Goals for 2012!

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I honestly can't believe that 2011 has come and gone. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was sitting here thinking and wondering what 2011 would be like. It was a great year, and I have learned so much about who I am and what I want in life. I have a long way to go, but God is so good, and he has blessed me with so much. 

Last year, I started writing down 5-6 goals that I want to achieve in the upcoming year. I like to call them goals instead of resolutions because it helps take some of the pressure off. It also makes me want to work harder to achieve those goals. I have written down 7 things this year. 2 are a bit personal, so I will share 5 with you.

1. Be present

My friend Alece over at Grit and Glory started One Word 365 last year. You choose one word that will define your year. I wanted to join in with One Word 365 this year, so I chose a word that has been something that I've struggled a lot with lately. My one word for 2012 is: Present. I have a really hard time of letting go of the past. My past will sneak up on me and drag me down sometimes, but I'm ready to let that all go. I will choose to take the wonderful memories and let go of the awful ones. I also want to be present for every single moment. Sometimes I will miss something awesome that is currently going on because I'm too worried about what tomorrow is going to look like. Instead of worrying so much about tomorrow, I'm going to worry about today. I will remain present.

2. Project 365

My goal is to take one picture every day for the next year. As I get older, I realize that I've done a terrible job of documenting my life through photos. This blog is helping me with that now, but I thought I'd go one step further. I think it will be awesome at this time next year to look back and have a photo of every single day of 2011. I also plan on putting most of those photos in my blog every day, so you can see how I'm doing with Project 365. I'm excited about this one!

3. Be more involved with church

Let's face it, I've been a terrible church-goer this past year. I blame this on work, I blame this on school, but most of all, I blame this on me! My goal for 2012 is to be in church every Sunday (unless there are extreme circumstances). I also want to be more involved in the 4 and 5 year old Sunday School class that I help teach. I want to meet more people in the church and develop new friendships.

4. A GPA of 3.5 or higher each semester

By this time next year, I should be done with all the basic classes I need for my Elementary Education major. I can't wait to start the program next year! My goal is to be very focused on school and have a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the remaining semesters. Sometimes I let the boyfriend, work, blogging, social life, etc. get in the way, but not anymore.It's time to buckle down and focus!

5. Get more exercise

I need more exercise in my life. As I said in the above goal, I let too many other things get in the way of this. I need to add a good 4-5 days of exercise into my everyday routine.

So that's it! Those are my 5 goals for this year. They are nothing extravagant, but they are things that I really want to accomplish! Like I said, I have 2 more that I have written down, but I would like to keep them private at this time. 

I hope you all have an amazing New Years Eve, and an even better 2012! Thank you for following my new blog. I have only been at this for over a month now, and I'm having a blast. I've loved getting to know all of you, and I can't wait to see where this blog is at this time next year.

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Last Friday of 2011!

 

Happy Friday everyone! Well, it's about to be Saturday, but oh well. I was over at a friend's house having a girls night, so this post is kinda late. We had a lot of fun playing Just Dance on the Wii, eating pizza, playing with my friend Jessica's baby boy, and watching Big Bang Theory! Fun times!

Today, I am linking up with Lauren @ The Little Things We Do for Fill in the Blank Friday!

 

 

 

1.   New Years is  a great time for a new start!

2.   One of my New Year's resolutions will be going to church every week... not just once a month.

3.  A New Year's resolution I've made in the past was to  go back to school to get my Elementary Education degree. So glad that I was able to do that this year!

4. The most time consuming resolution I ever made was  the one above. School is VERY time consuming.

5.  This year I will be spending New Year's Eve at my house. I know, I'm so much fun! haha!

6.  If I could wish one thing for my new year it would be  to have a year full of love, happiness, and success! OK, that's 3 things, but I couldn't help myself!

7.  2012 is going to be  very busy and very exciting!

Go Noles!

F-L-O-R-I-D-A-S-T-A-T-E

So, since it's the last FSU football game of the season, it's pretty obvious that I don't have much time to blog tonight! haha! We are up by 4 with 24 seconds left! Between that and having to act as supervisor today at work, I'm exhausted. I'm looking forward to the 3 day weekend! Hope y'all had a wonderful Thursday!

