Tuesday, July 2, 2013

June in Review

So, here's how June went down .... (Hah, sounds ominous, but it's not. Oh, I guess I ruined it for you, huh? ^_-)

Some months back a Trader Joe's opened up near us. We were told it was crazy busy when it first opened. So, we waited to see what all the fuss was about. And, the first week in June, we went. It was pretty neat, and had some cool stuff, but ... it's kind of small.

P52 Week 23: Trader Joe's

~*~

Second week in June I finally broke down and upgraded my phone, and with Brian going to school this fall, we thought it would a good idea for him to have one, too. SO, we got His (black) and Hers (white)  iPhones. We had gift cards and gift money to use, plus their trade-in program, we paid less than half what one would have cost, for both of them. (It would have been nothing out of pocket, but one of our gift cards wasn't working. Boo.) They're so pretty!

P52 Week 24: His&Hers iPhones

~*~

Halfway through the month I went to one of my favorite stores for costume jewelry -- Charming Charlie! SO much cute stuff! I love that they have color-coded sections, so if you want a certain color item, you just go to that section and don't have to wade through unwanted colors. Sadly, the black/white bracelet broke, so I returned it (they didn't have any others there). The others are necklaces.

P52 Week 25: Sparklies

~*~

And last, but certainly not least, it was mine and Brian's 7th Wedding Anniversary on June 23. Seven! Brian was a dear and sent flower to my office the next day. I have never seen flowers like this. I especially like the "male dog's" top hat. So cute!

P52 Week 26: Puppy Flowers



So, that was June! Of course, we did a few other fun things, like a family get-together, lunch with my parents, lovely dinners out for our anniversary, etc.

And, now that summer is upon us, do you have any fun plans? We're planning a trip to Kansas City, MO in late July, but that'll probably be it for us. Want to go to the beach again, but ... that'll probably have to wait.




Sunday, June 2, 2013

I Won! Totes Adorbs!

So, I don't win anything. Ever. I think the last thing I ever won was a cake on a Cake Walk at an elementary school fair (when I was in elementary school).

So, over the years I don't usually enter many things, because, well, I don't win. (I know, perhaps my logic is flawed. Perhaps if I enter more, I will win more. But I digress.)

A few weeks ago I entered a contest on Catster.com and won this cute tote!!

P52 Week 22: Totes Adorbs

The contest was pretty easy. All they asked one to do is comment on the post on their site with the answer to what our cat's dream vacation would be.

And this is what I said:
My cats would both like vacations . . . from each other! Yanni would like an abundance of cat trees, and cat treats, with someone ever ready to pet him. (He LOVES attention.) Ideally, that person would be me. But he'll take my husband, too. ^_- And, no Yuki (his sister) around. He's bothered by her.

Yuki would also like lots of pets and cuddles, and a place with lots of cubbies to hide in for naps, and as a special treat, a trip to the shaky mice factory, where ideally, someone would play fetch with her constantly, and she could take home some swag. (But, really, who am I kidding--she's terrified of leaving the house. Oh, well, maybe just the swag, then.) =^_^=
 So excited that I won!

And in other Project 52 goings on ...

I teach the 8-year-old class at church with the hubs, and here I am prepping a lesson:

P52 Week 20: Lesson Prep

And Brian and I splurged the other day and stopped off near our home after work, and got a bunch of food -- sandwiches, kimchee fries, and gourmet ice cream! Yum!

P52 Week 21: Food Truckin'

Monday, May 13, 2013

Linens, and Wicked, and Cake! Oh My!

The last few weeks have been busy with things at home, things out and about, and foodie things.


I've slowly been trying to put our bedroom together since our move some months ago (eep! almost 9!), but it needed to begin with the curtains. I bought the purple Ikat fabric over a year ago, and a friend of mine sewed them together to make some panels a few months back. Right before we moved we purchased an upholstered headboard, which has been the first headboard we've had since we were married. No kidding! We then got some simple natural linens, and then ... I waited for the final piece. And it finally went on sale! It's that lovely coverlet with a paisley design, and matching shams.

