Recurring Series

10 Things I Loved in December

1. So You Think You Can Dance Tour. My mom and I bought tickets at the last minute so our seats weren’t awesome (we were literally in the last row, alllllll the way at the top) but it was still a special night, as I’ve been watching this show since the beginning but have never been to a tour. I’m definitely going again!

2. A Christmas bonus. I used this to buy the rest of my Christmas presents, pay off a credit card, pay another one off halfway, and keep chucking away at those medical bills. It lifted a few burdens off my shoulders!

3. Time off work. Thankfully, my company gives us Christmas Eve/Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day off and also gives us a “shopping day off” to use. I also had one day of PTO I could use so I had lots of time off work in December which was really nice. I didn’t do anything majorly exciting, but it was fun to sleep in, lounge around the house and get some writing done.

4. Buying Christmas presents. I was so excited to see what my mom thought of her presents (which included a racing medal rack, some of her favorite bubble baths, and a Kindle Fire) and it’s just plain fun to buy for other people. My nephew was so excited this year opening presents and it was fun to share in his enthusiasm.

5. Holiday Week 2012. I had another fantastic week of holiday posts in December. It’s fun to get into the holiday spirit and write about it.

6. My mom’s brand-new car. After finding out her old 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer would require over $2,500 in repairs to run again, my mom decided it made more sense to buy a new car than to keep shoveling money into that car. On the recommendation of a friend, she went to a Ford dealership where she bought a 2013 Ford Focus! It is an intense upgrade from the Lancer and something she totally deserves. It’s beautiful.

7. Movie dates. My mom and I went on two movie dates this month. We saw Playing For Keeps (blah) and The Silver Lining’s Playbook which was really, really good. I am a Jennifer Lawrence fan.

8. Finishing The Holiday Council. After The Holiday Council ended in early December, I spent the next few weeks going through the challenges and worksheets by myself to make sure I was taking in everything I needed to. I wanted to make sure I spent enough time on the work and even ended up creating a vision board and declaring a theme that means a lot to me. It was a great way to end the year and put plans into motion to make 2013 my best year yet!

9. Christmas! Well, of course, Christmas itself has to make it on the list! It was a low-key holiday but I enjoyed (almost) every bit of it. I was thoroughly pleased with my presents, loved having my brother and his family over, and finished off the night by eating McDonald’s (don’t ask) and playing Scattergories. A win all around!

10. My new Christmas presents. I was spoiled this Christmas! Some of my favorites include: my new nightstand, my Ninja chopper, my first-ever pair of TOMs (you guys! I am in love!), an Amazon gift card, an Otterbox case for my iPhone (that I’ve already dropped twice outside), and the game Scattergories from my brother. It was a successful year for sure!

What was your favorite moment from December?

Categories: Recurring Series

10 Things I Loved in November

1. Obama wins! I exercised my right to vote on a dreary Tuesday in early November. I stood in a long line, shared an umbrella with a stranger, and excitedly voted for Obama. (Did anyone else get a strange catch in the pit of their stomach when they voted? I did. I was a little emotional!) And then I spent Tuesday night tuned into news stations as the results began pouring in. As per usual, Florida didn’t know what they were doing when it came to voting. (We’re such an embarrassment!) But I was thrilled when Obama was announced and I truly believe he is the better choice over Romney. I know some people were surprised to hear I’m not as conservative in my political views as I may seem and I’m not here to get into any kind of debate. The bare bones? I make educated voting decisions, I don’t vote based on political party. Here’s to another four years!

2. Running of the Wieners. My coworker linked to this for me on Facebook and the moment I saw it, I knew Dutch had to participate! A race for dachshunds – perfect! I thought he was going to win, no problem. Well, I didn’t expect there to be NINETY dachshunds signed up nor for him to be in the “heat” with the three-time champ. So, Dutch ended up placing second in the Senior Sausage division (and didn’t advance to the semifinals) but I was proud of him because the majority of the dogs got freaked out and started running backward. Ha! And I was surrounded by dachshunds for a few hours which is my own personal heaven. Once I move out and get settled, the search for another dachshund to add to my little family is ON!