Christmas 2011

Today was my first day back at work. I always love vacations, but coming back after a few days off is always hectic. It took me a long time this morning to catch up on emails. Needless to say, I had a busy day! Those are always the best kinds though. Makes the day go so much quicker!

Now for my Christmas recap! JP has most of the Christmas pics on our camera at his house. So whenever I get them, I'll have to share more pics!

Friday

Friday morning, I packed up to go to JP's house for a couple of days. We ended up doing a bit of shopping since he still had a couple of gifts to get. After shopping, we took his sister to see the newest Chipmunk movie. It was so cute! I think it was my favorite of the three. We didn't really do much the rest of the night. He was a good boyfriend and watched a few Friends episodes with me even though he claims he doesn't like the show. I caught him laughing a few times though. I think he's a closet Friends fan! haha!

Saturday - Christmas Eve

JP's aunt, uncle, cousin, cousin's wife, and 2 kids always come up every year to spend Christmas Eve with JP's family. The family has definitely grown in the past couple of years! JP and I had a blast with the kids. They are 6 and 2. Even though we had a blast with them, JP said he's pretty sure he doesn't want kids for quite awhile. haha! I have to stay that I agree with him. My promise is that I wouldn't think about having kids until I'm 30. I'm pretty sure that I probably won't be ready even by then! There are so many things that I want to do before then. Anyway, we had a great time. We had a great meal and then played a couple of games. Fun times! After everyone left, JP and I watched Christmas Vacation. It's a Christmas Eve tradition for us. However, we do watch it a TON of times during the Christmas season. We took a Christmas Eve pic, but it's on our camera we share.

Sunday - Christmas

We woke up early and went to the 10:30 service at church. My goal for 2012 is to be more involved in church. 2011 was a tough year. I started back to school, I had to work weekends for a bit, and I had a ton of stuff going on. However, no matter how busy I am, I'm going to try my hardest to be in church every Sunday. It's so hard since our church is so far from my apartment, but I think it's worth it! JP has filled in for me in our Sunday School class. I feel bad for making me him do it alone. This past year has just been insane! I really enjoyed the service, and I love the new pastor. I'm excited about the things that God is doing there. 

After church, we went back to JP's and opened our gifts. Once again, all of the Christmas morning pics are on our camera. I really need to get those this weekend! I received a pink back rest (so comfy), a pink throw, a UNC hoodie and shirt, a Columbia jacket, and a burgundy long sleeve shirt from JP's parents. JP and I decided to only get each other one big gift since money's been tight. He's trying to get his business off the ground, and I'm trying to save more money. My gift from him was a blue Wii! We've had one at his house for a couple of years, but I've been wanting one for my apartment. I love all my workout games, and I've missed getting to use them. I was really excited. Plus, I had never seen one in that color before. He said it was a special edition that he had found. I gave him some very rare GI Joe figures that he had found on the internet. He's been collecting them ever since he was little. His collection is insane! I always joke that we're gonna have to buy a huge house just so he will have room for his insane collection.

After we opened gifts, we had lunch and then I had to get on the road so I could pick up my Mom from the airport. Santa was very good to me this year! Here are a few of my favorite gifts: Also, not pictured is a beautiful pink jacket from LL Bean. It feels just like a blanket!

What I got in my stocking(s)

Perfect for work!

LL Bean ceramic

Coach bag, wallet, coin purse

JP and I on Christmas morning

Getting ready to open gifts at my apartment.

My cute little tree with all the gifts.

We had a wonderful Christmas! Hope all of you did too!

Top 5 Tuesday: 2011

Well, I thought I'd get back into the swing of things by linking up with Rachel for the last Top 5 Tuesday of 2011! Tomorrow, I plan on giving you a full Christmas recap! I had a wonderful Christmas, and I can't believe that it came and went so quickly. The best part was being able to spend a few days with my love. I hate being away from him, but sadly, it's what we have to do right now. I will save that all for tomorrow though....

