Hello, 2015!

2014 was kind of a bust. I only wrote 14 or 15 posts. The year sucked. I don't miss it one bit. So here's to 2015!

Okay, it wasn't ALL bad...Craig and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary, we took a little weekend getaway to Palm Springs over the summer, and saw lots of excellent movies and art shows and performances. 

Out of sheer curiosity, let's see how I did on my resolutions from last year...

Stop reading comments and message boards.  This one was HARD, and I didn't completely succeed, but my little voice told me to stop anytime I started reading something stupid and negative.

More parties! We helped host an Oscars party, we had our 5th anniversary party, a Star Wars themed pool party, our annual Halloween party, and our first New Years Eve party. Not bad!

Buy clothes and shoes that actually fit and are comfortable! This one is actually still a resolution of mine. A combination of eating better and being sick (eep!) means that I unexpectedly lost a bunch of weight and a lot of my clothes don't fit. So that means more shopping, yes?

Cook! I actually cooked a fair amount in the first part of the year, and then slacked around the holidays. I made a pretty decent Asian tempeh dish so far this year, and I'm looking forward to trying new recipes. 

Do something different and physical. Exercise? Blech. This is one I always have trouble with. I'm on my feet a lot in my job as a toddler teacher, though, so it's not like I'm a total blob. Dance parties at work? Yes please!

Ignore everybody. I'm still letting my insecurities run my life. Must work on this.

Disconnect and reconnect. Less Facebook, more Face-To-Face time. I'd like to continue this, definitely. 

Say yes! Well, not to everything...

I think I'll let this year's resolutions come about more organically. Hooray for 2015!

2014 is Here!

Hellooo 2014!

Another year has come, and I have no idea what's in store for me. Last year I predicted less drama (which didn't happen, unfortunately) and I made some goals that I didn't completely achieve. So I'm going to try and let go of the things I can't control and take charge of the things I can.

Let's look at last year... I wanted to use my kitchen gadgets, and the only one I ended up using was my doughnut maker, so it wasn't a total fail! I wanted to learn the end credits to ET on the piano, and I know about half of it. I wanted to have more theme parties, which were a resounding SUCCESS! I wanted to knock off some house projects, and I did in fact buy patio furniture and curtains. Now to actually use that patio furniture! And I wanted to exercise and eat healthier. I did the latter more successfully than the former. I just really hate exercising. Sigh!

Let's take a stab at this year!

Stop reading comments and message boards. Not entirely, mind you...the comments on some of the lifestyle blogs I read and Tom and Lorenzo, for example, are wonderful and hilarious and add to the conversation. I'm talking about Buzzfeed, YouTube, news articles, stuff like that. Those comments are some of the most hateful and ignorant things I've ever read. Who needs that?

More parties! I love throwing parties. Even though I end up spending too much money on them, and stress out that nobody will come, I really do love planning them. I almost always have a good time, and I can't seem to go more than a couple months without getting an itch to throw another! This year I definitely want to have another 90s party, this time with karaoke! And Craig and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary so I want to celebrate that too. Basically, I am Party Cat.

Buy clothes and shoes that actually fit and are comfortable! I realized earlier this year that I tend to buy clothes with my high school self in mind. Now, I don't actually dress like that anymore (side note: my 10 year high school reunion is this year! Good lord!) and I'm less interested in being tortured to look cute (I'm looking at you, high heels!). So this year I'm all about versatile chic basics and beautiful FLAT shoes! Time for a shopping spree!

Cook! Yeah yeah I want to eat healthier, but a lot of that will come, I think, from cooking more of my own food. I just got a beautiful vegetarian cookbook (three years vegetarian in April!) and I'm excited to try out some of the recipes.

Do something different and physical. Get your mind out of the gutter! I'm not going to make any concrete exercise goals, because I always fail at those, but I want to try something different and exercise related at least once! In 2013 I went ice skating for about a half hour, ha! It's a start! I'm thinking trying tennis this year, or at least more badminton!

Ignore everybody. I get too neurotic about snobs and other people changing my opinion about things, or at least making me question my own thoughts about things. I want to own my opinions, and have the confidence to express them!

Disconnect and reconnect. By this, I mean stop compulsively looking at Facebook and reconnect face to face with friends I haven't seen in a while. I see them at parties, yes, but I mean shopping, lunch, whatever. And I need to PUT the phone down when I'm with other people. Conversations! Memories! Real life, dammit! 

Say yes! No explanation necessary!

Let's see what a hot mess 2014 turns out to be! Cheers!

Here's to 2013!

Hello 2013! You're looking lovely so far! I rang in the new year at a friend's house, we drank sparkling cider (well, *I* did), watched extremely weird experimental movies, took photobooth pictures and had a silly good time! 

There was a lot of good that happened in 2012 (my dear friends got married and then gave birth to their beautiful son James, we moved into a house, we had lots of fun parties!) but unfortunately the thing that stands out is how much ridiculous drama I endured in my personal life. No more! I've mended most of those ties and I'm hoping this year will be much more drama-free!

As far as resolutions, I have a few!

1. Use all of the random kitchen gadgets I have at least once! I have a breadmaker, a fondue pot, a crock pot, a doughnut maker, a cake pan shaped like a giant cupcake, a bundt cake pan, a rice cooker, a George Foreman grill, among others. I want to use them all and if it's a total pain to use, I'll get rid of it.

2. Learn how to play the ET end credits on the piano! I finally tracked down the sheet music last year, now it's just a matter of sitting down and learning it.

3. Have more theme parties! Last year we did our 12 Months of Kubrick, monthly parties where we watched the films of Stanley Kubrick in chronological order, in addition to my 90s-themed birthday party, our Jaws pool party, and a Halloween party among others. So far I've been imagining an Amadeus movie party, a Chinese New Years party, a Wes Anderson art show/costume party, and a Raiders of the Lost Ark pool party...I'm excited about all the possibilities! I love to entertain!

4. Start knocking all those house projects off my list! I need patio furniture, curtains, and something for the bathroom...I have so many interior design books (got three more for Christmas!) and I need to put them to good use!

5. Exercise and eat healthier. I know, I know, it's a vague goal and lord knows I love sugar! But even the tiniest of efforts on my part will be a vast improvement on where I'm at currently. I almost never exercise save chasing my students around, and I love love love love LOVE sweets. I'll start just as soon as I'm done polishing off all the cookies and molasses chips and MnMs around the house, yum!

Here's to a beautiful new year!