3. Writing my first novel. I did it! I wrote an entire novel. No, it isn’t a masterpiece and I’m sure when I read through it, I will cringe in embarrassment. I could go down a list of all the improvements I will need to make with my next novel but I want to revel in this accomplishment. At the end, the total count was 51,874 and I love the way it wrapped up. I’m really proud of myself for completely blowing my goal out of the water and sticking to it. Aside from past attempts at NaNoWriMo, I actually felt deep in my heart I was going to complete it so I did. I didn’t question it. I just wrote. Hm… makes a girl wonder what else she could accomplish if she actually believed she could.

4. Hosting Thanksgiving. My mom and I have hosted a few holiday dinners before, but it’s usually just us and my brother and his family. This year, we added three people to the mix (and the sweetest baby in all the world). It was a really fun day of cooking and preparation and family time. Everything went off without a hitch with no drama or fuss. My nephew was in a fabulous mood, baby Mia was her adorable little self, and we all enjoyed one another’s company. I felt so blessed to be able to spend the day with my family. I put away my phone, no tweeting or Instragramming my day, just simply enjoying the people sitting in front of me and the time I got to spend with them. Hosting a holiday meal is a big task but I think we’re up to hosting more!

5. My first post-injury run. I went for my first run last Sunday and it was beautiful! I had no pain and was able to really push myself. Of course, I was only doing week one of Ease Into 5K, so it wasn’t anything majorly life-changing but I need to take things slow. My run pace was fantastic (for me, after not running or doing any strenuous exercise for 3 months) and I felt really good during it. I still need to get a sports massage to loosen up my tight quads/hamstrings/calves but I felt good being able to run! Although I woke up the next day pretty sore, which just goes to show me how out of shape I’ve gotten in three months!

6. Decorating for Christmas. The tree is up. The lights and ribbon are draped. The ornaments are hung. The window clings are… clung? Oh yes! Our house is decorated for Christmas! My mom and I had thrown away our artificial tree from last year and bought a new one on Black Friday. It’s a bit crooked but has character. (Artificial trees can have character, right? Right.) I have already found myself buying more holiday window clings. But only because some of my window clings from last year met a terrible demise. And I needed a gingerbread house and dancing elves, okay?! There’s just something about a glowing Christmas tree, stockings on the wall, and decorations throughout the house that makes the apartment feel more homey and warm. I love this time of year!

7. Signing up for The Holiday Council 2012 with Stratejoy. I participated in The Holiday Council 2011 and enjoyed it so much. Molly helped me break down 2011 and visualize what I wanted from 2012. Still, I didn’t put as much time and effort into it as I would have liked so I didn’t achieve all the goals I had set. When the time came to sign up for this year’s Council, I hemmed and hawed for a few minutes before realizing the price was reasonable and I really wanted to participate. We’re in the first week of the Council and we had our first training call on Wednesday night. The call was fabulous and I am so excited to see the discoveries I will make in the next few weeks. I think it’s going to set me up for a wonderful 2013!

8. My birthday. Oh, my birthday was an amazing day. I didn’t do anything too out of the ordinary and I had to head to work for a few hours but I felt showered with love and affection – from the Facebook messages and tweets, to the text messages, to work and my family and even the Holiday Council Facebook group! I love social media so much on my birthday! Ha. I had breakfast with my mom and had a really relaxing afternoon at home. Then, my mom and I met my brother and my nephew for dinner and then cake back at the house. I ended the night with the first call with the Holiday Council. I am so ready to rock 25!

9. Starting my Christmas shopping. Oh, I know the holidays aren’t about the gifts but I absolutely adore spoiling my loved ones on Christmas. My brother and I still do Christmas lists and I still get that giddy feeling in my tummy when I see presents under the tree. My mom and I go a little crazy with our gift giving but it’s tradition and we still know the true meaning of this season. And my mom went without for so many years that I always want to spoil her a little extra. I spend the first few weeks of December rushing here and there, but I honestly love it and I don’t mind the hustle and bustle this month brings. I’ve been able to buy a really great present for my mom and a few things for my brother. Yay!

10. Cooler weather. Yes, fall finally hit Florida in November. The mornings and nights are cool (upper 50s, low 60s) while afternoons are in the blissful 70s. It has been absolutely gorgeous lately. I’ve even had two opportunities to wear my boots! Cooler (but not cold) weather makes everything so much more manageable!

