My Year in Review

Are you a kind of person that believes in New Year's resoultions? For the past two years, I have created a list of things that I wanted to accomplish that year and surprisingly more things were crossed off that list than expected. Looking back on 2012, I am proud of what I got the opportunity to do. A couple of things that I crossed off this year were:

• Read 5-10 books
• Aquire three new friends
• Make an A on my Residential & Commercial Project
• Make the President's List for all four quarters
• Go to a basketball game
• Learn a new skill
• Hold a newborn baby
• Meet a famous person
• Celebrate four years
• Start a collection
• Go to the beach with my friends
• Spend the night in Atlanta
• Make a public speech
• Go to a concert

Some of the highlights of my year:

Hold a newborn baby: I'm an aunt, again!

Spend the night in ATL

Get an A on Commercial Project

Go to the beach with friends: PCB

Go a concert: Rascal Flatts

Get an A on Residential Project

Celebrate Four Years

Meet someone famous: T.R. Knight (George from Grey's Anatomy)

A couple of things that I know I want to accomplish in this coming year are:

• Get my own apartment
• Volunteer
• Pass the Green Associate
• Visit a new state
• See a Miami Heat game (probably not going to happen)
• Celebrate five years
• Turn 21
• Go camping
• Do an internship
• Survive my Senior Project
• Start a new tradition

What are some things you want to do this year? Lose weight, get married, land a new job, travel to Europe? You can do anything you set your mind to! Setting goals allow you to fulfill your dreams. Once they're on paper and you see them every day, you'll be more likely to achieve those goals. Having something to look forward to and work hard for is important. Come up with five goals and right them down somewhere. Tuck that slip away into a drawer in your night stand and whenever you feel lost or like you've fell off your path to success, reach in the drawer and remind yourself what's important. Some things are really vauge, like start a new tradition. I was thinking along the lines of maybe a once a month thing with my mother or an every Wednesday night outing with friends - something like that. Goals don't have to be exact. They are meant to give you a direction to go. When you've come to a fork in the road, you can check your goals to see if what you're doing is what you need in order to prosper and be happy. When you finish a goal, the best part is crossing it off your list. Hard work does pay off and it feels good, too. The key to writing goals is to make goals that are attainable. If you don't have the money to afford Europe and you have a wedding or a new morgage to worry about, than that trip might need to be postponed to a better time in your life. Don't ever say to yourself, "That'll never happen." The best things in life aren't things, they are memories so create some this year. Do something worthwhile.

Pantone's Color of the Year Released!

Pantone has released the color of 2013 and it's the bold and beautiful Emerald. I'm slightly a little excited because emerald is the birthstone of May babies. I'm also eager to see how this shade of green will enter our lives next year through all the facets of design: fashion, technology, interiors, and even food.

I will miss the liveliness of Tangerine Tango, Color of 2012, but I'm very excited to see this luxurious gem in the world around us. I think a fabulous side job would be to work for this company on their color design team. It would be very fun to be a part of the people that bring color in to this world which gives us all meaning and function. I always love to see what they've come up each year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That ring is gorgeous! Emerald had already made a striking scene in our world and I can't wait to see more! I'm looking forward to branching out and getting a little bit of emerald in my life. How is the new Color of the Year going to make its debut in yours?

 

 

2013 Is So Close!

Whether you like it or not, Christmas is 7 days away and then the 2013 will be here. That is, if the Mayans are right. ;) Anyway, I want ring in this new year in a fun fashion with a date with the lover boy. I'm sure we'll be attending a party somewhere with all the frat guys but hopefully we can have a little time to ourselves.

So whether you are hanging out with friends, family, or your significant other, there's no reason why you can't have a great night without spending a ton of money. Nobody has any money left over from Christmas anyway!