P52 Week 17: New Bed Linens

Now all the room needs is for some pictures to go over the bed (I have them, they just need to go up), and for a bed skirt -- do you know how hard it is to find an off-white bed skirt? *sighs* Unfortunately, I may have to go with "ivory." Here's hoping it's not too yellow!

~*~

And then, a weekend before Mother's Day, I took my mom to go see the musical Wicked! I've seen it before, but I wanted her to experience it. She loved it. It IS quite the production. You're not supposed to take pictures, but I managed to go near the stage AFTER the production was over and take a picture of the backdrop that greets you when you first enter. It's a map of Oz, with the Emerald City in the middle (with it's twinkly lights).

P52 Week 18: Wicked

~*~

And, to celebrate May, we had a May Day party at work, and I decided to be ambitious and attempt a delicious-looking dessert I had found via Pinterest—a Triple-Lemon Blueberry Cake (3 layers, with lemon juice, zest, extract, oh, and curd, so, maybe, technically, 4-Lemon ^_-).

P52 Week 19: Lemon Blueberry Cake

And, not an official P52 shot, but I got a pic of the inside. Yum!



I know, I know, I promised I would not try to post food pics for my Project 52, but ... I've never made a cake like this, so I HAD to take a picture of the success. Not only did it come out pretty, it was DE-LISH! (I added the sugared blueberries, as the frosting was a little plain because I could not get it to go yellow—I think I got the wrong kind of food coloring.)

So, there ya go! My last few weeks in review.



Friday, April 26, 2013

My Stories

I came across this fantastic idea on write.click.scrapbook about "My Stories." Basically, the author has folder on her computer where she types up stories that are hers, memories, so that she will always have them accessible, especially for her children. And, every few months, she prints them out and puts them in a binder.

Sure, we always remember the BIG events (like weddings, births, funerals, etc.), but how about that wacky day when THIS happened ... or remember when so-and-so said THAT thing? I don't. For some reason, my memory seems to get worse and worse as I get older. Which, maybe is common? I don't know. (Maybe I need more brain exercises.) In either case, while I try to scrapbook those memories, it's really only been the last few years that I've been scrapbooking, and usually it's larger moments that I've happened to capture on digiFilm.

I thought that that'd be a great way to journal ... to write down those memories as they come. To always remember them. Recalling them can be spurred on by incidents, smells, etc.

I love what she says about this:

What I mean by "stories" are the little incidents and experiences that add flavor to your life. The chestnuts you pull out at family get-togethers or the tales of mirth you tell at parties. The inside jokes and memories and embarrassing moments that make you unique. You know: your stories.

What's funny is that in her post, she talks about an incident she had with a spider. Which reminded me of a funny story involving a spider myself ....

Many years ago, I was sitting around (my then best friend) Jennifer's dining table, with her, our friend from high school Russell, and her then-boyfriend Michael. It was night time, and we were playing a card game (I want to say it was Phase 10, but maybe it was Skip-Bo—Russell might remember). We were having a fun time until someone glanced down at the floor and saw a spider. Russell and Michael immediately got somewhat antsy. Spiders were not their friends. 

I thought it was an awfully fuzzy spider, thought it wasn't terribly big. So Jenn took off her shoe and went to kill it. And the spider exploded out into (what seemed like) hundreds of tiny spiders which went scurrying everywhere! I had never seen such a sight! But as soon as that happened, Russell and Michael jumped out of their chairs, took a few steps toward the living room and got on top of the coffee table. At the same time, Jenn rushed to under the sink to grab some bug spray—I had never seen her move so fast! She quickly sprayed all the little things dead. And me? I think I scooted my chair back and lifted my legs up. And I may have screamed some. But at least I didn't jump on the coffee table. *LOL*


I think the rest of the night everyone kept feeling like they little spiders were crawling all over them.


