Once upon a time in 2014...

Dearest 2014, 

 I used you this year as a year of soul searching. I started making small lifestyle changes, caved into giving things a second chance, and embraced the word spontaneity.. As a result, I discovered I do indeed have a love of Oreos, and realized yellow Gatorade really isn't as bad as I always made it out to be. I found that it is impossible to move your place with only one other person and keep your sanity at the same time. Impossible I tell you. Pendulum (Pen-duh-lum) is REALLY pronounced Pen-Juh-luh M. Gratitude goes a long way. Colorado is beautiful. I don't care  what anyone says, I am getting older and birthday's are STILL fun (attitude is a choice). Ziggy Marley is great in concert. Sometimes you just gotta "Shake it off." A decent sense of timeliness.   Ah wait, I haven't quite mastered that one yet. Thank goodness for 2015 resolutions, so there's still time.

Top Pics of Mother Nature- 2014

Here we are, bumping into a new year. Hello 2015, you are looking mighty fresh! But before we say sayonara to 2014 I must give you a recap of my favorite Mother Nature pictures in 2014. I captured these (mostly) with my camera phone. Hey. It actually takes some decent pictures. Most of the time. 

I love, love, love, the outdoors. You can always find me snapping shots of some random tree, serene lake, or breathtaking sunset. So why not put together a little list to get a feel for the weather Mother Nature presented us with in 2014. Weather experts (aka expert guessers) suggest this winter is supposed to be brutal. Like worse than last year stuff. So per usual we may need to roll with the punches. 

Speaking of cold, let's start where 2014 all began. 

the uninvited guest

I wanted to pop in quick this Holiday week and make an appearance. Christmas this year made my heart smile. I felt like I hit the jackpot seeing so many family and celebrating the real reason for the season, Jesus.  I went out to lunch with some gehlfrans yesterday and one friend in particular made a comment about how Christmas changes every year for a person. As I get older and look back on past Christmases I am amazed by how much my life has changed (even since last Christmas). One thing I am continuously learning more and more as I grow up and appreciating is health. How precious life is and how much we can take our own health and those around us for granted.

A group picture, of course.

Merry Christmas!

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Wishing you all a joyful and merry Christmas! 

Spent our Christmas Eve with Kyle's family and today we are headed to the Wisco border to celebrate with my side. Going to try and embrace all the little holiday nuggets throughout the day. First on the list is soaking up my holiday PJs and sipping on peppermint coffee. But more importantly, don't forget the reason for the season, Christ's birth.

Have a safe and cheerful day.

Merry Christmas!!!

Santa Claus is coming to town

Driving in my car on Sunday I overheard a radio announcer advertise, "Christmas. A time for your whole family to get together and sit on their phones." I couldn't help but chuckle for a moment and immediately put my index finger in the air trying to comeback with some smart reason why that really isn't the case... I found myself sticking my index finger up? Yes. Followed by a quick-witty remark? No. Truth, this man probably has a good point for a lot of folks. 

Channeling your inner ugliness

Holy cow. I blinked my eyes and boom. It's Wednesday. Honestly, this week I haven't felt quite myself. I do good with a little r-word called routine. Like an episode of the Twilight Zone, this week has seemed anything but routine (with the exception of work because let's be real, I need to keep a job). Weekend was go, go, go. My sleep has been nuts and if there is one thing you could guess about me by now it is this girl luvs her sleep. One my top three favorite activities. Mmhmm. So I apologize as its been a few sunsets since I've posted but here are am. I've made it. 

Can you believe Christmas is next week?

act your age.

 (A little throwback Thursday. We were obviously super cool.)

If you didn't know your actual age how old would you guess you are? Growing up is an interesting concept. When I was a kid it went something along the lines of, "when I grow up I want to do, be, see, fill in the blank." Nowadays I still find myself saying the same, when I grow up. ERR maybe it goes something like when I get old. Let's not argue about semantics here. Throughout the years I have of course matured physically, emotionally, and mentally (at times that's debatable). However, I find myself still giddy about things that made me excited as a kiddo. Does that make me weird? Perhaps. But it also excites me that I haven't gotten into the rut of "I'm too old" for things that I probably am not too old for (and, well, um, some, maybe I am too old for but that hasn't really stopped me).

$20 and Under 2014 White Elephant Gift Guide

White elephant gift exchanges can be a mix between funny, practical, cute, or even delicious. When people ask if I want to join in on a white elephant gift exchange I usually have to feel out the crowd and decide what type of category I need to dabble in. This year I am doing one for work and decided to go with a more traditional and practical gift versus a wild and out there kind. But some of my favorite white elephant gifts are the ones that give lots of laughs and can still be of good use. This year I rounded up a few of my favorites for under twenty bucks.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP + LINKS

It's December AND it's Friday folks! We can now kick up our heels and have a glass of eggnog! This time of year tends to get crazy busy and this week in particular was a blur. I am having trouble even thinking about what went on this week. Thank God for my fancy Galaxy phone pics because holy cow, a lot did happen. My body was present but my mind, oh that mind, was somewhere else. Ever get those bouts of insomnia episodes? That's been me as of late. Au contraire mon frere, I seem to have no trouble staying asleep and wanting sleep come sunrise. Why can't I get that early morning awakening insomnia where I am wide-eyed come 5AM. Think about how much I could accomplish!?!? Ugh! Anyways, mind shut up and go to sleep has become my motto at bedtimes.

Here is a recap of what happened in my world this week:

"Giving back"-December's Challenge

Here we are into the second monthly challenge (crazy, that went quick). How did you do with the first one? I know I discovered many days where I had to be really intentional about fulfilling my daily spell of gratitude through words and actions. Interestingly enough, as I walked through this challenge I found other people to be more responsive towards me in a positive way. I noticed people smiling at me more or carrying friendly passerby conversations with me. I could have just been looking for it more (I may be a little biased), but it did make me wonder if the awareness and positive change of my energy (we will go with that term to wrap everything up) was somehow infectious on other people. I mean that was the point of the challenge! How we can create more positivity and lovingness towards others. So to explain my observations in my interactions with others I am just going to go with the latter.

Bittersweet.

(The sunset on Saturday)

This weekend gave me a mix of emotions. Thanksgiving is typically a time where joy and happiness exist alongside good food and time well spent with family and loved ones. This year, however, I found myself discovering news of an old friend's passing. This was a person I had met in high school and carried our friendship into college. Someone I saw quite often as he was roommates with my then boyfriend.

Upon hearing this news I literally felt my heart sink. It was as if someone took a cinder block and pushed it on my chest. Memories instantly flooded my mind and the thought of what this person's family and close friends were experiencing made my stomach turn. Such a young life lost.