What did you love about November?

// inspired by Amy

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently…

Loving: Writing. This is the most successful I have ever been at NaNoWriMo and it feels so, so good. Although I toyed with changing my story completely starting on day two, I forged ahead and continued writing the story I decided on previously. I am having such a fun time writing, though, and enjoying the process of it so much. I reached the halfway point on Sunday and now I know I will finish before Thanksgiving, which is an awesome, awesome feeling.

Reading: The Casual Vacancy. I can’t say that I love it. And if it weren’t for being the book club pick for my two book clubs, I would have abandoned this book altogether. The first 100 pages were boring for me, as I was introduced to the plethora of characters and didn’t quite understand the story yet. Luckily, it has picked up a lot and I’m interested to see how everything turns out (and we’re chatting about it on Sunday night with #twookclub!). Still, the story is quite dark (to me) and it’s not really a page-turner so I’ll be relieved once I finish it.

Watching: Let’s go down the list of all the shows I watch during the week. Ready? The Amazing Race, Revenge, The Voice, X Factor, Guys with Kids, Ben & Kate, Parks and Rec, Up All Night, Last Man Standing, Parenthood, Happy Endings, New Girl, The Mindy Project, and Modern Family. I also have Elementary and Nashville taping weekly but haven’t gotten around to watching a single episode (save for the pilot of Elementary which was good, but not in an omg-I-must-watch-weekly way) of either. Let’s also add in all the NFL pregame shows I watch regularly and football itself. Yeah. I have an addiction and its name is TV. (But hey! I still managed to read over 75 books so far this year so… I just have a lot of free time. Too much?)

Anticipating: Thanksgiving and my weekend in Orlando right afterward. My mom and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year and we’re going to end up having 10 people in total (plus a baby!) so it’ll be pretty crazy and I’m not sure we’re quite ready for it. We’ve only ever hosted my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew so it’s definitely going to take a lot of planning and hard work to pull off our very first Thanksgiving dinner with a big crowd! But it will be so worth it and Orlando sits on the other side of it. Wheeeeeee!

Listening to: Is it okay to admit that I am totally, 100% on the One Direction bandwagon? Like, it’s serious, people. Their songs are so catchy and fun and make me car dance. Confession over.

Planning: Our Thanksgiving meal. Well, the baking part. I’m already planning to bake my world-famous chocolate chip cookies, but also want to try my hand at something else. Any ideas? I need something without chocolate in it. I’m scouring Pinterest (yes, I am slowly succumbing, it seems) and baking blogs but don’t want anything too difficult or with too many ingredients.

Working on: NaNoWriMo! This project has completely taken over my life in the best way. I am enjoying it so much more than I thought I would. I’m not sure why I thought writing a novel wouldn’t be as fun as planning one but I always had this fear that I would write and it would be harder than I imagined and I would give into the fear that it’s too much for me to handle. The writing has actually come pretty easy and NaNoWriMo has given me the fire back in my belly that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Wishing: For the next 7 days to fly by. I am so ready for Thanksgiving and to start my birthday vacation! This week has already been a really tough one and I need a break from it all. Waking up with knots in my stomach and lashing out at people who care because of anxiety is not fun and I need it to all go away soon.

What are you reading right now? Do you think I watch too much TV? Any yummy chocolate-free baking recipes to share that I can make for Thanksgiving? Have you ever hosted a holiday meal?

Categories: Recurring Series

Everyday Moments: October 2012

After taking 3 months off from these posts, I felt the need to start composing them again because they really help me focus on the positives – plus, it’s a great way to look back and reflect on the month!

1 – Waking up to a new month (and a Monday!) feeling more hopeful and happy than I have in a very long time. The sad cloud is lifting and it feels amazing.

2 – My mom winning tickets from her work to see a Rays game from a suite. So posh, we are!

3 – Working through a long journaling portion (20 soul-searching questions of who I am in different settings) in Twenty-Something, Twenty-Everything. I was stuck on that section for 2 months!

4 – 10 hours of Benedryl-induced sleep. Felt great!

5 – My one-year review going much better than I expected and a pedicure to celebrate after work

6 – A quiet morning and afternoon at home to catch up on writing and chores, game night

7 – The Dolphins beating the Bengals! They played so hard and the win was so sweet! So proud of my boys!