And that's "My Exploding Spider Story."



I want to try and do what write.click.scrapbook has done, so I can retain my memories. After all, they're unique to me. I might share them on here once in awhile. We'll see.

How about you? Do you have a good memory? Do you journal in some way to retain those memories?


Monday, April 22, 2013

The Last Few Weeks

Lots of things going on, and I have not posted photos, but will do that now! ^_^

First off: good news! Brian got a job. It's a temporary/seasonal job with full-time hours working at the same company I work at. They expect to possibly offer him a permanent position in the next few months, but nothing is ever certain. Also, he had to take quite a substantial pay cut, since they claimed that was all they had in the budget right now. They also said that if/when they offer him a permanent position, it would come with a pay increase. Although, we don't know what that really mens in terms of dollars. Also, Brian had planned to go back to school this fall, and that's still the plan, so we'll see if this job will fit in with that.

Second: stupid news! Someone hit my car twice over the last two weeks. Brian and I have been carpooling and leaving my car parked near out apartment. We came home one day to see a scrape and a slight dent on my read driver's side. Not happy, but somewhat excusable, as the spaces are quite narrow. But last Wednesday I came home to very noticeable damage over my read driver's side tire. And, I am not happy. BUT, we believe we have a suspect. We even took photos and everything and they seem to match up. Thing is, I don't know how we go about even getting this person to admit what they did (if they even noticed, but how could they not?). Anyway, it's aggravating.

Third: fun news!! This past weekend, I got tickets to go see The Little Mermaid musical in Kansas City, Missouri. The Little Mermaid is my favorite movie, and I had wanted to see the musical while it was on Broadway, but it only lasted about a year, which made me sad. Since then, I have watched our local theaters to see if it was coming, but no such luck. Then, a random bit of events led me to discover that it was showing in 3 cities this summer, one of which is Missouri. I knew it would be a great little trip to go see the show, but also, Brian has lots of family up there (and his grandparents are only about half an hour away from Kansas City), so we thought it'd be nice to visit them too. We are also going to go with his dad and stepmom, so it should be a fun little vacay. We had thought, that with him not having a job and starting school soon we might not be able to have a vacay this year, but this will fit the bill nicely (and will probably be the last one we have for a few years, but that's okay). SO, I'm very excited about that!! ^_^ (And in a few weeks, I get to go see Wicked!)

And last, but not least, pictures!!


Went to a seminar where I learned about storm spotting. Now I'm an official Storm Spotter!

P52 Week 13: Storm Spotter

~*~

Twice a year, my church puts on a worldwide conference that we can watch from the comfort of our home. I usually take this time to work on a cross stitch project; it helps me stay awake. ^_^

P52 Week 14: Conference Weekend

~*~

While we enjoy the Kindle, there's nothing like a haul of free books from the library!

P52 Week 15: Library Books

~*~

The youth at church were having a silent auction to help pay for their summer programs, and I donated some handmade/designed cards.

P52 Week 16: Cute Cards for Charity


Sunday, March 24, 2013

Spring is Here!

Although you wouldn't know it with this cold, rainy weather!

But, I did manage to get out and get this week's picture of an Oklahoma Redbud, with it's lovely purply-red-pink blooms. I want some of these around my one-day home!

I especially love the drops of water still on it from an earlier rainstorm

P52 Week 12: Spring Has Sprung

How is spring where you are? What's your favorite part about spring?


Friday, March 22, 2013

LBD P&P Obsession

So, you may or may not know this, but my favorite book of all time is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I love Austen's wit, her flawed characters, the love that develops over time, the misunderstandings ... all that makes great drama!

I own the book (and all other Austen books, in my lovely Everyman's Library set), and read it at least once a year. I have also seen almost all of the movie/television adaptations (well, except for the 1940s one; I should correct that). My favorite has been the BBC/A&E version with Colin Firth (*swoon*) and Jennifer Ehle. I thought it was so faithful to the book. My only real qualm with it was that I didn't find that Wickham very attractive (and he's supposed to be, so ....). But, maybe that's just my person opinion.

