Best of the Year: January–March

Being completely honest, this year got off to a rough start. Some changes were made at work, I had a lot of (mostly) stress-related health issues (this girl got shingles!), and I was a mess in general. Regardless, the year was still a good one, with a lot of memorable moments along the way. I thought I’d break ‘em down for ya in a four post series. Why not?

January

Despite the bitter cold of winter (which we endured well into April), January was a good month. I started off the year with my boyfriend, sister, and her friends and we had a magnificent time! The rest of the month was filled with little dates, good times with my friends and family, and a visit to see my friend Lauren at her humble abode in Long Island to finish off the month.

February

If I recall, February was when the stress really got to me. But there were still so many great moments. Playing catch up with my dear friend Lauren, celebrating my first full year anniversary/Valentine’s Day with Brad (a date night filled with fantastic food and funny memories), and weathering the many winter storms that blew our way.

I also came across one of the best music videos of all time. I can still watch this and be totally enthralled.

March

March was the beginning of better things.
March means my sister’s birthday and the first inklings of Spring, so I had sunshine and various activities and tiny road trips to keep me busy.

That’s the first 1/4 of the year 2011. Trust me, it gets better.
Also, it’s so strange to see that I had long hair in the beginning of the year. Feels like a distant memory…

Christmas 2011

They say that, as you get older, Christmas just isn’t the same. There’s no denying the truth of that, but that doesn’t mean that Christmas has gone down the tubes. In fact, I’ve truly been enjoying these December 25ths. Sure, there isn’t Santa Claus or humongous family gatherings (everyone is sorta parting ways, as life will do that), but there have still been so many lovely treats and surprises.

My dad is kinda the best Santa ever. He bought the family our first flat-screen TV, Blu-Ray DVD player and a Keurig coffee maker!
None of us were expecting that, and everything is fantastic. I adore these special times with my family.

2 more days!

The weekend is here. And I don’t care if Christmas is 2 days away, it really begins tomorrow!
I’m excited. Excited for a 3 day weekend. Excited for holiday celebrations. Excited to exchange gifts. Excited to eat delicious foods and drink some wine and listen to Christmas music and cuddle and gaze at the tree. It’s FINALLY REALLY HERE!!!

(Tell me this song doesn’t just put a little warmth in your heart and a tear of joy in your eye…)

MERRY CHRISTMAS  to all who celebrate!
Happy Holidays!

I will be back on Tuesday. I want to enjoy as much of the holiday as I can!

Three. More. Days.

The closer Christmas gets, the more excited I become! Not only am I done with presents, I’ve begun wrapping them. I spent last night watching Elf (one of my absolute favorites, a modern-day classic in my opinion), wrapping gifts for my friends, and doing some festive nail polish. While I was at work, my sister (who is on winter break from classes) baked cookies. So I ate a bunch of those, too.
The Holiday Spirit IS FINALLY HERE (for me)!!!

Three more days! (And only two more days ‘til Christmas Eve/Saturday/weekend!)

Things I’ve Learned/Realized This Holiday Season

Photo of the Christmas tree through my tumbler.

As the days dwindle towards Christmas, I’ve come to realize and learn a few things this holiday season. As I get older, Christmas changes for me. I have a feeling the way things are now is the way they will be for a while. And that’s not a bad thing.

1. Keep a list of the people you want to buy presents for/what you might buy them/what you bought them/who’s done and who’s not. This has been really helpful in allowing me to keep from going crazy. I wish I could buy so many things for so many people, but I have to be smart with my insufficient funds. (I know this, because I didn’t really always listen to this rule.)
2. Online shopping is super-easy, effective, and ideal for me. I love that I could search in the comfort of my own home. I love that I could find original things (Etsy…) that I couldn’t find in any shopping mall or chain store. The whole world is open to you with the internet. This will probably continue to be my primary form of Christmas shopping forever.
3. For me = Giving > Receiving . While I did have a few things on my Christmas list, it was way easier (and more fun) for me to pick out presents for my friends and family. I don’t expect much this Christmas, but I’m so okay with that.
4. Upon watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” I’ve realized I am very much like dear old Charlie Brown. It’s so hard to get into the Christmas spirit these days, when everything has become so commercial and so beyond the true meaning. I know that my favorite part of Christmas Eve/Day will be the time I spend with my family and my boyfriend.
5. I’m dreaming of a White Christmas. I largely dislike snow/winter unless I don’t have to do anything (i.e. drive around, scrape the car, shovel…), but there’s something about a snowy Christmas.
6. I can’t get sick of Christmas music. Seriously. I thought after about a month of listening to it all day at work, I’d be annoyed. But I can’t get enough of it. I mean, you only really get to listen to it for about a month anyway. In fact, I’ve been avoiding listening to “regular” music, just to stay in the spirit.
7. The song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is seriously creepy. I know this made it cute, but when closely listening to the lyrics…well…EW.
   NO MEANS NO. (Actually, that Elf clip kinda makes it creepy too. But in a cute way!!!)

Happy 4 days!!!!

Outfit: Saddle(shoe) Up!

I wore this outfit last week for my little sushi and martini date with Brad. I thrifted this skirt sometime before Halloween, and it’s been sitting at Brad’s ever since I gave it a good wash. I’m glad this is one of the things I kept at his house. It pretty much goes with anything. The Houndstooth pattern can be a little dizzying at times, but I love the swing of the skirt and the easy black-and-white palette. I definitely got the idea to pair a mostly black and white outfit with green tights from one of my favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess. This is not the first time I’ve used the color combo and it most certainly won’t be my last. It is a reminder, however, that I need to go out and buy tights of every color.

It just occurred to me that I have had these shoes for almost 2 years. I’ve worn them countless times. And yet, this is the first time they are showing up on the blog. You can tell they are a little beat up. I should definitely give them a good buffin’ or something. For a while, I was obsessed with finding a great pair of oxford or saddle shoes. When I saw the Sophie Shoe by Vans, I automatically fell in love. Luckily, they still make these! I’d highly recommend them if you’re in the mood for a modernized pair of saddle shoes.

Sweater – Old Navy/White Blouse – H&M/Necklace – Fred Flare/Skirt – Thrifted/Tights - Target/Shoes – Vans

Apologies for the not so fabulous picture backgrounds here and there. It’s so hard to shoot outfits when it’s pitch black by 5 PM.

5 Days! Here’s a cheesy Christmas song I loved growing up, by my then-favorite band HANSON!
Don’t mind the cheesy Zac Hanson photos, it was the only video I could find that wasn’t a live performance.

Just Around the Corner….

Christmas is now officially less than a week away! Where has the time gone?
This weekend was a very short, very crazy, very fun blur. I spent all Sunday like this…recuperation mode.

This whole week will be dedicated to keep up Christmas spirit. Music, tree gazing, lookin’ at decorated houses, wrapping presents…the whole gambit! I’m so excited, and yet I still feel a little unprepared and in need of a holiday boost.
One awesome present my friends and I are getting is our friend! My friend, Ed, left us to join the Air Force in Texas. I haven’t seen him since April. I am so excited to see him again…mostly we will just do the usually hanging out and watching funny shows and movies and, of course, getting Mexican food! I just can’t wait to get him back in the gang…even if only for a little while!

I figure that, for the week, I will include some holiday music in my posts, just to help keep you in the spirit! Sorry this is a photo-light post. That’s not like me. But I didn’t do too much that was photogenic. Expect better posts the rest of this week!

Happy 6 days, guys!!!