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!

Catching Up

I've made it to Oklahoma.  Today was my first full day living in a new state, which started off with a job interview at Target.  Run of the mill, holiday hire, I should start next week.  

Anyways, I have a few pictures from yesterday and today that I wanted to share.  The traveling was fairly uneventful.  My boyfriend and I woke up at 4 in the morning Sunday to drive to the airport, sad goodbyes and no pictures from that (because who wants to see that?) and I forgot to get a real breakfast before I boarded the first flight south.

Found this is the Dallas airport. I want one for my house.

Welcome to Texas

I went on a little walk around part of the base, and found some semi-sketchy buildings.  

 I've decided this place would be great for shooting a horror movie.  It's got the very quaint feel to it while still managing to be super creepy.

And, I just remembered I'm a day late on my Thankful days list so here is D through L to cover tomorrow, too:

D - I'm thankful for my dad for being so helpful through the moving process and everything else in my life.

E - Elephants for being so damn cute I could die.

F - Friends and family for being there when the shit hits the fan (and when it doesn't, but mostly when it
does) and distracting me when I need to be distracted.

G - Grandma! I'm so thankful I got to spend time with my grandma before I left.

H - I'm thankful for Hannah and hamburgers and having hands.

I - Ice cream, ice, iced coffee (if you know me, this is no surprise), iPhones, aaaand instagram.

J - Jeans that fit well, justice, Jones soda.

K - Kevin Hart, Katy Perry (I just watched her movie, soo good), and kindness.

L - Love, lazy days, lessons, learning, Lindt chocolate.

This list may have seemed a little less deep than some people on Facebook, I was just trying to think outside the box a little more and I'm totally serious about all of them.  Happy Monday (which is really Tuesday for a lot of you) and I hope you have a good week!

Silver Lining

This past wee has been nothing short of exhausting.  While I love my job, I've found myself just wanting to stay in bed all week instead of getting up and being productive.  I have a lot to do in my last month living in Connecticut, but I don't really want to do any of them.

Today was especially lazy.  It's the first real day off I've had in a while, meaning I didn't have anything I really had to do, I didn't have to be anywhere at any time, I just got to sit on the couch and watch some t.v. and watch the trains pass the apartment I'm staying in for the next couple of weeks.  It was a gloomy, rainy day, so I stayed in my pajamas and ate ramen.  This is going to be a "Today, I believe..." list.

Today, I Believe...

•  showering, getting back into pajamas and watching BBC can make for a great day off in the middle of chaos.
• train rides really are amazing and beautiful.
• barely using your phone all day can help to clear your head and keep from stressful conversations.
• everything happens for a reason, even if it isn't clear why everything is falling apart around you right now.
• "You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, you have a shot at a silver lining..."  is probably one of the most accurate and hard-hitting messages for me right now.

Happy Sunday, everyone.  Hopefully the coming weeks will be better.

Starting Over Part 2

So, it's been decided that I'm off to Oklahoma after all.

There are a lot of reasons for me to go there at this point in my life, but the biggest factor (besides the potential of being homeless) is my soon-to-be nephew, Tyler!

He will be arriving in late February if all goes according to plan, and I am so insanely excited to be there when he arrives.

I'm excited and depressed about this whole moving thing, though.  Packing is a pain, but Kaeley and I are having a tag sale this Saturday and need to be out the following Tuesday.  Everything came up so fast!  Luckily, so long as I get all of the packing and organizing I need done tomorrow after work and on my day off Tuesday, I plan to spend (Monday the 30th) in New York after work as a personal moment and as some fun learning for work at a Makeup Forever class.

I plan on making a post or two about the packing experience and the process of selling everything and starting over.  I'll also definitely make a video of the travel day for you guys here.  Leave comments of any advice or suggestions if you want to!

Starting Over?

Hey everyone!  I have some awesome, horrible, terrifying, and sad but also happy news.

I'm moving to Oregon...(I think...)

In the last post, I had mentioned having to move again after living on my own for five months because of a whole long story, and I've had so many different ideas and suggestions going through my head for the last couple of weeks I could probably throw up with how dizzying it all is. 

At first, a friend of mine (Jess) had offered for me to come down to Richmond to live with her and her husband.  Then, my older sister and my brother-in-law offered up their spare room in Oklahoma.  

Now, I had tried to find a place to live on my own in southern Connecticut, then in the entire state of Connecticut, but I just can't find a place here that I can realistically afford on my own.  So I had broadened my search to the surrounding areas (RI, NY, MA) but only found a very, very small selection of options.  Playing around with ideas, I looked into Portland, Oregon.  My older sister and I had gone out there with my dad a few summers back to visit my aunts and cousins and honestly, I really love it out there.  After our week vacation was up, I really didn't want to come back to Connecticut.  The weather is almost always beautiful, there's minimal snow (which is great for me), and it's so much cheaper.  

I'm still very torn about the whole situation.  I've always wanted the chance to move to a different state, but now I'm nothing short of having a panic attack over it.  I've always said I kind of hate Connecticut, but I'm hesitant to actually leave.  I know I'll have a job wherever I go, but I know I won't have a car.  No matter where I go, I know I'm going to have to sell all of my things except my clothes and my laptop and just leave.

While that idea sounds liberating, it also sounds terrifying.  Imagine someone telling you that you have two weeks, drop everything, pack what you can carry, and move across the country.  Scared yet?

Sorry this post is kind of a downer, I just don't know what to do at this point.  Here are some pictures from my last Oregon visit.