SO, how is it, that it took me almost to the end of the Web series to discover this gem?



It was my darling husband that came across The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which is an modern-day adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, as told by Lizzie Bennet through her Vlog.

And I LOVE it!!!!!! Like, big, puffy hearts love it.

It's about to come to an end, so I'm actually glad I just barely found it. Means I could catch up with it only have to wait for a few more episodes to be released.

But, I have to tell you, the Lizzie & Darcy (played brilliantly by Ashley Clements and the swoon-worthy Daniel Gordh) in this version are giving Firth & Ehle a run for their money. Seriously!

I also love that they made it a multi-racial cast, and that the writing deepened some of the characters (like Darcy's sister) and even gave me some understanding to others (like Lydia).

I think it's hilarious how they interact off the show, through Twitters and appearances, as their characters. They were up for some Streamy awards, and showed up in character. Somewhat. So fun!

And the cast is HOT. Some beautiful people up in there!! Just look:




So, if you have some time to waste (or not, because, really, each episode is only a few minutes long), go check out this awesome web series!! GO. Now!

Oh, and FYI, there are some Vlogs that run concurrently at certain times during the series, namely Lydia's and Gigi's/Pemberly's that would be helpful if you watched, as well.

Nowadays, these are becoming more and more popular, and now that I've seen a few, I think I may take a time to look around for more. I find the writing is usually tight and concise (it has to be, these are only a few minutes long), and they have to engage the audience, or they will get dropped.

How about you? Do you watch any web series? Enjoyed them? Any recommendations?

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Apples and Kindles

Weeks 10 and 11 of my Project 52 had me dealing with Apples and Kindles. Not quite what you think. ^_^

So, during and indoor picnic with my family, we played a round of Apples to Apples. Ever played it? It can be a lot of fun. And, I loved that this picture had the card that said "Zany" on it! Doesn't that describe this game (and families) perfectly?

 P52: Week 10 - Zany Family


And then, the week after had us getting our new Kindle Fire. We had a gift card to Sears and decided this would be the best bet for us. It is taking some getting used to, but overall, I think it was the best purchase we could have made (sans something practical, like tires).

 P52: Week 11 - New Kindle


Sunday, March 3, 2013

Iceberg, Right Ahead!

This past week, Brian and I attended the Titanic Artifact Exhibition that's been touring the country. So it became my P52 for Week 9.

P52: Week 9 - Titanic Exhibit

Overall, while I did enjoy the exhibit and found it very interesting, it made me a little sad. One, yes, for the poor people who had to go through this tragedy (and the hundreds that did not survive), but 2, sad for humanity's folly, selfishness, and arrogance!

There was a coal shortage at the time, but Titanic HAD to sail--it WAS the unsinkable ship, after all--in its grand debut. So, the company took coal from other ships, thus forcing many of those passengers to switch to the Titanic to be able to make their trip. Then, while they had the legal number of lifeboats required, it was only legal per the current ships out there. Titanic was larger than any of them. Therefore, not enough for the actual number of people on board. Then of course, there were the 3 warnings about ice/icebergs they received on their way. Not only were the warnings not heeded, the ship continued on at almost the fastest speed it could reach. And then, after the ship began to sink, the lifeboats left with very few people, and many didn't go and rescue anyone else left in the water.

If only they had ....

But, they didn't, and thus the tragedy occurred. So sad. But, we learned from it. But, isn't it sad that we only make great changes after things like this occur, instead of someone thinking ahead to the what-ifs?But then, we ARE only human.

I would say the most interesting part of the exhibit was that each person received a card, similar to a boarding pass that one might have received back then. It had the name of one of the passengers on the Titanic and a little bit of information about them. (What class they were in, and sometimes a room number, and a little bit of extra information, if it was available.) Then, toward the end of the exhibit, there's a wall with the names of all the passengers, and whether they survived or perished. And you can find out about your person.

