refresh

so after much procrastination i have finally taken down all the Christmas decorations. it feels so refreshing actually. endless possibilities are within reach as soon as you let go of the past. in a way, even though the new year is well in motion, every time i walked into the living room and saw all the holiday decor, it brought me back to the end of last year. today, once everything was clear, the furniture was placed, and the carpet was no longer covered in glitter, i felt this overwhelming sense of freedom. it was like i could breath again. which i know sounds really strange since we are talking about little snowmen, santas, and an oversize fake tree covered in glittery non-sense. it was just a daily reminder of the past...i'm so ready to just embrace my present, but every time i would see the tree and decorations it was like i was pulled back into last year. memories...good and bad...feelings, thoughts...yata yata. jumble really. i like to remember the wonderful things in life, the moments that counted for something and helped bring me to where i am today. the negative i like to toss out like an old pair of smelly sneakers...but for some reason, even though you've tossed them out, every time you pass the trash can, you can still smell them. it's not until you get rid of the trash completely, that you are able to forget about them. in a way, that's what taking down the decorations meant for me. getting rid of last year completely...well...expect for the good memories of course, and moving on with whatever great adventures there may be waiting for me this year.

Jeremiah 29:11

January: Be LeSS NeGaTiVe

so, this year i'm doing things a little bit differently. instead of a new years resolution that i am destined to forget by march, i've decided to set monthly goals instead. one goal per month, that way i won't try to stretch one long term resolution over a whole year and inevitably fail. anyway, i've taken my planner and gone through each month selecting various goals to put in each one. when i open to a new month, i will see that goal first thing and thus forth try to reach that goal by the end of the month, just in time to move on to the next one. i see it like this, if i am able to follow these monthly goals, then by the end of the year i should feel like i've accomplished so many things, instead of just one thing. so it begins....for january my goal is to be less negative. so this whole month, when i'm about to say something negative, i should say something positive instead...or nothing at all. i'm curious to see if by the end of this month, i will have a more positive outlook on things.

ThiNk PoSiTiVe.

...it always seems kinda sad the day after Christmas

well, Christmas was wonderful this year! i loved watching my little girl's face light up with every present she opened. we did the jump around thing, which i will admit was a bit much, but was totally worth it for Kailyn's sake. i always love the excitement of Christmas day...everyone is joyful, all is well with the world, and no one can take that feeling away. but then you wake up the next morning and your like 'ugh...it's really over...?'. it's unfortunate. then you realize the year is coming to an end and you get all nostalgic about the past year and what your major turning points were....yata yata. i'm past that now. i'm on to the 'a new year, a new start' feeling. the point where you really think this next year will bring about change you couldn't even imagine and something incredible will happen to make you happy. i'm holding on to that as long as i can...it usually fades around March.

Christmas Eve.

"from now on our troubles will be miles away..."

with Christmas only 5 days away the holiday spirit is in full swing around these parts. the light poles are boasting wreaths and ribbons as well as doors at local establishments. there is the familiar sound of Christmas music playing across the loud speakers at every store we enter and the sweet tidings of someone dressed as Santa ringing a bell as we leave. every coffee house in town smells like peppermint and chocolate and everyone seems to be dressed in red and green. this time of year brings with it traditions and memories of all sorts. one of which i have already began to share with my daughter. that is the memory of baking for what seemed like the whole month of December when i was younger. i remember it starting the week after thanksgiving, like clockwork every year. we would bake cookies first, then a cake, then a pie, then we'd make divinity or fudge or chocolate covered pretzels (my favorite). and this would go on and on until all our baking supplies were no more and Christmas was upon us. i've done my best to carry this tradition on with Kailyn this year, as much as my schedule has permitted, but i think i've done a pretty good job of showing her how much fun this tradition is. her favorite was sugar cookies cut into Christmas shapes. she was so big, rolling out the dough, cutting the shapes out, and laying them on the cookie sheet all by herself. all i could do was stand back and thank the Lord for this wonderful child to share the holiday wonder with. i love this time of year!

my baby girl baking.

she ran off with that Santa with no pants on.....

i'm not one to usually go out on the town, in fact i don't...ever. so of course the one night i break down my walls and decide to live life a little more....we come walking out of the last bar around 2am to find that our car had been towed. and to make matters worse...all our belongings...purses, phones, jackets, etc. were in the trunk. ...after a very long night of waiting for a ride in the freezing cold and helping a friend puke out the window the whole ride home while her friend was passed out on me, we finally got home around 5am and to bed around 6am....then my daughter woke up around 7:45am......needless to say, i think i'm pretty scarred for a while, i don't think i'll go out like that again unless my hubby is with me. it was definitely one to chalk up to the experience book. hopefully one day i will open up to that page and get a good laugh....yep. not to say the whole night was a bust, it was fun for a good while....just not my cup of tea. i still don't get how we lost one of the girls we were with because she ran off with some guy dressed like Santa, only he didn't have any pants on....still don't understand the humor in that??? i don't like being so tired i want to sleep only half way through the night, and i'm not a fan of having to wake up to responsibility an hour after i get to sleep. so...with that...i probably won't be hitting the town again anytime soon.

the gals.

loved it, posted it

...you can always count on friends for good memories around the holidays.

oh the weather outside is....

pretty much the same....i'm bummed. everyone got snow, but nope, not here in college town, tx. a few flurries here and there, but not anything like they got back home...oh well, i shouldn't complain...we did go to West Virginia last Christmas and we got to experience REAL snow! i've decided i want to live in a little town in Colorado...close to a ski town. really laid back, easy living...that would be nice. i'll have to write that down on my list of things to accomplish in the next 5 years. well, even though it didn't snow here...it's still very very cold which makes me very very happy! hot chocolate and snuggling to follow...