8 – A long walk with Dutch after work.

9 – My cousin had her baby! And she is all sorts of precious.

10 – A lazy evening at home, doing nothing but reading, watching TV, & having Chipotle for dinner.

11 – A great “meet and greet” dinner with girls from a book club I’m going to start attending. I had a lot of fun and felt so comfortable with them!

12 – A fabulous call with Ashley of Your Super Awesome Life. The call was SO eye-opening and revealing and I talked WAY more than I thought I would!

13 – Spending a few hours in Orlando, introducing my brother to Ben & Kate. (My new favorite fall TV show!)

14 – My brother and nephew coming over for the day to watch football. And the Dolphins winning their second game in a row! Woo!

15 – A great workout at the gym, sitting in on a conference call and leading most of it.

16 – A tears-streaming-down-my-cheeks, belly-hurting-from-laughter episode of Guys With Kids. I adore that show.

17 – An easy day at work & a quiet night at home.

18 – Being able to completely pay off all I owed my mom, thanks to a sweet bonus in my check. Felt so good!

19 – A really fun, relaxing lunch with my coworkers. We’ve started going out to lunch every Friday afternoon and it is SO needed. It just lets us relax away from the office and we always end up having the best time!

20 – A really awesome day out with my mom, including a pet walk, baby snuggles, shopping, and a great movie.

21 – Getting lots of reading done & carving a pumpkin that turned out great!

22 – A fabulous Crock Pot recipe that will quickly be making its way into my meal rotation. (Santa Fe chicken by Skinny Taste. So, so good!)

23 – Babysitting Tootsie for the day while my boss was away on a one-day business trip.

24 – Skyping with Lauren! Oh my heavens, I love that girl. She’s hilarious and adorable and I am figuring out a way to smoosh our cities together… Somehow!

25 – $1 subs at Jimmy John’s! Yum, yum!

26 – Finishing up a big analysis project for my bosses that will hopefully yield to great negotiation results for some of the publications we advertise in!

27 – A fabulous workout that left my legs feeling like jelly, a pedicure, a delicious afternoon nap, and finishing Gone Girl (hella crazy book).

28 – Sleeping in, brunch with a new friend, and Miami embarrassing the Jets. (Three wins in a row! Hollllla.)

29 – Getting some background information written for my NaNoWriMo story

30 – Halloween candy, my first book club meeting (really, really fun!)

31 – Leaving work early, my first therapy appointment where I felt SO comfortable with my therapist (and she laid out a plan of how she thinks she can help me and it sounds great!), dinner at BJ’s

Categories: Recurring Series

A Day in the Life: October 30, 2012

Happy Halloween! Like always, I have no plans for this holiday. I am leaving work early (3:30) to attend my first therapy appointment (nervous doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel…) and then probably going out for dinner to avoid trick-or-treaters as much as possible.

It has been on my mind to do a day in the life post, like I’ve seen other bloggers do from time to time but man, it takes a lot of work! Still, this was fun to do and I thought it would be a fun glimpse into my life and what I do. Enjoy! (And try not to cringe too much as I switch around my tenses…)

5:46 a.m.: Alarm wakes me up.

6:08 a.m.: Finally force myself out of bed, after spending 20 minutes pondering about the last dream I remember having.

6:20 a.m.: After a short morning walk with Dutch and getting dressed, I am at the apartment gym for a short workout. I’m still taking it easy with exercise but shooting to get 4 days a week for now. After 30 minutes on the stationary bike, I head back home to do a short weights workout.

7:30 a.m.: In the shower and getting ready for the workday.

7:45 a.m.: After hearing strange noises in the living room while I’m in my room getting dressed, I go out to investigate and see that Dutch has gotten into the trash that was sitting on the ground. He is usually SO good about this so I was surprised and then upset with him. I put the trash up on the counter, quickly blow my hair dry, and then leave to take the trash out.

8:00 a.m.: Back to the apartment to finish getting ready.

8:30 a.m.: Leave for work. My morning commute isn’t too terrible, thankfully. It takes me about 20 minutes on average. Not too bad!

9:00 a.m.: Arrive at work, check email, and get set up for the day.

9:15 a.m.: Make breakfast. A simple meal of two pieces of cinnamon toast. This tends to keep me full for 2-3 hours, surprisingly!