A couple of budget-friendly ideas to do on New Year's night are:

1. Dinner and a movie - it's cliche but always an all-time favorite. Rent a movie with RedBox and cook up a delicious crock pot meal. You can do better than Hungry Man. Get online and find that perfect meal. Pinterest is great when it comes to recipes! Tune in to your news station and watch the New York ball drop. Remember it's at 11 pm our time! Estimated cost: $10-15

2. Have a fondue party - How fun does this sound? Ring in the new year with fondue and strawberries. There's a ton of other great snacks that go great with chocolate such as marshmallows, pretzels, apples, bananas, or crackers. Allow people to bring their own fondue recipe and have a taste testing contest! Estimated cost: $20

3. Take a trip down memory lane - I always love reminiscing on the past year's embarrassing moments. Play the "Who Did It?" Game. Before your guests arrive, come up with a good list of some great moments that happened this past year. A few starters are: who got a terrible tattoo, who joined the military, who got drunk and fell down the stairs of the frat house, who made out with who totally wasted, you get the idea. Make index cards with the answers on the back and allow everyone to guess "Who Did It?" You could also turn this into a Bingo game. Estimated cost: $5 and under

4. Go bowling - Most bowling alleys are open late on the 31st so grab some peeps and show off your skills! Super cheap and hilarious to watch! Estimated cost: $10

5. Watch fireworks - Whether you're at home or out and about on New Year's Eve, don't forget to stop and see some fireworks. If you're planning on lighting a few yourself that's cool, I for one, don't do fire. I will be watching from far, far away. It's always fun to go out to where your city launches fireworks and watch those. Here in Birmingham, they shoot off of Red Mountain over Vulcan. A great place to sit and watch is on Main Street in Homewood. They close it off, so you can bring a blanket and relax. Some of the restaurants stay open too! Estimated cost: FREE (unless you're purchasing fireworks)

And don't forget about your dress! Forever 21 has a great selection of dresses.

 

 

 

Just For Laughs...

There's always some kind of drama situation happening around Christmas in my family. Who's bringing who, who's not bringing who, and whatever else. That's one's reason why I love the holidays. We've all got the holiday blues, but don't forget what Christmas is all about. Here are a few pictures to keep you in the holiday spirit.

Prayers for Peace for Connecticut

I'm sure you've all heard the horror that struck this nation with the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT this morning. Twenty precious, innocent children were shot and killed along with six teachers and staff as well. "Evil visited this community today," the state's governor said earlier. President Obama said, "We've endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. And each time I learn the news, I react not as a president, but as anybody else would as a parent. And that was especially true today. I know there's not a parent in America who doesn't feel the same overwhelming grief that I do." According to a teacher, who locked her students up in the classroom bathroom, kids were crying, saying they just wanted to have Christmas. For those parent's, this will always be a painful memory for years to come. Christmas will never be the same.

 

 

It breaks my heart to think that these parents dropped their kids off at school this morning and came home without them. I can't imagine showing up at the crime scene waiting to hear if their child was dead or alive. It must have be the most terrifying thing in the world. I couldn't imagine losing a child. I've seen people go through it and it kills me every time. It terrifies me to even think about having children! You just never know. The world isn't as safe as a place that you thought it was as a kid. I can't imagine what the children that heard the gunshots who lost friends that they'll never see again are feeling right now. Scared, confused, disturbed. They'll have to go to counseling and will probably never forget this day.

And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave, and he has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

 

Tonight, I pray for peace for the victims' parents. I pray for an everlasting comfort that only our Father in heaven can give. I pray for the community of Newtown, that they will come together in this time of terror and love on their neighbors. I pray for the state of Connecticut, that they will provide these parent's with some sort of closure and reassurance. Nothing can bring back a child but knowing that an entire state is on your side can be some what comforting. I'm at a loss for words. There's nothing you can say or do to make things better. Justice has been served. If you believe in the power of prayer, then pray for these sweet families. If you don't, think happy thoughts. I question that if there were more prayer in schools, less of these attacks would happen. I don't know. What I do know is that it's painfully disgusting. I am saddened for these parent's and I pray that peace comes soon for them.