My person was a Mrs. Kimball, wife of a wealthy businessman, staying in 1st class. She survived. (I don't think her husband did.) Brian's person was an engineer in 2nd class. He didn't survive.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Nerdy Games

Week 8 for Project 52: For Brian's birthday coming up, we decided to have a small get together of some gaming friends to have a game afternoon, instead of just a normal get together. Cuz that's boring! ^_^

While we don't play games like D&D, we do play unusual, and we like to say, "nerdy" games. Or, games that aren't in the mainstream. But are SO fun!

One couple canceled on us, but that's okay. We still had lots of fun! (And more food to go around, hah!)

P52: Week 8 - Game Day  

So here's the group we had, getting reading to play Red Dragon Inn. It's a "drinking game", but all in character, and the drinks aren't real. Basically, you're characters that have just returned from your adventure to the local tavern to drink away your loot. Your goals it to either outdrink your fellow gamers, or make them run out of money. It's so fun! ^_^

Before this, we also played a game of Tsuro. We'd only seen this played on Tabletop, but we rented it from a local game shop to try out. Not fun. Quick and easy to learn.

We would have liked to have played another one, but Red Dragon Inn took longer because we had a few new people playing, AND we incorporated the gambling expansion pack (which was new to all of us). But still, overall we had a lot of fun. It's nice to be able to play with people who have similar game interests, but also those who are willing to learn. (For New Year's Eve, we went to someone house to also have a game night, and we took Zombie Dice over, and while most people were a little skeptical, everyone loved the game, so ... there. Ya never know until you try.)

Other games in our library include:
Guillotine
Ninja Burger
Munchkin
Quelf
Sequence

And some standards, with twists:
Disney Monopoly
Lord of the Rings Risk, Monopoly, and Trivial Pursuit
Harry Potter Uno

And, regulars:
Phase 10
Clue
Risk

And more that I can't remember right now.

How about you? Do you have any fun, quirky games you play? Or would recommend?

Monday, February 18, 2013

Love & Helping Hands

A smidge behind on showing some Project 52 photos, but you'll forgive, right? ^_^

Week 6 involved a project for Brother Bill's Helping Hand, a non-profit organization that helps those in need in their area of the city (including a food pantry, low-cost medical services, employment services, and much more).

Our team at work volunteered there last November, mostly helping with the food pantry, but also with some things for their upcoming Christmas celebration.

We definitely wanted to do something for them again, so this time, we decided to help out with the "birthday bags." About once a quarter, Brother Bill's has the children from the are come in and pick out a birthday bag so they can celebrate their upcoming birthday. Bags have party supplies in a theme, including a cake mix and frosting. While items like this might seem commonplace to us, for many of these children, getting something like this is a luxury, as their families can barely afford food for their birthdays, much less extras like cake and party supplies.

So our team decided to get together and do two bags, one each for a boy and girl.

As you can see, we had fun picking out these cool themes: Pirate and Rock Star.

P52: Week 6 - Birthday for Helping Hands


Week 7 had Valentine's Day in it, so how could this week's photo NOT be about that, right? I decided to finally break in the Silhouette Cameo that Brian got me for Christmas. It's this nifty cutting machine that can cut anything from paper to fabric to vinyl and lots in between. It's like my only little person die-cut machine!

Since so many people give candy for VDay, I decided to go a slightly different route, and took an idea I found via Pinterest, for decorated soda bottles, and made it my own.

P52: Week7 - Hearty Limeade

Aren't they cute? The paper hearts were cut with the Cameo, and I used my ribbon punch to make holes to thread the ribbon through on each side of the hearts. Then just added some twine and a fun straw.

But, of course, you can't have the day without a card, and this is where my machine really did some hard work! I downloaded a card template from the Silhouette store and this came out:

2013 Heart/Love VDay Card

I just added some of the same paper to the backing. Isn't it cute? Looks like I worked so hard on it! Some of the gals at work even thought I actually cut that all out by hand. Hah! As if.