9:40 a.m.: After some chit-chat, settling in, and answering emails, I can finally get started on my to-do list. First up: checking in on my advertising reps about media we want to place early next year. With a bunch of new giveaways starting soon, I’ve been researching new media. It’s the first project I’ve really gotten to “own” and take the lead on, and I’m really loving it!

10:00 a.m.: Start on a new analysis project I was given yesterday, reporting on the profitability of the various marketing tools we use in each of our giveaways. One of my main jobs here is analysis. I do a lot of analyzing results of past giveaways and reporting on the trends to help my director make decisions on what we should and shouldn’t do in the future. I actually love this, even if it involves a lot of number crunching and spreadsheets. It’s pretty interesting!

12:00 p.m.: Analysis is done! Whew. I answer some emails and update a spreadsheet related to the media research emails I sent earlier.

12:15 p.m.: Lunchtime! When I bring lunch to work (usually 3-4 days a week), I eat with my coworkers in our tiny little breakroom. Lots of chit-chat and giggles abound. It took me a while to warm up to everyone and I’m still not the most talkative one at the table (and I will never be) but it’s fun. Today, I had a Barilla meal that I learned about from Tina’s blog (these are seriously yummy!) with a side of applesauce. I do notice that these meals don’t really fill me up because I was hungry about an hour later. Bleh.

1:30 p.m.: After lunch, I get to work on updating our print run spreadsheet for December. The print runs are another big part of my job and I’m gradually taking these over, which is slightly scary (it’s a big job!) but also really fun. I mainly updated the spreadsheet to make sure it was reflecting any changes made in our media plans.

2:10 p.m.: Created a spreadsheet to guide me as I start inputting final costs into our data tracking system. I do this at the end of each giveaway, making sure it’s accurate and up-to-date for when we want to analyze the information.

3:45 p.m.: Quick break to open up a package from one of our printers: a Halloween basket filled with candy! Oh, so good yet very, very bad. I took a Butterfinger and a Reese’s back to my desk. Oops.

4:10 p.m.: I finish up with the spreadsheet (are you keeping track here? My life is one big spreadsheet. I’m surprised I don’t dream about dancing spreadsheets and AutoSum buttons. Sigh.) and cross it off my list! Onto the next thing…

4:15 p.m.: Begin generating a report on the number of impressions for one of our giveaways for the month of November. We send these out monthly to various contacts and it’s a project I’ll have to finish tomorrow.

4:45 p.m.: Make a to-do list for tomorrow, take a quick bathroom break, gather all my stuff, and shut down for the day!

5:00 p.m.: Leave work and commute home. My commute home takes anywhere from 25 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on how long I have to wait to get out of my office park. Today, it’s a 45-minute ride. Fun times.

5:45 p.m.: Arrive home, give Dutch hugs and kisses, and quickly start a bubble bath. (Side note: bubble baths are one of my obsessions. I take them at least 4 times a week. Usually 5 or 6. I love them.) While soaking in the tub, I read this book. I am loving it so far and can’t wait to review it on this blog in a few weeks!

6:05 p.m.: Get dressed and ready to leave for book club!

6:15 p.m.: Leave for book club, get totally lost because my GPS took me the opposite way, but end up pulling into a shopping center where – gasp! – the restaurant is. Score!

6:30 p.m.: Arrive for book club and yay, I’m only the fourth person there! (And one girl ends up being someone I went to high school with. Small world, eh?) This is actually the first book club I’ve attended. I went to a meet-and-greet last month and had brunch with the leader on Sunday, so I felt more comfortable than I usually would. We discussed The Heretic’s Daughter, ate tacos, and chit-chatted about all kinds of things. It was fun! And I’m excited to do more with this group. Take THAT, social anxiety!

8:30 p.m.: Get back home. Time for tonight’s episode of The Voice, some cookies (my dinner totally did not fill me up! So, necessary?), and snuggles with Dutch. And writing this post!

10:15 p.m.: Another walk with Dutch, bedtime routine, and then settling in bed with my book!

10:45 p.m.: Lights out! Snuggling with my blankets, pillow, and snuggly sausage and being very thankful that tomorrow my alarm won’t go off until 7:30. Yeeeees.