New Year's Resolutions

It's a little early to start talking about New Years' Resolutions, I mean we're not even a 3rd of the way through December yet, but it's never to soon to start making goals and doing what you can to make positive changes in your life.

Last year I feel like I did pretty well on the resolutions I made, and I liked them so much that I'll probably continue them throughout 2013 and beyond. What's great about them is that they aren't major lifestyle changes, like giving up carbs or caffeine... but just things to grow me as a person. I've compiled a list of 10 items that I'd like to work on over the next 12 months and I'm ready to share them with you.

1. Take the time to appreciate the small things.
2. Practice patience and empathy (especially when someone is trying to test my strength).
3. Find new music
4. Go on as many adventures as possible
5. Take lots of pictures of pretty places, both near and far from home
6. Go to the gym more (this was the one I failed at last year)
7. Write more (while I didn't really work on any short stories this year, I blogged quite a bit more than ever before).
8. Engage the Internet trolls a lot less
9. Make sure my loved ones know how important they are to me on a regular basis.
10. Make time for my friends that don't see as often as I should, ditto for family.  If you make time for me, I will find a way to make time for you.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 2013 and that if you make resolutions that you are able to keep them.  If you do not have goals for the coming year, that's okay too, just do your best and make time for the things that make you feel better as a person and make sure you tell the people you care about them how you feel, you never know how much longer you will have them.

Until next time Cheers!

 

Thanks for Reading

Thank you so much for reading about my adventures, my opinions, vents, stories, and listening to my play lists. I definitely couldn't do it without you.  In the last 4 months this blog as received over 1000 hits and it thrills me to get my writing out there for your reading enjoyment (I hope). There are many more adventures to come, so please, stick around for the next installment.

-Lauren

November in a Nutshell

It's been another busy month, lots of shopping hanging out with friends and the boy, family time and the beginning of the holiday season. So without further ado here is November in a nutshell.

• The Elections: This was a supercharged election year and there were lots of people who were passionate on both sides of the playing field, and even now still some that are upset/glorifying in the outcome of the race.  The incumbent was re-elected and we shall see how the next four years go in this great country of ours. Whether your side won or lost if you exercised your right to vote you made your voice heard. You may not always get your way, but as long as you do your part to make your opinions heard, our country will continue to be great. 

• Veteran's Day Weekend: Veteran's Day is a day that we say thank you for all the sacrifices that the men and woman in our United States Armed Forces have made for us to keep us free and safe. It's also a three day weekend (for a lot of people, not so much me) in which I house sat for my aunt; took a day trip to Camarillo for to go shopping with my sister, my father's girlfriend, and he came along as well; and my boyfriend came to visit. I found an awesome pair of sunglasses to replace all the scratched ones I have in my collection and the cutest jacket. I had some great laughs with my sister trying on silly hats and getting to spend time with family that I don't normally spend much time with.  Getting to see the boyfriend was a special treat, he wasn't planning on coming to town that weekend, but he was able to get things finished up at school earlier than planned and was able to share his long weekend with me.
• Baby Date: This month I got to visit my friends who had twins about a year and a half ago, I haven't seen them in awhile it was great fun to see how much the boys had grown since I saw them last (I think it was sometime in May or June). It is so neat to get to watch them grow into their personalities and become little boys instead of just babies.





Wine Tasting at Rancho Sisquoc



I made these Turkey Treats for the Big Day

• Thanksgiving: This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with good friends of our family and their family. We did the same last year, and I'm hoping this becomes our new tradition. We have such a great time together and there is very little drama that often surrounds big family events. My boy also came home for this long weekend. He celebrated the day itself with his family, but the Saturday after the holiday we went to a big breakfast at one of my favorite local restaurants (Kay's Country Kitchen in Old Orcutt, if you get a chance you should check it out), visited with his grandma a bit, then went wine tasting at Rancho Sisquoc and Kenneth Volk Vineyards. It was such a nice and relaxing day, something to be really thankful for.

• The Wizard of Oz: While this technically happened on Thanksgiving weekend too, I felt that it needed it's own bullet point. Every year since I was about 5 and was old enought to attend plays at PCPA my mom and I have gone to see their Christmas show. This year was no exception and we saw one of my favorites: The Wizard of Oz. The production was a lot different than in years past in that they used puppets for the munchins, flying monkeys, winkies, the great and powerful Oz, and Toto. It was really interesting to see what they could do with the dolls and how they could bring them to life. The actors who played Dorothy and Crew were phenomenal as usual. PCPA never fails to entertain. I'm so glad that I live in a place where I have amazing theatre in my own backyard.

 



 

Thanks for reading, and until we meet again, I hope you have a safe and wonder filled holiday season.