Courtney, Dad and Me at the beach

More beach pictures

PDX Airport with Courtney

Mountains in the distance

Delayed Update

Hey everyone, I know I have been MIA since about a week after my sister's wedding but things have been so crazy in my life right now.  Working two jobs is so stressful and the last week has just made everything seem like it's 10 times more difficult.  On Friday this past week, I was told that I have until October 1st to find a new place to live because there are problems with the house I've been living in since May. Long story short, the house will no longer be ours... So I've been doing some apartment hunting and everything is going to get really intense soon.

Hopefully I will get back on schedule with all of the things that I had planned for you guys, especially now that we're going into fall.  I have so many awesome plans for this fall that I'm really really hoping to show you guys and also do for myself.  I love fall and usually I feel like I have more energy around this time of year so that's a good indication of how much I will actually get done.

I'm so sorry about the absence for the past almost two months.  That's crazy, I can't believe it's been that long.  Time flies when you're stressed and having some fun on the side, right?

Here's a small update on what I've been up to in July and August, just so that we don't completely miss out on that time.

Kaeley and I set the grill on fire...

I made this!

I decided to play with some makeup and came up with an Emcee look from Cabaret.

Went to Savers and found this awesome kitty/puppy sweater. (Still sad I didn't buy it, along with the Reindeer poncho below.)

Went to Lyman Orchards and picked way more peaches than I knew what to do with.

Finally dip dyed my hair!  I've been saying I was going to do it for over a year, but wanted to wait until after the wedding.

Lastly, I skewered more grapes than I ever thought I'd have to...

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Things I've Learned From Living On My Own

I've been trying to move out of my parents' house since I was 18 years old.  Not that I don't love my parents, I do, I just always felt like I was stuck there and relying on them, which I didn't want to do for forever.  I can honestly say, I'm glad I stayed with my parents as long as I did.  Being an adult is hard, and if you don't think so, you are probably not doing it right.  Or you're way more self-motivated than I am.

Things I've Learned From Living On My Own:

• Speaking of self-motivation, this is something you need to be really good at.  And if you aren't good at it, you better learn to be good at it, and quickly, otherwise nothing gets done.
• Getting things done is hard.  And expensive.
• There is a lot more cleaning involved than you will ever be okay with doing.  Always.
• You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want.  That isn't as great as it sounds (especially after you realize you gained 8 pounds in 2 months).
• Family suddenly feels closer once you get farther away.  When I lived at home, I could go a week without seeing a member of my family.  Now that I live an hour away from them, I hear from most of them almost every other day.
• I have too much stuff.  I need to get rid of it because it's still sitting in boxes three months later...

I need to have a yard sale... And a good work out routine.

Things I've Learned from Kaeley

Kaeley has become one of the nearest and dearest friends I've come to know over the past three years now, and now we're moving in together!  She's been my backbone and my other half of crazy for the last few months and I can't thank her enough.  From Kaeley, I've learned that...

• ...if you have three days off, it's kind of okay to spend all of that time on Pinterest
• ...putting a ton of things into online shopping carts with no intentions to actually buy them all right now is perfectly acceptable (and keeps your wallet happy)
• ...booze and baking, so long as mishaps are avoided, go hand-in-hand because everything is more delicious.
• ...being the boss doesn't mean you will have all the answers, and you shouldn't always have all the answers anyways because then you look like a snob.
• ...decorating and organizing is really exciting and fun, especially if both people have the same ideas/tastes.
• ...boyfriends can be left on the sidelines for a while and be perfectly okay while you go out and do things with your lady-friends.  They have video games and other things to do, too.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to move in with Kaeley.  We've been in the processing and packing and planning stages of the move so far and (hopefully) within the next week I'll be in the house!  I hope (and sort of know) she's as excited as I am.  Happy birthday, Kae (on Friday)!

Week 15 and Life Update

Hi!  I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with my blog posts lately...  As I mentioned, I'm in the process of getting ready to move, finding a new job and still working the last one, and was trying to buy a car (which went well!) so needless to say I was really super busy.  Hopefully after April everything will get back to their usual level of crazy and not be the super-high anxiety and rushed level they're at now.

First off, I bought a car!!  It's 2000 Dodge Neon and although the paint is missing in some places, almost everything else about it near-perfect.

My dad hates that he's in this picture =P

Secondly, I've been looking for a new job where I'm moving to, which is an hour away from where I am now.  After filling out five or six online applications (which are horrible), I made my way down to southern Connecticut on Sunday to do actual job hunting.  That was entirely exhausting and took just about the entire day.  BUT!  The second place I went to apply to gave me an application AND scheduled me for an interview so I'm really excited!  Potential dream job, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Between that ordeal, the car and packing, I haven't exactly had much time to do anything but shower and sleep...

What a mess...

I'm both happy and sad that this is my last week at the daycare I work at.  I feel like it's time for me to get out of there, but I've been realizing more and more lately all the things I'm going to miss about it.  There will be a post about it tomorrow if you want to know more about that.

NOW!  The random act of kindness of the week was #48: Make a treat for coworkers.  This past Friday was a coworker's last day at the daycare and she had started this thing called Chocolate Friday when she first came to work with us.  In her honor, my room co-worker (Shannon) and I celebrated her last day with one last Chocolate Friday hoorah.  Shannon bought some chocolate and chocolate glazed donuts and I made brownies for everyone to kick off her last day (and the start of another weekend).

I will be back tomorrow with another Things I've Learned post (I promise!)