So, that's my Heart Day! (Oh, and Brian got me Season 2 of Downton Abbey—I already had 1 & 3, so now my set is complete!)

How about yours? Was it a good one?

Sunday, February 3, 2013

P52 Week 5: Mickey Antenna Ball

A long time ago, I had a Mickey antenna ball that matched my fuzzy dice.

But then, someone stole it. :( Evil people!

And then, Brian got me a new one ... but I just barely put it out, because I'm afraid it shall get stolen again.

P52: Week 5 - Mickey Wizard Antenna Ball II

How long will this one last? (Seeing as my fuzzy dice are on now on their third incarnation!) But, at least Julian looks complete now. (Yes, Julian is my car's name. Surely I've mentioned that before?) ^_^

How about you? Do you have an antenna ball? Fuzzy dice? Funny bumper sticker? And car name?

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Project 52: Week 4

Yesterday we went and saw another Pegasus Theatre production of their Living Black and White plays, called "XSR: Die!" As always, we love going to these! So cheesy and funny. And I especially love that you can meet and greet the cast.

So, that's my picture for the week!

P52: Week4 - Black, and White, and Played All Over

I love that they're in character, even for these pictures!

Usually, I rather spend the money to go see a musical, but I love these plays. I try to go see them every time they perform, which is usually once a year. (Which, frankly, given that the writer also stars in them, it's quite the production!)

Do you like the theater?

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Project 52: Week 3

20 Years of Memories

P52: Week3 - 20 Years of Memories

Can one call "memories" as they pertain to fiction?

This week I read (and finished today), the last book in The Wheel of Time series. I have invested over 20 years of my life into this series, and it's kind of sad to let it go!

Was I satisfied with the ending? Not really. But, then, I would have to say, that books such as these, where an amazing world has been created, where you meet SO many characters and SO many questions get asked, that you couldn't really have the perfect resolution with all questions answered. It just doesn't happen.

Although, I wish the battle scenes wouldn't have been so ... well, so. (I really dislike reading battle scenes!) But, overall, I loved this series. AND, if you've been waiting to read the series until all came out, well then, there you are!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

. . . and Downs

Life is full of Ups and Downs.

A few days ago, we experienced a Down (hence the title). As most of you know from FB, Brian lost his job. Which sucks. It was not in our plans for him to lose his job right now. And while I won't necessarily comment as to what happened, let's just say that I feel the situation was extremely unfair, and that I also believe there were some politics that came into play that caused his company to let him go.

I WILL say that his old department is going to struggle greatly, as he was an incredible asset to them, did tasks that even some who SHOULD know how to do said tasks didn't, and that they are going to be in quite the pickle. BUT, they dug their grave. Their loss.

So, for now, we need to figure out what exactly will work out best for him, as he figures out how this current situation will affect his wanting to go to school in the fall (taking on a heavier load, with actual classes for a major). The good news is, as mentioned before regarding loans, that he doesn't have any outstanding. We had some hiccups a few years back regarding them, which we paid some, but ... come to find out, we paid everything he owed. SO, that financial monkey's off our back. (Which means, that, if we need to take out loans for him to go to school this fall, then we can.)

So, prayers, thoughts, good vibes, etc., and leads would be nice.

And, hopefully, this isn't one of those "comes in three" sort of things. *knock on wood*

How about you? Hit any Downs lately? Or, Ups are good, too! ^_^

Sunday, January 13, 2013

First Weeks of Project 52

Over a week ago, Brian and I went to the Chinese Lantern Festival being held in the heart of Dallas. It was the second to last night that it was in town, and I had purchased a Groupon earlier in December, so I knew this would be perfect for a Project 52 picture.

