2012 Goals

1. Bring my lunch to work, most days.
Not striving for perfection, just less tacos from Burrito Brothers.

2. Run the St. Patrick's Day 8K
Inspired by this, I've already recruited Josh and a co-worker to run with me, and (hopefully) a friend will be joining me as well!

3. Visit Bradley in Chicago

4. Go on a vacation with Josh, before this happens (!!!)
I would like to go somewhere tropical; he would like to visit the parts of Texas where our families don't reside (Austin, San Antonio).

5.  Go to the dentist
They called over Christmas to see where I've been. Waiting for dental insurance . . . that my husband forgot to add me to during open enrollment. Oops. Out of pocket it is!

6. Get behind the wheel and drive
I haven't operated a motor vehicle since November 2009, when I drove the mile or so from my parent's house to Josh's parents house. I would just like to drive around an empty parking lot to remember which pedal is the gas.

7. Combine my cellphone plan with Josh's. 
We need to move on from our parents, maybe. This actually makes no economic sense, and Josh would have to get a new iPhone while his is perfectly good still. But, Katie and Bradley are saying it's time. (My siblings have always been my true parents.)

8. Pick a photo to have put on a canvas & frame our wedding invitation.
I have a LivingSocial deal to use for a canvas print, and I need to probably save some money for the wedding invitation framing.

9. Put an album of wedding photos on Facebook
There is one thing stopping me from doing this, and I need to complete that task first.

10. Find patience, spiritual growth and new talents through my volunteer activities.
Redux!

2011 Goals: Report

1. Have that weird mole on my stomach looked at
I went in for my first dermatologist appointment in March. She said the mole needed to go. The biopsy results weren't so hot. So I needed to have additional skin removed to insure all dangerous cells were gone. I now have a nifty scar about an inch long on my stomach 

I'm also suppose to return every six months to be examined. Haven't done that yet!

2. Wear a bikini on my honeymoon 
I'd like to say it was because of the new scar on my stomach, but I really didn't wear a bikini because I wasn't comfortable with how I looked in one.  

3. Be a better shopper and dresser
This really started happening for me in the fall, after the wedding, when I had more disposable income. I'm still working on building my wardrobe, but the move into our shared apartment helped edit my clothing considerably.

4. Blog more
Didn't happen.

5. Prepare to leave my job
There are some exciting and scary things materializing on this front. But, in general, I feel more balanced about my work than I did even six months ago. This is something I'm really proud of in 2011.

6. Make clutches for my maid of honor, mother and future mother-in-law
Happened! Here's a photo of mine taken by our wedding photographer:

Photo by Katie Stoops

7. Grow out my fingernails
Did it! And still doing it! Granted, it's encouraged a now pricey manicure habit that might need to be curbed in 2012.

Photo by Katie Stoops

8. Go to California to see Bradley graduate from USC 

BOTTEGA LOUIE!!!
 

And family

9. Find patience, spiritual growth and new talents through my volunteer activities 
Funny. I thought that this is something I should add to my 2012 goals. FORGOT TO WORK ON IT THIS YEAR!

10. Marry the man I have known for 15 years, as of yesterday, on July 23
 

Photo by Katie Stoops

NaBloPoMo

It has been so long since I have posted to my blog that I didn't understand the new layout of Blogger.

I . . . I . . . just don't know. I don't know if I can get use to this.

Let's see if I can post more than once this November.

After 10 O'clock

Setting: the apartment, getting ready to go to bed

Me: I've heard really good things about Moneyball! I didn't know it was written, or at least the book was written, by Michael Lewis.
Josh: Michael Lewis? Really!
Me: Yeah! And did you know he is married to Tabitha Soren? Do you know who that is?
Josh: Of the Soren Foundation*?
Me: Did you just say that?
Josh: I don't know what I'm saying.
Me: No, Tabitha Soren of the mid-90s MTV News.
Josh: Oh, don't listen to anything I say after 10pm.

* I have Googled and this does not come up with anything. He was really making things up.

I Feel Like This Is The Beginning

Confidential to my parents:
Happy 29th anniversary!

Photo by Katie Stoops, from our wedding

We had a combined father/daughter and mother/son dance to Frank Sinatra's version of Stevie Wonder's "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life". I got very uncomfortable with everyone watching us dance and ended up kind of ruining the whole dance by suggesting an awkward partner switch.

But Mum, in a stroke brilliance, came up to dance with Dad. Because of that, I have some of my favorite dancing pictures from the wedding. And I feel a little less embarrassed about my dancing nerves.

Thanks, Mum!

Photo by Katie Stoops

Was that enough kissing photos in one post for you?

With Their Back And Forth

Confidential to McKatie:

Happy birthday to the best Maid of Honor there ever was!

Bottega Louie Los Angeles, May 2011

Confidential to my husband:

Happy birthday to a pretty good groom.

St. Lucia, July 2011

Supplemental Income

Setting: new apartment
Scenario: while unpacking boxes, we stop to search through my purses looking for a couple iPods that I stashed in purses

Me: *pulls out sandwich size Ziploc bag containing a powdered white substance from a purse* What is this?!
The Fiancé: IS THAT COCAINE?! ARE YOU SELLING DRUGS?!
Me: I don't know! Maybe? *opens bag, smells substance* It smells like Kool-aid. Why do I have a baggie of Kool-aid in my purse?!*The Fiancé is now laughing hysterically. I move to the kitchen to open the bag over the sink.*
Me: *tastes some of the powder* Oh! It's Benefiber. Nevermind. Not drugs.

What a bummer! I thought for sure I could sell the white powder for profit. Now, I'll just have to resort to selling things on Craigslist to make extra money for the wedding.