 Top 5 of 2011:

1) Movie

I looked forward to this movie for over a year! JP and I went to see it for our 6 year anniversary. While it wasn't as good as the book, I loved seeing the book come to life!

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2) TV Show

In my opinion, this was the best new comedy in 2011. I love this show!

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3) Song

Enchanted - Taylor Swift. While this CD actually came out in late 2010, this was my favorite song of the year. It's also where I got my blog title.

4) Thing that happened

There were so many things that happened in 2011 that transformed me. I plan on posting about those key moments later in the week. For now, I will say that this summer was the best thing that happened to me. Wonderful people, wonderful vacations, new outlook on life... it was amazing!

5) Christmas present.

Here's a little preview of tomorrow's recap.

Amazing things from Coach: New bag, new wallet, new change purse. I love!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you and your families!

I'm taking the weekend off from blogging since there is so much going on! After all, it is Christmas!

Can't wait to hear about how Christmas went for all of you! 

3 more days...

Only 3 more days until Christmas! What's even more exciting... no work for 5 days! Since I'm kinda exhausted tonight, I figured I would post this Christmas Q&A that I've seen so many people posting. Also, I apologize in advance if I do not get to your blogs for the next few days. I will of course be spending time with friends and family, and I know all of you will be doing the same!

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1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate! I do not like Egg Nog at all!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps them.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?  I have colored lights this year. However, I think the white lights are classier. When I have a home, I will probably use white. I think the colored ones make my apartment look more festive.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? I never have. Although, we did think about hanging some in the office just to be funny. Haha! We decided there wasn't anyone we would want to kiss!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually sometime the week after Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? 5 Cup Salad or Dressing. I love them both.

 7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? When I was 5, my Mom let me have some friends over for a Christmas cookie party. I still remember it. It was so much fun!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? When I was about 8 or 9, I got up that night and saw my Mom putting out stuff in the living room.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Not anymore since I spend Christmas Eve with JP's family. I do open one from my Mom before Christmas.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Colored lights, ornaments, candy canes, tinsel, star on top.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? If I wasn't expected to still be at work, I would love it! However, they usually don't close the office, and if you miss, you have to waste a vacation day. The parking lot here at my apartment is on a hill, so it's pretty close to impossible to get out of here when it snows. Now if I could be stuck at home and not worry about it, I would love it! I absolutely love watching the snow fall.

12. Can you ice skate? I can, but I would look like an absolute fool. I'm not the best skater...

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Barbie Dream House. I loved that thing!

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Remembering Christ's birth of course... but also, spending time with family and friends.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I love cherry pie at Christmas! Yum!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to look at Christmas lights

17. What tops your tree? A gold star

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Can I like both? I love giving because I love to see the joy that it brings the other person when they receive that gift. However, I love the mystery of opening my gifts.

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?  Yum! They're peppermint, so of course they are yummy to me! 

20. Favorite Christmas show?  I guess this means movies? The Holiday, Christmas Vacation, Elf.

21. Saddest Christmas Song? Christmas Shoes. I can't listen to something that depressing!

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? I have many favorites. For now, I will say "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" - NSync.

Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

It's been a looooong day! I started it off by taking my Mom to the airport, then went to work and had several issues coming in all day long, then after work I volunteered to keep baby Aviana (my Mom's her full-time Nanny) since Mom is in FL enjoying the 80 degree perfect weather! Needless, to say I was exhausted! However, my spirits were instantly lifted when I saw a package at my door from.... MY SECRET SANTA! I can't wait to share with y'all who it was and what I got! :)

We will save that for another day because it's Wednesday which means I'm linking up with Michelle!

 It's the gift that keeps on giving... JP is always quoting this! Love me some Christmas vacation!

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Love this quote!

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 So true.

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How gorgeous is this ring??

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My dream dress

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A kitten doing yoga??

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Bazinga!!

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Cute!

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Ten on Tuesday!

 Happy Tuesday everyone! Actually, it's almost Wednesday! Only 2 more days of work to get through! I'm linking up with Chelsea today at Roots and Rings for Ten on Tuesday!

