Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

T-Minus 10...9...

With only nine hours left of 2013, I feel like I should make one last entry here before the end of this year and the start of the new one.  This is likely to be a huge mishmash of anxiety-ridden ranting and nostalgia.

Does anyone else have bipolar and bittersweet feelings towards New Years Eve?  Every year, I feel like I need to spend the night thinking about the year I'm leaving behind and what I want for the coming year.  I feel like I need to plan and I need to figure out what I'm going to do for the next twelve months right now.  Then, as someone who has always hated change in a way, I feel like I need to mourn the year I'm leaving and the person I was through the last twelve months as it comes to an end.  I realize this sounds crazy, but that's just always how I've felt about it.





Through 2013, I've had some of the highest highs and lowest lows of my, and I can only say thank you.  Thank you for picking me up, thank you for kicking me while I was down, and thank you to everyone who has been there for me along the way.

As for 2014, I don't know what it holds for me.  I know I'll be turning 23, I know I will have a nephew arrive shortly after that, but other than that I'm incredibly uncertain of where I will be or where I'm going. I have hopes, but at this point, I can only have that.  Just hopes.  As far as my goals, I have a ton of plans for this blog for the next year.


  • 1st of every month - Monthly goals list 
  • 1st Tuesday of each month - Monthly playlist
  • 15th of every month - Today I believe...
  • 20th of every month - Featured blog(ger) *Email submissions here.
  • Last Monday - Outfit of the day/month
  • Last Friday - Makeup of the day/month
  • Every Saturday - My week in instagrams
There are several posts in there randomly as well, but these are the core posts I want to make each month.  Let me know what you have planned for the night or any resolutions and goals you've made for yourself as the new year approaches!  

I hop you all have a happy New Year, stay safe!

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Looking Back on 2013

I can't believe that 2013 is just over a week away from ending.  This year went by so quickly and I'm both happy and sad to see it end.  2013 was one of the most interesting and difficult years of my life and I wanted to kind of recap everything that's happened through the year and how I've tried to stick with the goals I made at the end of last year.
I went to a casino for the first time!

And made some amazing cupcakes.  Still keeping the bakery dream alive.
I bought a new car, which I ended up leaving in Connecticut when I moved.

I got a puppy, who is now living with a very nice family that has a few other dogs for him to play with in a huge yard.
My little brother graduated high school!

My older sister got married and is now expecting her first baby in February!  I'm so excited to be an auntie.
Over the course of 2013, I've had five different jobs... Which is a scary thought with tax season coming up.

My youngest sister and I went on a date for her birthday (with her boyfriend and our mom in tow) and had a really fun trip to the zoo and the beach.
I went to an apple orchard for the first time this fall, even though I've lived a half an hour away from one my entire life.

I also made some questionable fashion choices (I still regret not buying this some days).

I went to New York City for a Makeup For Ever special effects class, which was so much fun to do.  I love New York.

And closer to the end of the year, a lot of things started to fall apart one way or another.  I'm in Oklahoma now for an undetermined amount of time.  I left 90% of my life in Connecticut, and yes it's insanely upsetting, but I've been trying to make the best of it that I can.  Don't get me wrong, I love being with my sister and brother in law, but I do miss driving and having a car.  I miss knowing where I am.  However, I have made some friends here so it makes it a little less hard to be so far away from everything I know so well.

(If you'd like to see my original list, this post is where I originally posted it)

Goal 1: Keep better track of money (possibly save some..)
~This was a huge..huge fail on my part.  I'm still broke, and have been all year.  To be fair, I moved twice this year and bought a car...

Goal 2: Get organized~This goal seemed to have gone a little better for me.  I'm still a messy person, and I'm sure I always will be, but I've bought a few organizers (and used them!) for the majority of the year, especially after moving out.


Goal 3: Get in (better) shape~Although I haven't actually worked out of gone on huge, crazy diets, I feel like I've definitely lost a little bit of weight.  Not a huge amount, but enough to make my face a little less round-shaped.


Goal 4: Manage my time more wisely~I've done alright with this one.. I won't say I've managed a total 180, but I've gotten better at not being late and managing to get things done when they need to be.  I slacked for a while over the summer, but who doesn't?


Goal 5: Eat as well as I can~Hahahaha. Well.. Kind of.  My older sister told me once that I'm like an old woman and I live off of coffee and baked goods, so I obviously don't eat the best I possibly can.  However, this year I've been eating a lot better for actual meals than I have in the past and I can honestly say I have Pinterest to thank for that because it makes healthy food look amazingly delicious.  And it is. 