Instead of driving, as we hate Dallas traffic, we decided to take the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) rail. It was nice to be able to talk and play a game (on our phone) while not having to worry about driving and crazy Texas drivers. There's a stop right at Fair Park, where the Festival was being held, so it was but a short distance away.

Luckily, we got there pretty much as it opened. And boy, was it busy! (As we left later, there were some long lines. Glad we got there early!)

It was really neat, and I posted the pictures I took on my Flickr page. But, one of my favorites, and the one I chose as my Project 52 picture for the week, was of the "Fairy Temple."

P52: Week 1 - Fairy Temple

It was bright, colorful, and there was even some happy music playing! ^_^

~*~

Week 2's picture is a little more somber, but very close to my heart. I remember being stunned, shocked, and brought to tears by the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary just a few weeks back. As the news unfolded, I could not hold back the tears of grief (because, yes, even though I didn't know a single person involved, I still felt this unjustice and the tear through humanity).

Shortly after, I heard of a project, a request, if you will, from this school's PTSA, for snowflakes to donate the new school that the children would be going to. This school had no decorations, nothing to welcome them back as best they could from this horrible thing that happened in their life. So, I knew that this was something I could do. And, while I didn't get to make as many as I wanted, I still made a few. Here they are, right before I packaged and mailed them off.

P52: Week 2 - Snowflakes for Sandy Hook

~*~

This year's photo project is hopefully a more thought-out documentation of my life. I remember my Project 365 was filled with photos of food. I will try my best to not have as many photos of food. Just because my life is more than that. ^_^

What about you? Are you doing anything to document more of your life this year?

Monday, January 7, 2013

A New Year

It's been almost a year since I posted (for real), and I can only say that life gets in the way.

But, as a new year has dawned, we can look forward to all the possibilities.

Last year I had a word, but I wasn't as successful as I had hoped. But you know what, it's okay. As I was reading a blog post from someone I've never read before, she talked about "Drops of Awesome" as in, accounting for all the good things we do into this imaginary bucket. And to not berate ourselves constantly with the things we don't do. Because we're all human, and we all mess up.

So what if I lost some weight and gained it back, and least I know I can do it if I put my mind to it. (And really, my biggest downfall is that I need to find exercise that works for me.) And, I know a lot of great info about health and nutrition, so I just have to put it into use.

On the other hand, I had a great year at my job, got a glowing review, and even got a small raise! (Which, frankly, I didn't expect to get, seeing as I'd not even been there a whole year at that point as a full-time employee).

And, Brian did go back to school, took some economics and accounting courses, and got As and Bs. So, yay for him! Now his next task is to apply to a large university and get his stuff transferred so he can go back this fall. (There may also be an old school loan lingering out there that needs taking care of. Eeep!)

And, we ended up moving, again, because the fancy new place wanted to charge us a ton more to renew. Whatever. So, we packed up and left. The new place is ... smaller, not as nice, but ... way cheaper, and a smarter decision in the long run. Hopefully we can stay here while Brian goes to school, and then ... one day, a house! But, one step at a time.

I will say, that this new place is really helping us purge and de-clutter.

So, I don't think I have a word for this year. I have many things I want to do and attempt and achieve. But I do know that this year is for ... simplifying, saving money, communicating better, and focusing on making memories.

That last will be easier to attempt, as I try my hand out at a Project 52. You remember my Project 365 I did back in 2010? Well, same concept, just a little toned down. 1 photo a week for a year will make me focus a little more on what I want to take pictures of, and therefore make me want to go and see more of this city I'm a part of. There's so much to do and see around here!

I already started out the year, and will share my progress here. My first photos involved something Asian, and ... snowflakes. (Posting later about that. ^_^)

So, I will try to update often, and least to show my pictures and to tell about all the fun things planned for this year, from wanting to see the Titanic exhibit, to going to see Wicked AND The Lion King (in addition to another B&W play), to my parent's 50th Wedding Anniversary Party in November. And whatever's not planned, as well!

Lots going on!

How about you? What do YOU have planned for this year?

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