1. What is your favorite online-only store?

Amazon! Love it!

2. Do you enjoy wrapping gifts?
Actually, not really. I'm bad about putting things in gift bags just so I won't have to wrap it.

3. What is the temperature in your city today?
At the moment, it is 54 degrees.

4. What time do you eat dinner?
Usually after 7:00

5. Will you be making New Years Resolutions?
I try to set a few goals for myself for the new year. I don't really call them "resolutions".

6. How old is your oldest pair of shoes that you still wear?
Hmmm 3 years old maybe?

7. Do you have any restaurant phone numbers saved in your phone?
Yep sure do. Never know when you'll need to run by and grab something after work.

8. What is your favorite and least favorite letter to write in cursive?
I love writing capital L's. I hate writing E's. My middle initial is an E.

9. Do you know any good riddles?
Nope, none that I can think of.

10. How do you feel about snow?
I would love snow if they didn't expect me to drive in it to get to work. This former Bama girl does not drive well in snow! I hate having to dig my car out too! If I could just stay home and enjoy it for a few days, I'd love it!

It's lazy Monday!

Happy Monday everyone! For some reason, I don't really feel like blogging on Mondays. I blame this on the fact that I rarely get much sleep on Sunday nights which means I'm exhausted all day on Monday. Soooo, when I get a chance to sit down and blog, my mind just goes blank. With all that said, I'm proclaiming this to be Lazy Monday on my blog. On Mondays (unless I truly have something to blog about), I will come up with 3 facts, statements, etc.

1. I'm excited about our department Christmas party tomorrow night! Even though our company party was last week, our department decided to go out after work tomorrow to eat, drink, and enjoy each others company.

2. The one thing I love to do when I come home from work is lounge on my sofa and watch some TV before I go to bed. I'm a bit of a TV addict! Tonight I'm watching Who's Still Standing and Kendall's Sweet 16. I'm kinda obsessed with watching the Kardashians. Khloe is my favorite! How cute are her and Lam-Lam?

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3. One of my new favorite foods is coconut shrimp... especially from Red Lobster! Yum!

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Also, check out this awesome giveaway at Fashion Meets Food. She is giving away the bareMinerals Things That Make You Glow Collection!

Christmas Came a Little Early!

It's Sunday again... blah! The good thing is that it's a 4 day work week, then I will have 5 days off! Yay! Sad thing is that my Mom is leaving for FL on Wednesday and won't be back until Christmas Day. However, I get to spend Friday and Saturday with JP. We have Christmas with his family on Christmas Eve. Then on Sunday, I'm picking my Mom up from the airport and having Christmas at my house. I can't wait!

So, first thing's first. I got my hair chopped off Friday after work. I have some of the thickest hair ever, and when it gets too long, it feels like it's just weighing me down. It feels soooo much better now!

My Mom and I spent our Saturday baking and decorating cookies. I don't have any pics of the finished product yet, but I will try to get some soon. I also went to Pier 1 and found a great chair for my bedroom and a new dining table that I want. The dining table I have now takes up so much space. I feel like I'm dodging it every time I'm trying to get out the door. So, I want a cute round one with a glass top. I think it'll look great in my "dining room". I could spend hours in that store!

Tonight, my Mom and I decided to give each other 2 Christmas gifts. We usually always open a gift on Christmas Eve, but since she won't be here, we did it early. We got a little carried away and opened 2! haha! :) I got a pink leather Coach handbag and a large canvas LL Bean tote that is purple and white. I love them both! Please excuse how I look, I had just woken up from a nap!

I gave my Mom a pair of slippers and a LL Bean wallet.

We were both happy with our gifts!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Also, I posted this last time, but I'm going to post it again for awhile. I have 2 questions for my followers: What topics would you like me to blog about in the next few weeks?  Also, what kind of shampoo/conditioner do you use? I'd like to try something else. My hair has been so dry and unruly lately. I need a change!


Check out Faison's amazing Kate Spade organizer giveaway at www.aboutfais.com! It's a must have for 2012!

Fill in the Blanks Friday!