Goal 6: Go back to school~This didn't happen... I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to go back to school for a while, but everything will work out someday.  If the whole hope and dream of owning a bakery works out, a degree isn't exactly necessary anyways, just helpful.  We'll see how this goes as time goes on.


Goal 7: Keep a jar of good things~I kind of half-assed this goal.  I started doing this in the end of March, I added a handful of handwritten notes of good things/events that happened into the the jar, then I moved and threw them out...and never started again.  Maybe I can try again this year?


Goal 8: Move out~I did this! Twice, to be honest.  I only really intended to go through it once, but circumstances come up.  Goal: accomplished.


Goal 9: Be positive~I've been trying very, very hard to stay positive this year.  These past few months, it's been a little harder to keep up with it, but I'm still trying.


Goal 10: Take a REAL vacation~Nope.


Goal 11: Keep my room clean~Also, nope.


Goal 12: Read more~Kind of.  I've read a couple of books this year, and I'm finishing up David Sedaris's Let's Discuss Diabetes with Owls. Amazing book.  This will continue to be a goal, and I have a list of hopefuls here.

I hope you've all had a safe holiday! Do you have any goals for 2014?  I have a list of my own coming up in a couple days, let me know what you plan to do through the new year!

Monday, December 23, 2013

Instalife

Have you finished your holiday shopping?  I thought I was done shopping about a week ago, but have managed to buy more and more through out this week.  I never feel like I'm actually done shopping before the holidays, but since it's now the 23rd, I think I need to be.

This past week was pretty busy between work, a holiday party, and holiday prep.  Here are some pictures of what I've been up to:

I was asked by my brother in law to be a photographer for his squadron's holiday party.  I used my sister a few times to test my camera settings, and got a few cute pictures of her.

My sister at the holiday party (she doesn't look very pregnant until she turns sideways!)

Hybrid ice.

We had an ice storm, everything is still encased in it.  All of the plants look really interesting, though, and luckily none of the roads have frozen over.

Capitol of Oklahoma

Bright makeup!
I also broke out my Sugarpill products this week.  I haven't really played with them in a long time, so it was fun to rock a bright look for the day.  A lot of people told me it was very 'Hunger Games'.
Then, I used some cranberry and gold shadows to get ready for the holiday season.  Unfortunately, this isn't the best picture.  It's the only decent one I took that day.

Sorry I've been slacking a little bit this week, but I do have a lot of posts coming up between now and the end of the year, and I've put together a posting schedule for the next year that I really hope to stick to (which I will show you soon!)  I hope you guys are having a safe holiday season and 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Book Wishlist December 2013

I've realized lately the amount of books that I want to read has grown incredibly over the last few months.  I'm not sure what exactly made that happen(probably cold weather), but since the end of the summer I've started finding more and more books that I've added to my Amazon wishlist and I would love to hear any feedback you guys have if you've read these!  Also, if you have any suggestions or favorite books, let me know =)

(All photos from Amazon.com)
  1. Paddle your own Canoe by Nick Offerman
  2. This Book is Full of Spiders by David Wong
  3. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  4. Paper Towns by John Green
  5. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
  6. Egghead by Bo Burnham


(All photos from Amazon.com)
  1. Adulting: How to become a grown up in 468 easy(ish) steps by Kelly Williams Brown
  2. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
  3. Bossypants by Tina Fey
  4. Bitches on a Budget by Rosalyn Hoffman
  5. The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman
  6. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick


Friday, December 6, 2013

Project 365

As this year creeps to an end (already!), I have decided that I want to take on another project this coming year.  I had attempted a 365 day project back in 2011, which sadly only ended with a mere 179 photos in the set.

This year, I feel like I will get a better outcome due to the fact that I have a phone with a better camera (that I use almost daily as it is) and have my new(ish) Canon camera that I've been in love with for a little over 2 years now.
The Canon also has some fun filters, like this fish-eye option.  Sorry dad, I made you an alien.

The only problem right now is figuring out which one to start.  I've had an ongoing search for which challenge will fit my lifestyle at this point (and if you've seen any good ones, let me know!).  Some people seem to be able to pull it off without any sort of prompting, but personally I feel like I need ideas to help me out since no one wants to see 200 pictures of my face in one spot, nor do I wish to bestow that on the public.  This may also help me keep up my goal to update this blog more than once every week (or longer).

Honestly, I've been considering the idea of making my own list compiled from all of the lists I've found through Pinterest, Tumblr, and Google searches, and maybe I will, but I feel like I have a little more searching to do.  What do you think?  Should I make my own list or go for ones I've found from other sources?