. And these are definitely valid. Feel free to use them yourself or find your own.
Exception #1 - shoes absolutely do not count in the 6 month rule. Why? Because you may have one pair of shoes that only goes with one particular outfit, but when you wear that outfit (once a year or 2 years or so) you HAVE to have THOSE shoes to go with it. Completely understandable.
Exception #2 - seasons can throw the 6 month rule off a little. For example, if I haven't worn a sweater in the last six months, it is probably because Texas really only has a few months of sweater wearing weather. Same goes for summer. If you clean out in the winter and haven't worn that tank top because it is 30 below outside...good reason, save it for summer.
Exception #3 - tshirts are usually excluded as well. For me, this is because I tend to be on the sentimental side. So I keep the majority of my tshirts. Plus there are great ways to save them so they don't take up tons of space. My mom made my high school tshirts into a blanket and I love it! If you are ambitious, you could make it yourself. If you are wondering why I don't do this myself, see # 68 on my list of 100 things about me.
Exception #4 - DVDs, music, and Christmas decoration are completely exempt. Now we all know that some of those Christmas sweaters probably should be donated, but to each his own. I may watch the same movies over and over, but I doubt I will ever deplete my DVD collection or my itunes library. You never know when you may need them!
I used to save all of the discarded items for a future, potential garage sale. I decided to forego that whole process because it is too much work, I don't figure I would make that much money anyway, and I don't have a place to have one. Plus when storing one of my clean out batches, I found the stuff from the last clean out. And if applying the 6 month rule....I will probably never have the intended garage sale.
Let me know how your first clean out goes! I could so work on that TLC show Clean Sweep! Have a great day!
There are exceptions to the rule though. And these are definitely valid. Feel free to use them yourself or find your own.
Exception #1 - shoes absolutely do not count in the 6 month rule. Why? Because you may have one pair of shoes that only goes with one particular outfit, but when you wear that outfit (once a year or 2 years or so) you HAVE to have THOSE shoes to go with it. Completely understandable.
Exception #2 - seasons can throw the 6 month rule off a little. For example, if I haven't worn a sweater in the last six months, it is probably because Texas really only has a few months of sweater wearing weather. Same goes for summer. If you clean out in the winter and haven't worn that tank top because it is 30 below outside...good reason, save it for summer.
Exception #3 - tshirts are usually excluded as well. For me, this is because I tend to be on the sentimental side. So I keep the majority of my tshirts. Plus there are great ways to save them so they don't take up tons of space. My mom made my high school tshirts into a blanket and I love it! If you are ambitious, you could make it yourself. If you are wondering why I don't do this myself, see # 68 on my list of 100 things about me.
Exception #4 - DVDs, music, and Christmas decoration are completely exempt. Now we all know that some of those Christmas sweaters probably should be donated, but to each his own. I may watch the same movies over and over, but I doubt I will ever deplete my DVD collection or my itunes library. You never know when you may need them!
I used to save all of the discarded items for a future, potential garage sale. I decided to forego that whole process because it is too much work, I don't figure I would make that much money anyway, and I don't have a place to have one. Plus when storing one of my clean out batches, I found the stuff from the last clean out. And if applying the 6 month rule....I will probably never have the intended garage sale.
Let me know how your first clean out goes! I could so work on that TLC show Clean Sweep! Have a great day!
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