Happy Friday everyone! It's been a long and somewhat annoying week. This lovely sinus infection came along and put me out of commission for a couple of days, but at least I'm feeling better. I still have a stopped up nose and the sniffles, but I'm definitely feeling much much better!! I can't believe that Christmas is next weekend! I'm looking forward to time spent with family and some time off from work. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I'm going to try to get some rest this weekend and do a little baking!

Also, before I go... I have 2 questions for my followers: What topics would you like me to blog about in the next few weeks?  Also, what kind of shampoo/conditioner do you use? I'd like to try something else. My hair has been so dry and unruly lately. I need a change!

I'm linking up with Lauren for....

1.   My most favorite "little thing" is  a sweet text when I'm having a rough day.

2.   I give anything to  be with my man right now!

3.  I can't believe  how warm it's been lately. It hasn't really felt like Christmas weather.

4. The one thing I'd like to achieve today is  to be able to stop sniffling!! A girl can dream!! :)

5.  The last thing I want to do today is  go back outside. I'm in my comfy clothes and in for the night!

6.  If I were writing my own blank today, it would say: My favorite Christmas song is.... Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.

7.  My favorite candle scent is  I love pretty much love any candle from Bath and Body Works, but my favorite right now is Marshmallow Peppermint!

A little about me!

 Happy Thursday everyone! The weekend is almost here! I'm feeling a little better today, but my head is still all stopped up though. I'm about to go do a little shopping and have dinner with my Mom, but I figured I'd better get a post in while I had a chance. Since I have a lot of new followers, I thought I'd do this fun little survey. I got the idea from Tickled Pink. Go check out her blog!


What time did you get up this morning? 6:45

How do you like your steak? Medium Well or Well Done

What was the last movie you saw at the theater? I think it was X-Men First Class. Wasn't my choice! haha!

What is your favorite TV show? Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, most reality TV

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? I'm not sure, but I do know that I'm more of a big city kind of girl. Of course, where I live now doesn't reflect that! haha!

What did you have for breakfast? Sadly, nothing. I know it's so bad for you, but I was feeling pretty lousy this morning.

Do you wear glasses or contacts? Neither

What food do you despise? Tuna

Favorite Place to Eat? That's a hard decision. I love me some Chick-Fil-A. I also love any kind of Italian restaurant.

Favorite dressing? Ranch

What kind of vehicle do you drive? Silver VW Golf

What are your favorite clothes? I love Maurice's. I also love Ralph Lauren, J-Crew, Loft.

Where would you visit, this weekend, if you had the chance? I'd go visit my man! :)

How many tattoos do you have? None. So not a fan of needles!

Where would you want to retire? The beach would be awesome! :)

What is your desktop photo? Close up of a Christmas tree

Where were you born?  Birmingham, AL

What is your favorite sport to watch? Basketball, but I love all sports.

How many siblings? None

Favorite pastime/hobby? Well, blogging of course! Shopping online and reading are my faves too.

Coffee Drinker? During cold months, yes.

Are you a morning person or a night person? More of a night person, but since I have to get up so early, I'm usually exhausted and getting ready for bed by 10.

Do you have any pets? Ron the cat lives at my apartment. Buddy the dog lives with JP.

Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Hmmm.... nothing really exciting going on here lately.

What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher

What is your favorite color? Purple

Are you a cat or dog person? Cat, but I love my dog.

Are you married? Not yet.

Always wear your seat belt? Always.

Been in a car accident? A couple of minor ones and one semi-big one, but thankfully I came out of it without a scratch!

Any pet peeves? People who can't use proper English. Wearing flip flops outside when it's 40 degrees or below out. Cracking knuckles.

Favorite Pizza Toppings? Pineapple, pepperoni, sausage. Not necessarily all on the same pizza though.

Favorite Flower? Tulips

Favorite ice cream? My favorite is peppermint stick!

Favorite fast food restaurant? Milo's which you can only find around Alabama. I go through withdrawals after awhile which is why I have to go "home" at least once a year if not more.

How many times did you fail your driver's test? Zero. Thankfully!

From whom did you get your last email? A blogger friend.

Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Sephora

Like your job? Love it!